Labels: Vlog Labels: PMQsWednesday, April 29, 2009
Vlog: Gordon's Credibility Is Shot to Pieces
Iain Dale 5:37 PM
To add your petition to the Downing Street petition calling on Gordon Brown to go clickHERE.Why Hasn't McBride's Commons Pass Been Revoked?
Iain Dale 4:58 PM
Indeed so. Perhaps the Prime Minister's official spokesman might tell us. According to Toby Helm he has been seen in the company of some favoured lobby journalists today (no mention of whom, of course) and been doling out his new mobile number.Jacqui Smith Must Make a Statement
Iain Dale 4:33 PM
The House should demand nothing less.Government Defeated Over Gurkhas
Iain Dale 4:17 PM
What I find simply astonishing is that the BBC News Channel (as of 4.22pm) has yet to make a mention of this devastating blow to the Prime Minister's authority. Instead, they are carrying a live press conference phone in with the Assistant Director General of the World Health Organisation about Swine Flu. What very strange news values, especially when he hasn't actually said anything of interest.
UPDATE 4.24pm: They have now switched to the House of Commons where they have a live report with Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Joanna Lumley.
UPDATE 4.27pm: I look forward to the creation of Baroness Lumley of Fabulous!Brown's Henchman Tries to Intimidate MPs Over Gurkha Vote
Iain Dale 4:07 PM
Whose Words Are These?
Iain Dale 3:39 PM
Our welfare system must not allow anyone to withdraw from society as the consequence of forced withdrawal from the labour market. The voluntary sector will be able to play a hugely important role here: keeping people in touch with the world of work, providing skills training, bringing people together, and giving people inspiration and hope.
The next phase of public service reform must work to give people independence, not dependence, learning from schemes such as the expert patients programme which empowers patients to direct their own treatment of chronic conditions, or the Family Intervention Projects, which give chaotic, dysfunctional and anti-social families structure to their lives and social rules to live by, as the backstop before eviction.
Family Intervention Projects cost up to £15,000 per family, with a dedicated social work team getting the family up in the morning, ensuring everyone is washed and dressed, getting the kids to do their homework, and making sure they go to bed at a reasonable time. But the cost of not intervening in this intense way, with many agencies from probation, police, truancy officers and the NHS being involved, can be up to £350,000 per family.
These kinds of reforms empower the individual, and in doing so save the state money. There will need to be a new emphasis on better procurement: more local suppliers, more consideration for the environment, more value for money.
But reforms will focus on changing behaviour by demanding more responsibility from the individual, and rediscover the true purpose of the welfare state: getting people back on their feet when times got tough, never making worklessness a deliberate lifestyle choice.
No, not a right wing Conservative who believes in the power of the individual to shape their own destiny and rails against an overwheening state bureaucracy. The politician making this speech is none other than the lovely Hazel Blears. The speech is titled 'Community spirit in a cold climate', where she will spell out an unashamedly New Labour message on how the welfare system and public services should be reformed in a recession.
Translation: She is delivering a coded message and setting out a stall. Surely not.PMQs: Clegg Shines and Puts Brown on the Ropes
Iain Dale 12:27 PM
This was Nick Clegg's strongest performance yet at PMQs in his 16 months as LibDem leader. Despite being pre-empted by Cameron, he put Brown on the back foot.
David Cameron 6
Nick Clegg 7
UPDATE 12.35: Michael White has just twittered this: "The Speaker said: Statement from the Prime Minister on Afghanistan. But GB forgot and was walking out. Jeers. GB smiles." Oh dear.
I have just seen that Michael White scored is on the Gurkhas GB 4, DC 3, NC 2. Unbelievable. How out of touch can you be?What David Cameron Should Do at PMQs
Iain Dale 9:18 AM
More people have now petitioned for Gordon to Go than voted for him in his constitutency. If a couple of thousand more people sign the petition before midday, Dave will be able to tell the Prime Mentalist at PMQs that the most popular petition on his own website is the one wanting rid of him. Hint to Dave’s PMQs preparation team: namecheck the petition at PMQs and it will go ballistic. Worth it just to wind up Gordon into smashing a computer screen with a flying Nokia.
Go on, David, you know you want to.
PS: This doesn't alter my general view about Number Ten petitions, as enunciated in my latest vlog rant HERE.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Graham Dines, the lobby correspondent of the East Anglian Daily Times, has just twittered this...
Why hasn't Damian McBride's lobby pass been confiscated?
It is absolutely vital that the Home Secretary pays the House of Commons the courtesy of a statement before the House rises at 7pm tonight. And it's she who must make the statement, not the her junior Minister, the hapless Phil Woolas.
The defeat today is a devastating one for a government with a majority of more than 60. It demonstrates the will of the House of Commons, that the Gurkhas deserve to be treated more equitably. I don't know how many Labour MPs rebelled, but well done to each and every one of them. And well done to the LibDems for tabling the motion.
MPs are currently voting on the LibDem motion on giving the Gurkhas more residency rights in this country. Standing at the entrance to the Aye lobby is none other than Brown henchman Ian Austin, who is trying to intimidate Labour MPs from entering the Aye lobby and look menacing. What on earth does he think he is achieving? The Prime Minister's authority is shot on this issue and it is stupid to think that bully boy whipping tactics will alter anything. I'm told several Labour MPs have walked past him and openly laughed. Good on them.
I'm not going to tell you (yet) who is making this speech tonight on welfare reform. See if you can work it out...
Gordon Brown seemed to be in a very subdued mood at PMQs - almost contrite. David Cameron's two sections of questions were on Swine flu and the Gurkhas. The Prime Minister answered in a consensual way on Swine flu but seemed to be unwilling to take on board the constructive suggestions David Cameron made on the Gurkha issue. In fact, he seemed all over the place. As Nick Clegg said, he was evasive. Clegg must have been furious that Cameron stole his thunder on the Gurkhas, but he nevertheless put a good question to Brown. Brown, of course, decided to answer a different question and concluded by saying he would continue to do his duty by the Gurkhas. Clegg then went in for the kill and accused Brown of behaving shamefully. Labour MPs were said to be looking uncomfortable. Brown's final sentence to Clegg was "We will take the right answers" - an indication that he knew he was both nervous and on shaky ground. Cameron's questions and suggestions on how to solve the Gurkha issue were more substantial, but Clegg landed the political blow.
Gordon Brown 5
UPDATE: Andrew Neil has just said that the Daily Politics has never had such an avalanche of emails after PMQs as today on the Gurkhas. Furthermore, every single one of them supported the Gurkhas. Every. Single. One.
Guido is right in his advice to David Cameron on PMQs...
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