 Op-ed: UK PM David Cameron headed to parliament Monday afternoon to make a statement on the fall out following Iain Duncan Smith's resignation last Friday.
Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell tabled an urgent question for Chancellor Osborne but he will be a no show. He sent in the clowns in the form of one of his department who will do his best at a damage limitation's exercise. Earlier Monday Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn told the media George Osborne should resign. Official statistics Monday support the view that compassionate conservatism is not just a myth it is a downright lie. Last Wednesday's budget has been shot down in flames and lies in tatters. If the Commons is unable to pass that budget the government will need a re-think as it still has billions to find to plug spending gaps to even pretend to balance the books. So we waited poised for Osborne's stand-in and a fiery afternoon in the Commons. David Gauke, Osborne's stand in, faced jeers from across the Commons as he went into Tory spin big time. John McDonnell responded to Gauke as Angela Eagle joined in asking where Osborne was. If we had to guess it would be that Osborne was at Number 11 Downing Street writing what he will say when he appears in the Commons Tuesday to respond. I imagined him sat with a group of overpaid spin doctors trying to save his skin. All Gauke was able to do was cite various past Labour governments and waffle his way through words and phrases such as jobs and growth, delivering on the economy before veteran Kenneth Clarke added his nasty twopenneth into the mix. The Tories are trying to turn John McDonnell's question into a party political broadcast. Stewart Hosie for the SNP joined in the attack on the Tories but Gauke played another nasty card slating the Scottish people who wanted independence. David Cameron began his statement around 4.15 when the ground work had been laid by Gauke but no matter how they spun it Osborne's budget is shot and the knife IDS plunged into the heart of the Tory government has not quite killed the government but it is on its way out.. Yvette Cooper, Labour, tells it as it is but again Gauke can only harp back to Labour days. How can the House make a decision on the budget when one page has been torn up asks Labour's Chris Leslie? But Gauke is trained in Tory ways and fails to give a straight answer. Conservative Philip Davies, claiming he is being helpful, says it is time to remove protection from ring-fenced budgets citing overseas aid. Gauke manages to get in the inherited deficit dating back to 2010; how long will the Tory party play that card? Nadhim Zahawi reminds Labour they said they would not play party politics with the budget. Gauke is not sure McDonnell has always delivered on that; that from Zahawi who was caught fiddling his parliamentary expenses to heat his stables and Gauke an MP from one of the worst party political playing governments ever. MPs getting bored perhaps waiting for PM Cameron to start speaking began with joke comments. Who will replace George Osborne does not appeal to Gauke but a Tory stab at John McDonnell seems fine. Chuka Umunna, Labour, makes valid points on the budget, PIP and the bedroom tax but all Gauke has to offer is nonsensical attacks. It is same old same old Tory tactics and spin on their record as opposed to previous Labour governments with no real answers. David Cameron sat next to Gauke, no doubt with his preferred full bladder ready to address the House, finally got to his feet. Cameron gave a statement on Europe and the refugee crisis but most viewers had tuned in to hear him speak on IDS and his resignation fall-out. Cameron's EU statement even includes an update on the tampon tax but finally he gets on to IDS. He briefly mentions his honourable friend without naming Iain Duncan Smith and runs an impromptu party political broadcast. News that the Tories will rebuild sink-hole estates is worrying as surely they should be demolishing them? Cameron finishes with wild one nation compassionate tory claims and commends the statement to the House. Jeremy Corbyn responds by first noting that opposition MPs were only given about half of Cameron's speech ahead of the statement. Yes he likes to have the edge one way or another. Corbyn raises relevant points about refugees and Amnesty International asking for a coordinated response to the refugee crisis. He gives credit to the female Labour MP for Dewsbury who brought about tampon tax changes. So now the nitty gritty where is George Osborne? Mr Corbyn picks the budget and Osborne's no show apart. Cameron for once tries a full explanation, stays calm and gives credit to the tampon tax Labour party MP, says Osborne will be in the House Tuesday then reverts to form and is abusive to Labour MPs calling them Time Lords and harking back to the 2008 global economic crisis again blaming that on the UK Labour Party. At this point enough is enough and here comes the remote. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the fiasco BBC News reports new DWP Boss Stephen Crabb said there are 'No further plans' for welfare cuts. Well in 2010 David Cameron had 'no plans' to increase VAT but he did and fast post election, up to 20% where it still sits. Never trust a Tory springs to mind.
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