An Visit to PMQs

I had the pleasure of being in the public gallery for Prime Minister's Questions today, first time I'd been in there, and an experience I'd recommend.

All the normal cliche's probably hold true, the chamber is much smaller than you'd imagine, for example, but the more important things are probably the more subtle. Cameron looked nervous when the cameras weren't on him, and I thought he talked nothing but nonsense, Nick Brown is clearly still a very influential figure for the PM despite not having a cabinet position, he stood behind the speaker keeping an eye on the Labour benches, presumably for any errant Blairites wearing the wrong expression, and Osboune and Cameron do look like two kids who've found themselves with the best toys, constantly sniggering to each other.

Cameron's focus on one bit of paper (a form the Police have to fill in when the search someone) seems absurd when you see it first hand, but then you step outside and see that its become the lead item on the BBC News. You can't fault the result, even if the line of questioning sems to assume that the Public can't understand big issues, which they clearly can. Most importantly though, Brown simply isn't very good at this. Time and again obvious retorts seems to go unsaid, he either doesn't think of these or chooses not to use them. The questioning was poor, but Browns lack of charisma would make anyone look good. He needs a well managed crisis to exert his authority on, or he's in real trouble.

Blogged with Flock