Party leaders' topics: David Cameron on Blair's ability to carry through reforms, freedom of speech
and the closure of eco-laboratories. Menzies Campbell on UN authority on decisions about Iran and if military action against Iran is still ruled out.
Best joke: Blair pre-empted mocking by self-deprecatingly saying it would be a good idea if he turned up to the education reforms vote. He didn't turn up to the second Racial & Religious Hatred vote, which lost by one.
Best line: In reference to Home Rule in Northern Ireland, Blair said something out of step with his government's general attitude - "The government can facilitate but not force people to do what they don't want to do."
Biggest cheer of the day: Probably when Cameron first stood.
Best behaved person of the day: Hilary Armstrong (again). Cameron: "I've noticed the Labour Chief Whip is a bit quieter than normal", and is putting Blair in the frame for last night's defeat "a good career move?".
Best putdown of the day: Speaker Michael Martin on a Labour heckler. (Did anyone catch who it was?)
Missed topic of the day: Bush's State of the Union speech.
Most MPs stayed in the House for a moment - to hear Stephen Byers' "unreserved apologies".
Deputy Editor
Ming the Merciless is becoming a bit of a pro at the old foreign policy questions.
Posted by: Chris Palmer | February 01, 2006 at 13:29
He doesn't have much choice when Cameron steals subjects like Climate Change!
It's also the subject he is most comfortable with, one in which he can sound like a statesman in, and one that tends to be hard to heckle.
Posted by: Sam Coates | February 01, 2006 at 13:37
I really should start refusing to answer my phone at about 11:30 on Wednesdays. Missed it again!
Does Ming actually know anything about this country?
Is PMQ repeated on BBC Parliament? If not I'll have to watch it on the Parliamentlive archive tomorrow.
Posted by: Mike Christie | February 01, 2006 at 13:44
"Is PMQ repeated on BBC Parliament? If not I'll have to watch it on the Parliamentlive archive tomorrow."
I tend to watch it from the BBC website when I get home from work and Italian lessons on a Wednesday.
Posted by: Daniel Vince-Archer | February 01, 2006 at 13:51
Italian lessons. How interesting? Are they going well Daniel?
Posted by: PM | February 01, 2006 at 13:59
Non c'e male, grazie. See you at Silvio's this summer?
Posted by: Daniel Vince-Archer | February 01, 2006 at 14:03
Clearly Hilary Armstrong has to be minister of the day!
Posted by: Simon C | February 01, 2006 at 16:38
Ming would make a good Foriegn sec a Conservative-Liberal future government.
Posted by: Matthew Oxley | February 01, 2006 at 17:22
"Ming would make a good Foriegn sec a Conservative-Liberal future government. "
Please, no!
Although he'll be way too old by then anyway, so not to worry.
Posted by: John Hustings | February 01, 2006 at 17:32
Well, I actually thought this was one of DC's most impressive performances thus far. He's growing into PMQs.
Posted by: Goldie | February 01, 2006 at 18:03
Blimey Goldie! You're an unpredictable little bugger.
Posted by: john Skinner | February 01, 2006 at 18:06
A positive comment from Goldie about DC!Well I'll be damned.
Posted by: malcolm | February 01, 2006 at 18:18
Despite being allegedly anti-Cameron, my PMQ reports tend to be pretty positive about him!
Daniel, I know basic Italian from living with two Italian girls for a few months! Why are you learning it? I can speak Spanish and read (kind of) Latin and Greek so I can usually get the gist of Italian.
Posted by: Samuel Coates | February 01, 2006 at 18:32
You guys haven't been paying attention. I was a very enthusiastic supporter of DC during (and indeed before) the Leadership campaign.
It was two years ago that I told my friends that DC would be the next Conservative prime minister. I still think this will come true...(I should have put a bet on it then). I also know Michael Gove personally, so I saw some of this coming from a long distance.
But I think that the economic approach DC is taking is WRONG.
Posted by: Goldie | February 01, 2006 at 18:33
Btw, you can listen to PMQ's here, and to Michael White's report of it here (courtesy of The Backbencher weekly email)
Posted by: Samuel Coates | February 01, 2006 at 19:21
Oh, and watch it here!
Posted by: Samuel Coates | February 01, 2006 at 19:35
"Daniel, I know basic Italian from living with two Italian girls for a few months! Why are you learning it? I can speak Spanish and read (kind of) Latin and Greek so I can usually get the gist of Italian."
Io studio italiano perche visitare l'Italia come turista.
You're right, Spanish and Italian are very similar - it's said that if you're fluent in one, you can just about muddle through in the other. Unfortunately I'm giving Italian up after next week due to time and financial restraints. I'm much more competent at French anyway. But anyway, enough about me and back to the subject of the thread...
Why was William Hague in the House today? Shouldn't he have been in Brussels? Although given the relaxed and downright funny performance of David Cameron at PMQs, I suspect he may have been called back to have a hand in prepping Cameron for PMQs - ten sugars or twelve?
Also, any news on whether Charles Kennedy and/or Mark Oaten were there today?
Posted by: Daniel Vince-Archer | February 01, 2006 at 20:55
The person put down by the Speaker. If I remember correctly didnt he say that the person was a Whip? It narrows it down a little doesnt it?
Posted by: James Maskell | February 01, 2006 at 21:20
Huhnes was there, you could see him a row or so behind Ming.
Posted by: James Maskell | February 01, 2006 at 21:21
DVA--yes I too detected a Hague-ish flavor to today's PMQs, but DC handled the material very well indeed.
I watched it AGAIN because it was so brilliant.
DC really is such a talent. If only he developed some sensible policies...
Posted by: Goldie | February 01, 2006 at 23:02
"You're right, Spanish and Italian are very similar - it's said that if you're fluent in one, you can just about muddle through in the other. "
Yup - a Spanish speaker will usually be able to understand Portugese and Italian, and even Romanian (at least written, it's pretty hellish spoken). Personally I'd say we should teach Spanish before French in our schools because of this - doesn't hurt that it's much easier to learn also.....
Posted by: Andrew | February 01, 2006 at 23:34