Today, of all days, David Cameron has the chance to massacre Gordon Brown at PMQ’s. 

Its is clear there is a division at the heart of Government.

Alastair Darling, Chancellor claims that inside Number 10 ‘the forces of hell’were unleashed on him when he predicted a deep and severe recession and that Damien McBride & Charlie Whelan actively briefed the media against him.

Gordon Brown, of course, denies this,  ”I was never part of anything to do with this.  I would never instruct anybody to do anything other than support my Chancellor.”

So the question is, either Gordon Brown was in control and authorising his inner circle to brief and smear his Chancellor, (in itself the very worst of playground bullying), or, if Brown is right, he would never instruct his advisers to do anything but support his Chancellor, then the accusation must be that he had lost control of the heart of Downing Street and ‘advisers’ were going off doing their own thing.  What else were advisers doing?  Again a very damning position. 

This feels like the court room scene in ‘A Few Good Men’, when Jack Nicholson, (Playing Nathan Jessop), was goaded by Tom Cruise to admit that he had ordered a Code Red.  Nicholson denied ordering his Commanders to enact a Code Red attack on a Private marine, (like Gordon Brown today!).  Nicholson’s Commanders protected him and denied everything.  But Nicholson had to be seen as in total control.  When this assertion was undermined, ie he lacked control or knowledge of what was going on, he cracked.  Lack of control was weakness.  Gordon Brown likes to revel in power, he loves to be seen in control, he is itching to say he ordered a Code Red on Alastair Darling, he just needs David Cameron to rattle his cage hard enough and fire him up to crack. 

So which is it Gordon?

I look forward to DC having some mileage on this in PMQ’s.  DC has his moment as Tom Cruise in that famous scene.  I hope his opening gambit goes something a little like this:  ‘Would the Prime Minister confirm whether he authorised the ‘forces of hell’ on his Chancellor, whether his Chancellor is lying, or whether he was unaware of the briefings taking place by his senior advisers to the media, in which case has he lost complete and utter control of the Downing Street Machine’?

I would also love to see DC draw the comparison with bullying.  ‘Would the Prime Minister agree that one definition of bullying is using advisers to brief against your Chancellor behind their back’?

Should be a fun PMQ’s. 

Again….the man is addicted to telling untruths.

Gordon Brown clearly stated today in PMQ’s to the House of Commons that Britain has the second largest military expenditure in the World.

If you don’t know the facts Gordon PLEASE don’t treat us as fools.  Don’t make statements on the cuff.  We are owed more than this constant bullshit.

Quick research shows that….

Wow.  PMQ’s was interesting today.  In any definition of ‘a shocker’ Brown was poor in PMQ’s today.  The sheer pain etched on some of the Cabinet’s faces was painful to see.  Harriet Harman actually looked close to screaming in despair….bet she wishes she exercised ‘her moment in time’, a few weeks back.  Brown is feeling the strain as he seeks to hold together this busted Government.

Time was that Gordon Brown bestrode the Commons on economic issues.  The Former Iron Chancellor…the master of the economic brief.  Getting into the detail of economic theory was more fun than sex for Gordon and minute detail was Brown’s orgasm.  Economics was not Cameron’s strength and in the past he relied on his typed manuscript and whispers from George Osborne.  No more.  Cameron made absolute mincemeat of Brown in the Commons today.  Cameron was more assured that Brown on the economy, needed no notes or prompting and put in his strongest performance for a few weeks.

Brown on the other hand looked a pained and beaten man.  Yes he trotted out the usual lines, (‘we are the party of the many, the Tories the party of the few’….how boring is that old cliche), but Cameron truly painted him into a corner which Brown could not squeeze out of.  Brown would not committ to a spending review before the election because the recession made it all the more difficult.  Cameron hammered home that the reason that Brown did not want a review was because the Government did not want to admit to cuts.  Brown again looking shifty and dishonest.  Cameron accused Brown of a “deceit” in claiming the Opposition proposed 10% cuts.

What followed was Cameron in full stride, dominating the debate and commanding the authority of the Commons.  DC labelled Brown “Mr 13.5%” because he said, based on the Government’s own figures, they would have to cut spending by 13.5% if they wanted to ring-fence spending on health and education.

What followed was hilarious, Brown rattled by Camerons accusation that the the Government would cut total spending, Brown came out with the line of the day…. spending would increase until a “0% rise” in 2013-14.

No wonder that education is in the mess it is….if our Prime Minister thinks that 0% is a rise….what hope for our school kids.  Hilarious bullshit spin at it’s worst. 

Gordon did create one more soundbite….the Conservatives ‘are the party of unemployment’.  Watch him trump that one out in the next few week.s  It came to him in a flash at PMQ’s and he looked chuffed he created a new insult.  What Gordon needs to remember is that this electorate can see unemployment spiralling under him and his hapless crew.

What happened to Nick Clegg again today.  He was again weak and ineffective.  He really is unpredictable in his performance.  Clegg was ineffective today.   As a side note lovely to see Jacqui Smith on the backbenches at PMQ’s.    Hope she enjoys her remaining months in the House of Commons before she faces the judgement of her local electroate…..!!!!

Just watch this video posted by Liarpoliticians on YouTube and observe the faces around Mr Brown….this guy is not performing and soon the chatter will start again over Brown’s dismal leadership……

For those reading the newsletter, you can follow the text from Hansard here:

Mr. David Cameron(Witney) (Con): I welcome what the Prime Minister said, and I agree with him about the Queen’s new recognition for our armed forces—we should all be incredibly proud of what they do on our behalf.

Last week, it was demonstrated for everyone to see that capital spending under Labour will be cut. Now I want to turn to total spending. Does the Prime Minister accept that his own figures show that once the Treasury’s forecast for inflation is taken into account, total spending will be cut after 2011?

The Prime Minister: No, total spending will continue to rise, and it will be a zero per cent. rise in 2013–14. In 2011–12 and 2012–13, it will continue to rise—[Interruption.]

Mr. Speaker: Order. The Prime Minister’s answer must be heard.

Mr. Cameron: I think that that answer gets zero per cent. The Prime Minister said very clearly no, it will rise, so can he explain a copy of a Treasury presentation that was given to us? On page 7, there are headings for current spending and capital spending, and the headline says very clearly: “Reduction in medium-term spending”. May I ask the Prime Minister, if even the Treasury is giving presentations around the country saying that public spending as a total is being cut, why cannot he admit to the truth?

The Prime Minister: I have told the right hon. Gentleman previously that current spending is going to rise, and that capital spending, as I explained last week, will fall after 2011. These are the public spending projections for the future, but I have to tell him that the debate about public spending is about how we return to growth and jobs in the economy. The reason we have advanced spending to 2009–10 is so that we can spend to get out of recession. We put forward proposals for homes and jobs, and for more money in 2009–10. The Opposition have rejected this expenditure. We have put forward proposals for expenditure in 2010–11—increasing expenditure, and the Opposition have rejected that.

The capital spending that we have advanced to 2009–10 and 2010–11 is therefore not available after 2011. This is precisely the way in which a Government will act to take the country out of recession, and I must therefore ask the right hon. Gentleman why—[Interruption.] Oh yes. His shadow Chancellor should explain why he was going into television studios yesterday saying that he was going to cut schools now, cut Sure Start now, cut the September guarantee for school leavers now, and do nothing about unemployment. That is surely the issue: we cannot get out of recession unless we spend now on the services that we need.

Mr. Cameron: Today we see a Prime Minister in full retreat. In the first answer, he says that we are going to get a zero per cent. increase in public spending—that is a new one. In the second answer, he finally admits that he is going to cut, and cut deeply, capital spending. He talks about the debate about public spending: the debate is about whether the Prime Minister can be straight with the British public. Let me ask him again. He stood at the Dispatch Box, and talked about total spending year after year—that is the figure that people are interested in. As the Treasury itself says, when it comes to total spending, there is a reduction, not a freeze, in medium-term spending—I am glad that the Prime Minister is talking to the Chancellor for the first time in weeks—and given that it is talking about a cut, will the Prime Minister stand there, give a straight answer and say that once we allow for inflation, total spending is being cut?

The Prime Minister: I have already said that current expenditure will rise, and continue to rise. Capital spending will rise until 2011, then it will fall. I have already made it clear that for health, education and for all these public services, current spending will continue to rise. The issue is surely this: in 2009–10, we are raising spending substantially. We are doing so in 2010–11, and we are doing it to take us out of recession. There is only one serious party in the world that is trying to tell us that we should cut spending now—the Conservative party. The right hon. Gentleman must therefore admit that under his proposals, schools would lose money now, teachers would be made unemployed, Sure Start services would go, child care services would be at risk, and no teenager would get a guarantee for jobs. That is the future if the Conservatives were ever to implement it.

Mr. Cameron: Complete nonsense. Nobody—[Interruption.] It is interesting that not even the Prime Minister’s own Cabinet now backs the ludicrous line that he is taking about public spending. He keeps talking about this 10 per cent. I do not know whether he realises how much damage it is doing to him. It is not doing any damage to us. Let us explain where the deceit about the 10 per cent. comes from. Let me explain to the House—[Interruption.]

Mr. Speaker: Order. The Leader of the Opposition must be heard.

Mr. Cameron: If we take the Government’s own spending plans, take off debt interest and take off the increase for unemployment, which, sadly, will go up, we are left with a 7 per cent. cut in every Department—the Government’s own figures. If we exempt the NHS, we get a 10 per cent. cut—the Government’s own figures. If we take out—[Interruption.] Thank you, Schools Secretary. If we listen to the Schools Secretary and take out health and schools, we get a 13½ per cent. cut. That is the Prime Minister: Mr. 13½ per cent.—his own figures. Let us see if he can answer the simplest of questions. Is he going to have a full departmental spending review before the election—yes or no?

The Prime Minister: The first thing that the right hon. Gentleman said was that unemployment is going to continue to go up. That is the Conservative policy. It is a prediction. That is when they say that unemployment is a price worth paying. Is he basing his assumptions on unemployment rising to 2014? No wonder he wants to cut public services. He is basing his assumptions on unemployment continuing to rise, because he will do absolutely nothing about it. We have taken action that is preserving 500,000 jobs. A quarter of a million people are leaving the unemployment register every month. We put in extra money on Monday so that there is more for young people who are unemployed and for summer school leavers. We will not forecast our spending plans on unemployment being higher in 2014 and rising every year, but if that is what the right hon. Gentleman wants to do, he cannot afford public services. Therefore the truth is that he will be cutting public services by 10 per cent.

Mr. Cameron:I have to say that this is one of the most feeble performances that I have ever seen from the Prime Minister. If Peter Mandelson had not been so busy wandering round the television studios this morning, he could have given him a bit of tuition. There is only one person who we want to add to the unemployment register, and that is this Prime Minister. I asked a simple and straightforward question. Perhaps he could now answer it. Peter Mandelson has said that there will not be a spending review before the election. Can the Prime Minister tell us—will there be one or not?

The Prime Minister: It would be wrong to have a spending review now, at this stage—[HON. MEMBERS: “Why?”] Because we are in the midst of a recession and it is not possible to say what unemployment, growth and all the characteristics that the right hon. Gentleman has been referring to are likely to be in 2012, 2013 and 2014. We have got to the heart of the Conservative position today. They are the party of unemployment. They are premising all their spending plans on unemployment continuing to rise. He said himself that unemployment will keep on rising. If that is the basis of their spending plans, people can look forward, under a Conservative Government, not just to 10 per cent. cuts, but to rising unemployment. Why do they want these public spending cuts? To pay for inheritance tax cuts for the very rich. We see once again that they are the party of the few, and we are the party of the many.

Mr. Cameron:I know the walls of the bunker are thick, but the Prime Minister seems completely unaware that unemployment is rising across the country because of the policies of his Government. We have seen hundreds of people lose their jobs at Diageo in Scotland—another tragic case—yet the Prime Minister seems blissfully unaware of what is going on in the country that he is meant to be governing. Everyone will conclude that the Government will not have a spending review because they do not want to own up to the cuts that they are planning in Department after Department. The truth is that this Government are planning to cut capital spending: fact. They are planning to cut total spending: fact. The most important fact of all is that they are incapable of being straight with the British people.

The Prime Minister: This Opposition would cut public spending this year and deprive people of help with unemployment and housing. This Opposition party would cut public spending next year, and cut it savagely in schools, in education and even in the Sure Start programme. We now know the truth about the Conservatives’ assumptions about the future: they assume that unemployment will continue to rise, as the right hon. Gentleman said, until 2014. That is not the policy of this Government; we want to get people back into work.

David Cameron is no doubt thinking of tomorrow’s PMQ’s.  What questions should he ask?  How can he make the Prime Minister feel awkward and start to rebuild the Conservative lead in the Polls back to high 30′s / early 40′s?

I would suggest that Cameron knows that Brown is preparing to trot out the same old lines.  We are all well rehearsed in them.  ‘Labour Investment and Tory cuts’.  ‘Labour is the Party of the Many, the Tories the Party of the Few’.  ‘Tories 10% spending cuts across the board’.  ‘Tories will cut nurses/teachers/police by 10%’.  etc etc 

It is clear Brown is happy to lie to the House…….the spending figures debate in last weeks PMQ’s showed that.  But debating figures in real terms and capital expenditure etc really flies above the general public’s understanding of this issue.  I sat in a Conservative Club and watched PMQ’s with circa 40 Tories, (many more mature in their age), and many in that bar did not understand what was being said.  It flew right over their heads.

I don’t want to hear this false politics in PMQ’s this week from Brown.  he needs to be wrong footed.  It is insulting.  What Cameron needs to do is bring the economy back to the personal cost.  Many people are hurting.  They are losing their jobs.  They are struggling to pay mortgages.  They are eating less to pay for energy bills.  They cannot afford to buy houses.  Small businesses are failing because they cannot get access to credit.  The recession is causing a really personal, devastating, exacting cost in society.  Many of our people are really on their knees hurting.  The last thing they want to hear is the arrogance of this Prime Minister ranting on about the Tories.  We have not been in power for the past 12 years.  Labour has….and it is clear they are running from all their policies be it health, education.  Labour cannot point the finger of blame at the Tories…it is they that have had the chance to Govern.  If education league tables are the right way forward why did the Government effectively scrap them today.  If the health service is so good why introduce a policy that if someone doesn’t get seen by the NHS quickly, they can go private, paid by the tax payer.  If education results are improving, with great year on year GCSE and A’Level results, why do we need 1.2.1 tutors in the classroom?

Let’s face it, Cameron needs to ‘humanise this recession’.  We know that Brown cant handle emotion and express sorry.  He needs to be placed in that zone where he is portrayed as uncaring and cannot apologise…or care for his actions.  There are plenty of examples of people ravaged by the failures of this economic policy.

Cameron has made the point well on personalities.  We know that Alastair Darling is not Brown’s choice for Chancellor, we know that Mandelson is running the show and we know that Ed Balls is being used as Gordon Brown’s attack dog.  But the people really don’t care about that.  They want to know about real issues affecting them and what will be done by the Government to help them.  As we move more and more into this recession, many of the Government’s policies for dealing with the recession still haven’t seen the light of day.  The three keys things Brown has done….spending to create jobs in the public sector, spending to prop the banks up and printing money via quantitative easing.

Brown needs to be pressured to show emotion on this issue—or be seen as an uncaring bastard.  We know that there is more and more bad news……..

So what news today?   More economic statistics are coming through.  The British recession is proving more severe than first thought in the first three months of the year, with the economy suffering its sharpest quarterly contraction in more than 50 years.  The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy actually shrank by 2.4pc in the first quarter compared with the final three months of 2008, much more sharply than its first estimate of 1.9pc.  ONS records show that the last time the British economy contracted by more than 2.4pc was in the second quarter of 1958 when gross domestic product fell by 2.6pc and Harold Macmillan was in Downing Street.  These are shocking statistics.

We also learn today….

-     Lloyd’s are planning to shed a further 2,100 jobs, taking the total to 7,000

-     Sky News is reporting that British Airways wants to cut 5,000 jobs and introduce a two year pay freeze for ground staff, cabin crew and baggage handlers

These have personal, real life faces, tragically affected by Government policies.

Let’s ‘humanise’ this recession David…and show it’s true costs.  Statistics are great but it’s real humans that lie behind the statistics.  humanising brings with it emotion, emotion brings with it passion and cause, passion brings loyalty and with that loyalty comes support…….over to you DC.

As usual PMQ’s was its usual pantomime.  Gordon ‘soundbite’ Brown came fully prepared with a batch of spin soundbites ready to be reeled off continually.  ‘Tory cuts and Labour Investment’.  10 percent cuts by Tories.  The Tories are the party of the few, Labour is the party of the many’.  Well we now know their lines for the next election!  It really is clear he comes to PMQ’s not to answer questions but to reel off some quotes for the news channels to focus on.  In many ways the PM is making a mockery of his very question time.  All he wants is an easy ride.  He has enough planted Labour Questions each week, coupled with never answering Cameron.

Maybe Cameron should be revolutionary next week.  When he is called in PMQ’s he should just say.  ‘Mr Speaker, each week I ask the Prime Minister a number of questions to which my questions go unanswered.  This week, I will ask none and I will be in exactly the same place as I would be after asking him 5 but at least I save the nation in hearing his fake soundbites’.

Where was Nick Clegg this week?  He asked two of the weakest questions I have seen him ask.  After recent issues and gaining some bite over the Gurkha’s, Clegg today was just a gummi bear.  He could have used his questions to good effect on Trident or on the Private Iraq enquiry.  He is fading fast again.

What was interesting today is that Brown gave one of his strongest performancesof recent weeks.  He seemed a man that was fighting the opposition again, not fighting for his political life.  The same must be said of his address to the GMB.  Whilst Brown is no orator he certainly made a powerful and heartfelt address.  He is again a fighting spirit.  In many ways, whilst he answers no questions, I agree with Joey Jones that Brown won this weeks PMQ’s.  Which is unusual as Cameron is a far stronger Commons performer.

Brown cannot be written off.  Conservatives cannot be complacent.  I really hope that, whilst no one expects a mini budget, Cameron & Osborne can actually add up some figures and say, these are the figures we are cutting.  Maybe that is the £15bn for the Identity Card Scheme.  Maybe £20bn for upgrading Trident.  Maybe by stating a 10% cut in the Civil Service.  All these figures add up and can be thrown back at the Prime Minister.  Let’s get the argument onto we propose cuts, why aren’t you?  We have the biggest budget deficit in Europe, what do you propose to cut this Prime Minister.  The IFS state all parties need to make cuts in spending to balance the budget, tell us what you would cut to help figures.  If Brown wont cut, let’s paint him as a spendaholic, like as I have said before, that seedy character hunched over a roulette wheel, desperately throwing in more and more chips, gambling this nation’s future away.  We really do need to address this issue at its core roots instead of allowing Brown to pander to his backbenches and trot out the 10% Tory cuts as it they were negative.