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Is Cameron trying to dodge (another) PMQs?

February 21, 2012 11:15 am

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Recently Michael Dugher laid out the facts that suggest the PM is dodging PMQs – in particular by scheduling parliamentary business for a Friday, rather than a Wednesday.

And the government have done it again.

In Parliament’s order paper today Conservative business managers have asked the Commons to sit on Friday March 23rd instead of Wednesday March 28th.

That’s on top of Cameron leaving the country on March 14th – when unemployment figures are released. Lucky Nick Clegg will be taking his place…

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  • Johndclare

    I’m sorry, but I agree with Cameron.   PMQs are demeaning to our democracy and need abolishing, at least in their present form. 
    I argued this in more detail earlier this year – http://j-cduncan.blogspot.com/2012/01/for-sake-of-democracy-lets-abolish-pmqs.html – and was delighted to discover that Ed Miliband thinks so too (http://t.co/uiQe7v6).

    • keggsie

       That isn’t the point. Whether PMQs is useful or not doesn’t matter. The real point is Cameron is deliberately trying to avoid getting mud sticking to him. It also shows 2 things. 1. He is scared now and 2. He’s not up to the job of being a PM.

    • mactheanti

      You are sorry? What about and why should your pre-emptive apology mean anything at all?

    • mactheanti

      You are sorry? What about and why should your pre-emptive apology mean anything at all?

  • mactheanti

    Methinks Cameron is running scared. He can run but he can’t hide, his lies are now beginning to catch him up *big time*.

  • GuyM

    Perhaps he regards Milliband as such a complete waste of time that he has many more useful things to do each week than sit in the Commons trying not to laugh at him.

    Plus it may be quite clever in that it removes a lot of coverage that has Milliband sharing the spotlight with the PM each week. Cameron will get in the news no matter what he does Milliband won’t, so a clever denial of media coverage maybe.

  • JC

    Until Blair, PMQs consisted of 2 weekly sessions. This was reduced and often missed. Was this wrong, or was it just the wrong party. There’s no point being over partisan about everything. PMQs have become little more than a chance for Labour to “sledge” the government without actually being positive about anything.

  • RA

    PMQ’s are a joke, Ed is generally a poor performer and has very little to offer in the way of positivity and alternative ideas. The speaker doesn’t compel the PM to actually answer the question. They need completely reforming, interesting that most Labour supporters (i am a Labour voter btw) have only complaining about this since the Labour leader’s performances have been attracting negative comments. 

  • Joanne28

    Could it have anything to do with topics up for debate Mark- like NHS,
    which from a PR perspective they don’t seem to be scoring highly on?
    (understatement.)

    I’m not a great fan of PMQ’s style politics, but I don’t think it’s acceptable
    to just chop and change by a whim; it’s something that needs democratic
    process to reform the way things are done?

    J

  • AnotherOldBoy

    Errrr?  Perhaps its because 30 March is Good Friday and MPs (including the PM) might want to get away for a break?

  • David Dee

    It is typical of his class. He will be around to collect any brownie points but when the tide turns, he either lies or goes into hiding.

    We have seen the same characteristics being demonstrated by both Grecian Gideon Osborne and ‘Chickenfeed’ Johnson.

    Now what have these three stooges got in common (apart from being stooges) ???

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