PMQs Verdict: Are we all Marxists now?

Well this wasn’t a great PMQs by any stretch of the imagination. The sub-par session was summed up by David Cameron par ping out perhaps the worst PMQs “joke” of modern times – reacting to Ed Miliband’s Desert Island Discs with this…corker:

“He’s no longer a follower of Marx. He’s loving Engels instead.”

Oh the inhumanity. But you’d have thought Cameron might have learned his lesson by now when it comes to commenting on music. Marr (Johnny not Andrew) says he’s not allowed to listen to the Smiths, and Paul Heaton was less than impressed last week when the PM declared his love for London 0 Hull 4 (the lyrics to which, I can only assume, the PM didn’t understand). A reference to Drenge is sure to be the highlight of the next PMQs I’m sure.

But all Cameron did by making such a dreadful gag was remind everyone of Miliband’s point – that a few weeks ago he was attacking Miliband as a “Marxist” for having the temerity to interfere in the market, and now he’s in favour of curbing payday lenders. And if he’s in favour of bashing the legal loan sharks – some of whom are Tory donors – what took him so long?

Are we all Marxists now?

Well – no, obviously we aren’t. But as I noted earlier this week, hearing a Tory government being pro-market intervention in a good way (“Help to Buy” doesn’t count) isn’t something I thought I’d live to see. Cameron’s u-turn on usury now makes it much harder for him to attack Miliband when he next wants to intervene in the market – which he’s definitely going to. Dave’s inconsistency could be costly, and will likely prove difficult to explain to the electorate in the election campaign.

But what was pleasing was how willing Ed Miliband was to drive home his support for market intervention today. Cameron’s Wonga u-turn has put a spring in his step. Not for the first time in his leadership he feels like the fundamentals of politics are shifting in his favour. That the tectonic plates on which our politics are built are inexorably moving in his direction.

Perhaps – we are indeed down the rabbit hole now, and we don’t know how far it goes. Today’s PMQs wasn’t a vintage one, but it was an important one. We can now add market intervention to press regulation and Syria on the big issues that Miliband has flipped Cameron over. And for a Tory PM, that’s probably the most significant change of all.

P.s – Cameron does deserve a special mention though, for dodging the clumsy attempt by the SNP to make the Scottish Independence referendum a battle between Salmond and Cameron. The PM – rightly – said that any debate should be between the Scottish Yes and No camps. That’s Salmond vs Darling. Bring it on…