This lunchtime, Ed Miliband squared up to David Cameron – who gave Left Foot Forward a special mention – for his first PMQs since becoming Labour leader.
Ed Miliband took to the despatch box today and squared up to David Cameron – who gave Left Foot Forward a special mention – for his first PMQs since being elected as leader of the Labour party. And after some early formalities, Miliband immediately began to attack the Government over the handling of its child benefit policy:
“Let’s be honest, the Chancellor sits there, this policy has been a shambles from day one. The rest of the cabinet knew nothing about it, the local government secretary said he had found out from the media that it was being announced, the children’s minister, I can’t see him, he went on the run because he was too scared to defend the policy.
“I bet the Prime Minister wishes the BBC blackout had gone ahead it was such a shambles, his conference.”
This was Miliband’s swift response to Cameron’s criticism of Labour; in particular that it offered “no alternative”. The prime minister cited Miliband’s July interview with Left Foot Forward, and taunted the new Leader of the Opposition:
“He said in July this year, ‘Whoever is the Labour leader will be that the time of the spending review have to shadow they have an alternative plan’. Where is the alternative plan?
“This was a speech he made to an organisation called Left Foot Forward, could I suggest he puts both of his left feet forward and tell us what the plan is?”
Watch it:
Other highlights of the exchange included Miliband mocking Cameron’s preposterous “Cameron Direct” events – one such event held in Bolton, where the prime minister promised to defend child benefit as it was. Miliband demonstrated early confidence, mocking the prime minister for evading his questions:
“That’s naught out of two on straight answers, straight answers to straight questions.”
Another well-timed joke saw Miliband turn the prime minister’s tactic of answering questions with another question back onto him:
“I’m new to this game, but I ask the questions and he should answer them.”
Although it did not represent a comprehensive victory for Miliband, it would have certainly eased any remaining fears people may have had that he wasn’t up to the task.
17 Responses to “Cameron: Miliband should put “both of his left feet forward””
Anon E Mouse
Mr.Sensible – Two things:
1. Talk about taxation changes to married couples (and civil partnerships) is not the same as action about the same – at the moment it’s just talk. Why not build a narrative about what is rather than what may be?
2. Agreed on the two parents combined income – it needs tweeking and at the same time sort out the individual tax allowances as well.
Rupert Read – On your article at Liberal Conspiracy you describe parents on £45K as “poor”. This shows exactly how the left in this country really don’t get it…
BobHeavy
“socialism never worked anywhere in the world and there’s no reason why Britain would be an exception”. A depressing point, your right. Consumerist driven Capitalism is all conquering because it keys in to basic human selfishness. Labour are fighting a loosing battle here and on many fronts because the vast majority of people, here and everywhere else put their own welfare before that of the community. Until we get over ourselves and our addiction to cheap tellies, jeans and burgers, the world, our country and our children will suffer.
Change starts in the mirror. Sorry for wondering off topic.
Anon E Mouse
BobHeavy – Everyone wanders off topic on this blog – good points on the jeans and burgers. I always quote the Bob Dylan song:
“Capitalism is above the law they say it don’t count less it sells,
When it costs too much to build it at home you just build it cheaper someplace else,”
That was in the eighties – nothing seems to have changed…
I.G.
BobHeavy – in regards to ‘basic human selfishness’, I think you’ll find that the vast majority of people actually support the welfare state.
It is well documented that people are uncomfortable with the idea of being wealthy amongst the poor. So they should be…
Roger
The entire purpose of the child benefits, student finance changes and the assault on public sector employees is to further detach the middle class from the welfare state.
Remove every such benefit and eventually they will see themselves no longer as citizens but as oppressed taxpayers supporting a parasitic horde of tax eaters – and will become as fervent prosecutors of class war against the poor as their counterparts in the USA.
Only problem is that in the short-term they will be very pissed off at whoever strips away those benefits – thus the importance of a) the coalition, b) fixed term parliaments and c) getting the changes implemented asap in the hope that by 2015 the idiot electorate will no longer quite remember who was responsible.
And even if they do kick the Tories and LDs out in 2015 the damage will have been done – in the slashed and burnt economic wasteland they leave behind it will scarcely be feasible to restore universal benefits or free higher education – and so the artfully administered poison will slowly and insidiously work its way through the class system and eventually reproduce the American two-party system that the bourgeoisie prefer.
The sheer cold ruthlessness of the Tories and their LD Quislings is actually quite breathtaking – reminds me of Colonel Kurtz’s monologue about the Viet Cong chopping off children’s arms in Apocalypse Now – how can you fight such people?