REMEMBER a couple of years ago when Gordon was fresh and rearing to go? Yes, he uttered a devastating blow to his rivals, and foes, that now was ‘no time for a novice.’ David Miliband bottled out…..
So today in PMQs, looking tired GB re-iterated that classic line – not to the Kids Dave and Ed Miliband, but to David Cameron, whom, he said, was a U-Turn PR guru, who flip-flopped on policy every day.
However, when challenged on whether there would indeed be a levy of £20,000 or more when someone died to pay for long-term care for the elderly, the PM lacked the soundbites – and evaded the question. Has Alastair Campbell jumped ship – still feeling the strain from Marr’s interrogation last weekend? Gordon had been quite effective in PMQs over the past couple of weeks, but today was weak, and reverted back to the same old lines that Blair used when he was at the height of his premiership, eg, same old Tories, and they are for the few, not the many.
Cameron couldn’t help but go on the bananas quip, saying that Brown had been overdosing on them – Gordon certainly seemed full of energy – but lacked the detail.
Andrew Neil on the Daily Politics yesterday said that we should ‘let Gordon be Gordon.’
Two things for sure that has come out of the last couple of days, when Gordon is indeed himself, he just cannot cope with it. Gordon cannot cope with being Gordon. And we know from the ridiculous debate that went on in parliament yesterday over the proposal for the alternative voting system, that Gordon loves wasting time and money. And it’s mostly our time, and our money.
Well, he was elected by the voters of Kircaldy and Cowdenbeath. In a parliamentary system, I suppose it’s always wrong to say that the prime minister was elected by anyone other than his own constituency, but the personalities of the parties’ leaders do seem to play more of a role than they did even 15 or 20 years ago.