The benches behind him were relatively empty this afternoon as the Prime Minister got up to deliver a report on last week's EU summitry. Although Mr Brown did not mention the Lisbon signing neither David Cameron nor Vince Cable were willing to let him push the issue under the carpet.
David Cameron said that the Prime Minister will not restore trust in politics until he grants a referendum. This issue will not go away, the Leader of the Opposition insisted. The Prime Minister's behaviour is making him look "shifty" and "untrustworthy". As Mr Cameron concluded he suggested that Mr Brown was "weak", "dithering", "second-rate" and "not straight with people".
In his last Commons appearance as acting LibDem leader, Vince Cable said that the Prime Minister had been "incompetent" for not organising his diary so that he could attend the Lisbon signing, or "discourteous" for not having tried or "duplicitous" for trying to have a halfway house of signing when noone else was there.
There are two problems with Mr Cameron's response;
1) He is still pursuing the same tactic on the EU Treaty even though it's not working.
2) He did not address the big issues but chose to play low politics. Fine for a while but not Prime Ministerial.
Posted by: Alan S | December 17, 2007 at 17:36
I have no idea what Alan S is talking about. However, can I suggest that one problem about dealing with New Labour, which under Brown has increased dramatically, is that they are so dishonest and incomptent critisising them, objectively, with the available words of the English language, offends pompous people who would like their politics to be quiet and not reflect the attitude of rif raf - who happen to have votes. Conservative spokesmen have continually been on the back foot trying to critisise Labour and not use the extreme language which would honestly describe them. (I suspect we are about to have the same problem with Clegg's Lib/Dems.)
Posted by: David Sergeant | December 17, 2007 at 18:50
David Cameron said today that the Prime Minister will not restore trust in politics until he grants a referendum.
Why then does David Cameron not promise a referendum and ALSO PROMISE that when elected he will hold such a referendum and will renegotiate with the EU to implement the will of the people?
William Hague has made many comments regarding a referendum. Why does he not come out in concrete support of such an approach?
Posted by: Northern Conservative | December 17, 2007 at 19:18
Didn't David Cameron promise a referendum in an interview with The Sun?
It apparently was his "Cast-iron" promise.
Posted by: Buckinghamshire Tory | December 17, 2007 at 19:58
The Treaty has been signed and Brown will not give us a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. By the time a Conservative Government comes to power, the EU Super-State will have had two years to reduce Westminster to a talking shop.
The next Conservative government must deliver a referendum on EU membership. The Lib Dems have made that promise. Let's call their bluff.
Posted by: Moral minority | December 17, 2007 at 21:28
The Treaty has been signed and Brown will not give us a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. By the time a Conservative Government comes to power, the EU Super-State will have had two years to reduce Westminster to a talking shop.
The next Conservative government must deliver a referendum on EU membership. The Lib Dems have made that promise. Let's call their bluff.
Posted by: Moral minority | December 17, 2007 at 21:30
Dear me.
To think we have this lot running the country until May 2010....because that is how long they are going to hang around.
Posted by: eugene | December 17, 2007 at 22:03
: Buckinghamshire Tory;cast iron is the type that breaks when dropped
Posted by: michael mcgough | December 17, 2007 at 23:28
Cameron told Merkel that Britain will make better neighbours than tenants.
As Brown sinks in his own sludge, Cameron is starting to articulate a new european relationship. I am sure he has far more in his mind than is currently being revealed.
First sink Brown. Second build the future.
Posted by: Tapestry | December 18, 2007 at 06:00
Moral minority "reduce westminster to a talking shop"
Have you not noticed? Westminster is already a talking shop. The constitution renders it to the equivalent of a local authority.
Posted by: jonnyboy | December 18, 2007 at 06:43
I love the caption
EU Treaty
Burmese Government should open meaningful dialogue with the opposition.
Just change Burmese to UK, and it makes sense.
Posted by: Serf | December 18, 2007 at 07:04
Curious that Cameron's denunciation of Prince Gordon's failure to deliver on the referendum was ignored by Sky and BBC in favour of the latest data incompetence story... Looks like we have a regime that uses incompetence to hide dishonesty.
Posted by: Jane Cadette | December 18, 2007 at 09:32
Curious the way that both Sky and BBC News chose to run on the 3m driver data loss story and ignore Cameron's denunciation of Prince Gordon's referendum cop-out.
Posted by: Jack Cade | December 18, 2007 at 09:34
Is that an up to date picture, it looks like Quniten Davies behind Cameron.
Posted by: Paul Holmes | December 18, 2007 at 13:16
I know what you mean Paul but the screen capture was definitely from yesterday!
Posted by: Editor | December 18, 2007 at 13:30