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Lies, damned lies and PMQs

Thu Jul 02 10:31AM

The stalking spectre of black-hearted deceit should have hung heavily over this week's prime minister's questions. Instead, Gordon Brown's fumble brought the House down.

By Alex Stevenson

All the ingredients were there. In the build-up we'd seen David Cameron claim there was a "thread of dishonesty" running through the government. Then Peter Mandelson came out fighting this morning, accusing George Osborne of a "deliberate untruth". This PMQs was always going to be about one thing - who can be believed on public spending.

That's where the statistics come in. Having slain the capital spending dragon last week, Brown-killer Cameron moved on to bigger, brighter things - total spending.
We were just getting started when the disaster struck. Brown, unthinking perhaps, boasted of a "zero per cent rise in 2013".

For the briefest of moments the entire Commons froze. In cartoon-mode Wile E. Coyote Brown looks at the camera, lips trembling and eyes bulging, as he realises he's just walked off a cliff. He pedals against thin air. He flaps his arms desperately. But then it's too late, the zero per cent rise has condemned his PMQs to ignominy, and he plunges away into the ether.

It didn't quite happen like that, of course. But the stunned, embarrassed faces of the Labour backbenchers as the Tories yelled and jeered said it all. "I think that answer gets zero per cent," Cameron observed, to predictable laughter.

It was all over before it had even started, but they pressed on nonetheless. Inevitably the issue became one of Brown's character. "Why can't he admit to the truth?" Cameron asked. Later he referred to the prime minister's "deceit". He wanted to know whether Brown could be "straight with the British public".

Nick Clegg added his own voice to proceedings, saying the "bogus debate" about public spending meant very little. How could he possibly trump the Brown-Cameron hate-fest? By hating them both himself! They were "both deliberately choosing to trade insults, so they can both deliberately avoid telling the truth", he said. If only someone would pay Clegg the courtesy of insulting him he might feel a little better.

Brown's response to all this was a muted disgust, a wobbling against "cheap jibes". He sought to stick to the politics. "I've already said, capital expenditure will riiiise," he quavered desperately. There were some decent points scored as he painted the Tories as the "party of unemployment". But the only real party being had in the Commons this lunchtime was on the benches behind Cameron.

It was "one of the most feeble performances" Brown had ever given, the Tory leader said. He was not in complete command - his claim that the Tory ten per cent cuts line was "not doing any damage to us" suggested he was a little rattled by that line of attack - but the vulnerabilities probingly sought by Brown were blown away by another classic prime ministerial gaffe.

Confronted with a serious, escalating row over dishonesty at the top of government, the prime minister turned this week's clash into yet another childish embarrassment. What was that puff of smoke, down there in the canyon of failed prime ministers? Ah yes, it was Coyote Brown, meeting reality with a bump.

Comments381 - 386 of 386

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380 davetaylor_999
correct, well said, rip off britain is alive and well, i bought a graphics card not so long ago and a friend of mine in usa bought the same card from the same company and was charged 140 dollars (equivelent) less. i emailed this web site for an explanation and was told it was market forces, and if i wanted the card so much i would pay the extra, were are the benefits of belonging to this corrupt eu? why are they not forcing our corrupt government to bestow on the uk citizens the same rights and lifestyles that every other country has in the eu? it beggars belief the lengths these idiots will go to to veto rules and regulations that would benefit us, ie pensions got to be the lowest in the eu, car prices the highest ? food highest? were will it all end.

From shifty1962 on Sun Jul 05 11:05PM
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The tolerant, ignorant or complacent British are being treated contemptuously by the government and to some extent the opposition as neither want or feel able to tell the truth. As a self-employed person for the last twenty years I would be prepared to lead a tax payers revolt to stop this farce if there is enough support.

From timelster on Mon Jul 06 08:11AM
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More nonsense from Alex Stevenson - what a c unt.

From avinabacca on Mon Jul 06 09:51AM
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Cameron and Brown and their party's are the same they just have two things on their mind its called power and money its time we the people took it away .Then put someone in place who will do what we tell them to do .A very good start would be to bring home our Armed forces we could replace them with MPs MEPs and their hangers on see how they like living in a tent and people trying to kill them 24/7 for £260 a week less Tax and Ni. Cpl Mandleson would love it .They all say they what to serve their country well let them better still make them and hope they get wiped out .LOL. This is their war they voted of it not the people, Its our kids who are being killed out there .

From marissatv87 on Mon Jul 06 11:36AM
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383 sniper_traffic so well said! Many people are beginning to wake up to this. The system we have in place is just an illusion. Our political system, banking system, etc, have been put together by the elite including the monarchy to keep us enslaved and under control. But we can free ourselves by using the power of our minds, subconscious minds, our own extremely powerful creativity. 99% of the media indulge in the illusion to keep it going by manipulating us - as they have a vested interest in it. Stop listening to the media and instead go and find out about the power of your mind and create your own reality as you desire it! This is true! Research for yourselves, go to the websites sniper_traffic here recommends. See what happens! The elite have deliberately kept this from us - go and research!

From patricia.king.t21 on Mon Jul 06 12:42PM
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The problem is we don’t have any politicians that understand the truth.
It’s a shame that they cant and wont tell us the electorate the truth. We in turn should decide not to vote for lying politicians. Their job is to run the country honestly in the best interests of the public, not the best interest of the party in power, who are saying anything they think may help to wine the next election. That’s not their job even though they think it is.
Then we have a man of Browns of low capabilities and dishonest comments spewing forth daily that he hopes will win a few votes by those of little political knowledge.
We need a new government with new standards, we must go back 30 to 50 years to find the standards required. MP’s should be forced to stand down if its proved that they have lied to parliament as happened in the past.
Scoring points against the other party is all that seems to matter to the MP’s and not to the benefit of the country.

From brianhot3 on Thu Jul 09 08:27AM
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