PMQs: Cameron asks about vote bribes and early-release prisoners

12.06pm: Chris Bryant criticised the UN's lack of action on Zimbabwe, Brown doesn't address the UN issue so much but refers to Mugabe's unacceptable "blood-stained regime". Cameron said he agreed with every single word of what Brown said about Zimbabwe.

12.08pm: Cameron asks if Brown stands by his statement that no-one was bribed to vote for 42 day detention. Brown answered simply: "yes". Cameron then cited a letter from Chief Whip Geoff Hoon to Keith Vaz (Chairman of Home Affairs Select Committee) thanking him for voting for 42 days and saying that he trusted he would be "appropriately rewarded". Brown said he was just being thanked for voting the right way. Yet again, Cameron asked "why can't he give a straight answer to a straight question".

12.12pm: Nick Clegg asked about the inexcusable "mental health crisis".

12.16pm: Cameron asks why Brown hasn't stopped dangerous criminals being released from prison early. Brown said he's stepped up checks. Cameron said he warned him about this a year ago, and quoted a probation officer saying that as far as he could see nothing had been done since last year. The letter Cameron referred to has now been published by the Telegraph, so presumably he had the inside track.

12.19pm: Brown goes on about the number of police and community support officers on the street and claims crime is down 30%. Cameron brushes of the "irrelevant fgures" and says no-one will ever forget that he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer who didn't pay for the prisons that we need: "Surely people will conclude that he has failed in his basic duty of keeping people safe?". Brown hits back by saying that the Conservatives "talk tough" on terrorism, law and order and planning laws - but "act soft".

12.21pm: Stephen Crabb asks whether it's worse to come behind the BNP in Henley or behind the SNP in Glasgow East, and wonders if Brown will campaign in the latter to stop it happening. Brown used his usual line of criticising Tory backbenchers for wasting their questions on trivia.

12.23pm: Iain Duncan Smith said the Government should get all Western governments to tell Mbeki that if he didn't use his weight against Mugabe that trade with South Africa would come under review.

12.28pm: Sir Peter Tapsell asked about the "unwinnable and deeply unpopular" war in Afghanistan, saying that the Taliban weren't involved in international terrorism which was now mostly conducted from Iraq, the border with Pakistan, and Britain.

Comments

[Paul D]

More tractor production figures

[London Tory]

re: the offer to "Sir" Keith Vaz MP

Michael Martin proves, once and for all, that he is not up to the job.

What a shambles that man is.

[Steve]

To sum up the McLabour benches during McPMQ's

* Lots of och aye the noos

* Ignore the question and harp on about the 80's.....ever so conveniently stopping around about 1980

* Dont answer any question, just say investment investment investment....and dont mention about wasting every penny of it.

* Ask the opposition questions and ignore their questions.

* Use the words "This country", "Our country", "UK" and "Britain" instead of the word "England", because McLabour cant have the masses knowing the "British" Government, the Scottish Raj of McLabour rule ONLY England!.

[Paul D]

So Dave "hasn't answered his points"

Gordo, THAT'S NOT HIS JOB

[Norm Brainer]

You can tell brown had been practising in the mirror that last bit after Cameron's questions!

His claw tapping on the box is getting more annoying than usual... I think he's attempting to communicate to his people on whatever planet they are on.

[passing leftie]

12.23pm: Iain Duncan Smith said the Government should get all Western governments to tell Mbeki that if he didn't use his weight against Mugabe that trade with South Africa would come under review.

What a bloody stupid idea. Sanctions against people who won't take out sanctions against dodgy regimes? That's everybody, isn't it?

[Iain]

"What a bloody stupid idea."

Not really for the only country which could reign in Mugabe is South Africa, and as we have seen Mbeki won't, worse is acting as a protector to Mugabe.

[David Cooper]

London Tory @ 12.15: yes, it did look as if Gorbals Mick "mumbled away" DC's follow up question amid the general hubbub. Did anyone catch exactly what it was?

[passing leftie]

Iain said:

"What a bloody stupid idea."

Not really for the only country which could reign in Mugabe is South Africa, and as we have seen Mbeki won't, worse is acting as a protector to Mugabe.

So, should we reign China in if they don't act against local dictators with whom they have influence? What about Middle Eastern dictators with whom the Americans or we have influence? We could go the whole hog and introduce sanctions against countries who won't introduce sanctions against South Africa for not introducing sanctions against Zimbadwe.

Former imperial powers should think twice before making high-handed threats to former colonies. It would antagonise South Africa, and make it easy for Mugabe to point at a Western scapegoat. Another good reason to thank our stars that the Tories don't have control over delicate diplomatic matters.

[London Tory]

@ Passing Leftie

You are missing the point.

Mbeki's inertia is deliberate, the normal rules of the game only apply in Africa if a white man is supressing a black man.

[Annabel Herriott]

David Cooper. I've just played it back Gordo was saying "if you have any allegation to make......." when Gorbals interrupted him, Gordo sat down thankfully, and Gorbals called someone else. Was that what you missed?

[Iain]

"Former imperial powers should think twice before making high-handed threats to former colonies."

Oh dear the old guilt trip again. But no doubt if Mugabe starts a genocide in Zimbabwe we will be guilty of that as well? Probably for the left have constructed an argument where we are guilty for trying to do something, and guilty of not doing some thing, both at the same time, that's the sort of balanced argument we expect from the lefties.

So lets have a clear undertaking from a lefty, as he is saying its none of our business, and we shouldn't try and put pressure on Mbeli to intervene, so if things do go seriously wrong there, he will stand by this undertaking, won't demand we do something, won't be demanding we take thousands of asylum seekers, won't be expecting us to supply emergency aid, and won't be expecting British taxpayers to fund the reconstruction?

[gingeral]

Passing leftie:

If it helps topple Mugabe, and thereby saves lives, then it should be done. Consistency of approach isn't everything and is often impossible in practice. What you're essentially saying is that if we can't do good things everywhere then it is better to do good things nowhere than do good things in some places but not others. If that's your view then fine but don't pretend that if adopted in practice by governments it won't lead to a lot of people dying for the sake of consistency.

[passing leftie]

Iain said:
So lets have a clear undertaking from a lefty, as he is saying its none of our business, and we shouldn't try and put pressure on Mbeli to intervene, so if things do go seriously wrong there, he will stand by this undertaking, won't demand we do something, won't be demanding we take thousands of asylum seekers, won't be expecting us to supply emergency aid, and won't be expecting British taxpayers to fund the reconstruction?

You definitely don't have a close understanding of the nuances of this issue.

I am saying that we should not threaten trade sanctions against South Africa. We should continue to bring diplomatic pressure to bear on South African via the EU and follow the EU line (which is currently to press for an MDC government)

I'm am not saying that we should avoid sanctions because of liberal guilt, but because it would be politically counterproductive. I can't imagine anything more likely to make the people of the most powerful country in Africa unite against the West.

It would make it former imperial powers vs Africa, which is just what Mugabe wants.

[David Cooper]

Thanks Annabel. No doubt proper procedure would have been for Gorbals to insist that the PM finished what he had started - but perhaps he foresaw that the rest of the response was going to be "why don't you....." in the true manner of Questions to the Leader of the Opposition!

[never in that carriage]

COMMENT OVERWRITTEN.

[Alex Swanson]

I'm am not saying that we should avoid sanctions because of liberal guilt, but because it would be politically counterproductive

As opposed to the current policy?

It would make it former imperial powers vs Africa, which is just what Mugabe wants.

If other African govts choose to back Mugabe, they they deserve everything they get, and they shouldn't be denied it simply because of some perceived image problem.

The former colonies wanted independence, and the majority in South Africa wanted democracy, because they said they could govern themselves and wanted to be treated as equals. Fine, no argument with that - but then they have to be judged by the same standards.

[Annabel Herriott]

David! Since when did Gorbals ever go for "proper proceedure"??????????

[David Cooper]

Annabel, how about "when hailing a taxi for his wife and producing the expenses form"? Seriously, having now seen the highlights myself, it seems that Gorbals did say "Prime Minister" as if expecting Broon to get up and complete his answer, then turned quickly to his right and called a Labour backbencher. Did he forget himself, or did he deliberately let Broon off the hook? We may never know...

[Matthew Jones]

Can't say I'm too happy with Gordon Brown and his sporting curse mentioning Stoke City. Can't he leave us alone?

[Jon White]

Never thought that I'd find myself in agreement with Passing Leftie on anything, but he's absolutely right on this one. Should we stop trading with the USA as they keep China going with all manufacturing? For once, just once, he is right. IDS's comment was ill thought out.

[Norm Brainer]

Can't say I'm too happy with Gordon Brown and his sporting curse mentioning Stoke City. Can't he leave us alone?

Yeah, what was all that about? ... and he said that it was the opposition coming up with trivial matters!

Although, when he said about trivial matters he said they should have come up with something about the NHS's birthday, like it's having been so many years since it started had huge parliamentary significance

[Letters From A Tory]

Brown had no answer to anything. He was just like a punch bag hanging from the ceiling with Cameron dancing round him (don't picture it) and delivering several hard blows.

Too easy?