EDITORIAL VERDICT: One of the most uneventful PMQs for some time. ToryBear finds that the Hague is still Tory leader site is owned by William Hague!
12.20pm Nigel Waterson urges Harriet Harman to address the "nonsense" of the Government assuming 10% interest on savings when pensioners are tested for benefit entitlements. No social group has benefited more from this Government than pensioners replies Labour's Deputy Leader.
12.17pm: Vince Cable asks about home repossessions. The Government's house repossession initiative is only reaching 1-in-10 of those in arrears.
12.13pm: Unemployment, debt and taxes are rising says Hague, good businesses are going to the wall. If this is what happens when Brown saves the world I dread what will happen when he moves on to the entire solar system. We'd rather have "Superman" leading our party, says Harriet Harman, than a party led "by a joker". She then jokes about this William Hague website which still describes the current Shadow Foreign Secretary as Leader of the Conservative Party.
12.09pm: This House won't be sitting for another month, says Hague: How many people will lose their jobs while the Government is dithering over whether to underwrite bank lending? At this crucial time, says Harriet Harman, Tory plans to "cut public spending" will be devastating to the economy. Tory ideas, she says, are not worth the press releases they are printed on. She then misrepresents Tory policy by saying that the Conservatives are only concerned about lowering interest rates.
12.05pm: In his second question William Hague says that the Government must follow the Conservatives in offering to underwrite bank lending to businesses. Ms Harman lists a variety of measures that the Government is taking to help businesses.
12.03pm: William Hague rises. Why hasn't anyone been arrested for leaking the news of British troops withdrawing from Iraq? After that rhetorical question Mr Hague says that it is clearly time for a full inquiry into the war. There is no excuse for further delay. Harriet Harman says there will be an inquiry once our fighting forces are home.
Is it a bird!?
Is it a plane!?
No!
It's...
Superjock!
http://img2.abload.de/img/superjock2i2s.jpg
Posted by: steve | December 17, 2008 at 12:20
Harriet Harman knows something about William Hague's challenge to get rid of Dave Boy.
Just checked it does say William Hague , Leader of the Conservative Party,
I'd support that !
Posted by: gezmond007 | December 17, 2008 at 12:21
Why doesn't Hague direct his comments to the Met and stop wasting parliament's time?
Posted by: Eric the Viking | December 17, 2008 at 12:21
It's also got the old colour blue and the old flaming torch symbol.
It's pretty bloody clearly an old site!
Posted by: James | December 17, 2008 at 12:22
The conservatives are a bloody joke, no polices, and a stupid clown as a stand in
Posted by: Omar Kader | December 17, 2008 at 12:28
Wow, an ancient website with no content on it and the old logo. A conspiracy if ever I saw one - not!
Just checked it does say William Hague , Leader of the Conservative Party,
I'd support that !
I'm sure you would - then we'd have a repeat of the 2001 election.
Posted by: Raj | December 17, 2008 at 12:28
Is it a bird!?
Is it a plane!?
No!
It's...
Superjock!
http://img2.abload.de/img/superjock2i2s.jpg
Posted by: steve
Better than a stuck up English toff that's for sure.
Posted by: Omar Kader | December 17, 2008 at 12:29
woops:
http://www.torybear.com/2008/12/billys-back.html
Posted by: TB | December 17, 2008 at 12:30
Well that was dull...
But yeah, why is the Conservative website quoted above so...out of date?
Posted by: liam in preston | December 17, 2008 at 12:35
'Omar', 'Raj', surely its time to get back to putting the Prime Ministers Christmas cards into envelopes for him before he gets back from avoiding PMQs? Good lads.
Posted by: Aurelio | December 17, 2008 at 13:05
Presumably Brown goes off on these PR trips in order to avoid confrontation with DC.
Posted by: john broughton | December 17, 2008 at 13:06
Hague mouthed "not my web site" in response to Harman. How pathetic that she saves these attacks until a time at which the Speaker won't permit him to respond. Cut-and-run indeed.
Posted by: Tom FD | December 17, 2008 at 13:56
Signs of a dithering Harriet if you ask me if she needs to check Hagues website before PMQs, wonder if Hague had a suspicion his website may be checked and Harriet fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
Posted by: adge | December 17, 2008 at 14:07
Its much more likely that it is a false spin website, which was organised to cause more annoyance and divert WH off course somehow!
Posted by: Patsy Sergeant | December 17, 2008 at 14:42
Harriet always seems to do well against Hague. She is not the fool some take her for.
Posted by: David | December 17, 2008 at 17:23
The site's been like that since at least 2001
Harman was pathetic as usual.
Did I hear her say that they must change the gender of parliament? - She really does seem to have a anti-male chip on her shoulder.
Posted by: Norm Brainer | December 17, 2008 at 17:56
Harriet Harman. What a waste. She started so well all those years ago.
But she is now, for all her posturing and preening, and faux socialism, nothing but a rather soiled glove puppet for War mongerers in the Labour Party.
Sad.
Posted by: Matt | December 18, 2008 at 01:02
Matt I agree with you. There was a time when I had high hopes for Harriet Harman. However she seems to have become the very worst sort of socialist, and worse she is a dreadful example of a kill joy to boot. She is intent in criminalizing consensual sex between adults if money changes hands, and really does seem to have morphed into a man hating harpy.
David said:
“Harriet always seems to do well against Hague. She is not the fool some take her for.”
Hague is himself no fool, but he isn’t a terrible good speaker. So its not difficult to imagine that some people would have scored Harman the winner. Lets face it Hague was not up to the job of party leader because of his lamentable lack of skills as an Orator. It’s a great shame because he really is a very bright man with a strong grasp of the realities of our position. I can never watch him without his speech to conference, as a Tory youth, coming to mind. Hague was also the real life pattern for Harry Enfield’s hilarious Tory Boy character.
Posted by: The Bishop Swine | December 18, 2008 at 10:20
PMQ's is meaningless political panto.
However, here's my thoughts on this weeks knockabout:
Harman is a self-righteous, feminist, socialist bigot (not like to get stuck in a lift with her). She is irritatingly rude and abusive towards Hague.
Hague is yet to take her apart. I think he'd be well advised to take a more serious tone. And when she uses a jibe (baseball cap, joker, failed leader etc) then he should round on her saying in this economic crisis, he'll stick to the serious issues affecting the people of the country and leave the school yard name calling to a Party with nothing else to offer.
Posted by: John (Northumberland) | December 18, 2008 at 10:47
Almost certainly is Hague's website. Seems unlikely almost anyone else would have registered williamhague.org.uk on the 8th May 1997.
Posted by: James Robinson | December 18, 2008 at 16:30
Great class. Thank you, You are the best.
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