Member News
By Sam Macrory - 20th January 2010
Nick Clegg appears to be enduring an increasingly rough experienceat PMQs, with this lunchtime's bout seeing the Lib Dem leader on thereceiving end of some particularly brutal barracking from the Labourbenches.
If today's showing is anything to go by, thenClegg's repeatedly damning assessment of both the Tories and Labour arebeginning to bite back in the chamber.
At the start of theyear Clegg's pre-election posturing consisted of calling his opponents"tax dodgers" and dismissing a vote for Labour or the Tories as a votefor "corrupt politics"; words that in the long term could hurt him ifhe goes in to ruling coalition (which, let’s face it, is theopportunity that his party are hankering over) and in the short termare hardly likely to improve popularity in the Palace of Westminster -as an increasingly agitated chamber would suggest.
The groansthat normally greet the third party leader were today replaced with thetype of high-pitched cat calling that every MP must dread when the takethe floor – the noise that greets the weedy kid in the playground whenhe says "I’ll fight you all at the same time."
There is agrowing feeling that Clegg is trying just a little too hard to looklike the angriest man in the chamber, with his PMQs approach nowbecoming rather predictable.
Question one is the politescene-setter, question two follows with an exclamation along the linesof "that simply isn’t good enough!" Both are followed with sedentaryattacks on the prime minister.
Of course, the two questionsafforded to the Lib Dem leader hardly allow for much in the way ofvaried tactics, but Labour backbenchers are now wise to Clegg’sapproach.
Today a question on the Kraft takeover of Cadbury –Clegg’s economics were dismissed by the prime minister with the line:"his liberal principles seeming to have gone to the wall" – werefollowed by Clegg snidely thanking the PM for "that little economicslecture" – cue more high pitched hollering – and then the Lib Demleader’s descent into arm waving fury.
The PM’sstraight-batting of his question and repeated dismissal of the'Liberals' may be a source of intense frustration, but Clegg’s armwaving histrionics and hollering cries of "grow up" are causing morejoy for the Labour benches than they do for his own MPs.
Theelectorate like their politicians to show passion but are lessinterested in an MP who appears to be losing their rag, and while Clegghas hit upon some good subjects at PMQs – see last week’s double on theprime minister’s non-appearance before the Chilcott Inquiry – he needsto avoid acquiring a reputation for serial short temperedness over awide range of issues.
Instead it might be time to get reallypassionate about just a handful of issues rather than angry about many– and for a man who could find himself wooed by both parties in theresult of a hung Parliament, perhaps a gentler approach to tough lovemight soon be required.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd