“You wouldn’t have spotted Thatcher in 1974 or Churchill in 1937″

Sure, but Thatcher didn’t reach power until 1979, and didn’t start really turning things around until 1984, which means that even if a new Thatcher comes along, we’re a decade away from real national revival (which actually sounds about right).

Excuse me if I don’t turn cartwheels.

FWIW I wouldn’t characterise Britain as a sinking ship, more a kind of old, rusty destroyer, with a totally knackered engine, drifting at anchor.

She needs a total refit, and probably a new engine, before she will be seaworthy once again.

I like the way they stagger the elections in different parts of the country – especially the way the voters in Iowa have a decent chance of actually having met the candidates.

If we’re going to have constituencies we should let them decide when to have elections, rather than doing them all on the same day.

PMQs begins. E. Miliband arises and is cheered by Coalition benches again.

Q1 is on GDP figures, unsurprisingly. Asks what’s gone wrong. Cameron says times are difficult, figures disappointing but not unexpected. Says they reflect the overhang over the debt and deficit, higher food and fuel prices and the eurozone crisis. Refers to forecasts for other comparable nations which are similar or worse to our own and cites low interest rates.

Q2 says people are fed up with Cameron’s excuses, and that growth ahs been flatlining since the 2010 spending review. Says the government’s approach is total arrogance. Quotes Osborne ‘steady and sustained economic economy with falling unemployment’. Asks how bad things must be to shake Cameron out of complacency. Cameron says the question ignores his previous answer, ‘No more boom and bust’. Says there is not one ounce of complacency and reels off list of measures. Speaker intervenes to quieten Labour benches. Cameron says Labour’s answer to a debt crisis is to borrow more.

Q3 Miliband says Cameron and Osborne are byword for self-sastisfied, smug complacency, and that they’re failing on borrowing. Refers to unemployment, lower GDP, asks when the PM will face up to the fact his policies are failing the country. Cameron says the economy grew last year and more people are in work now than at the GE. Uses Balls quote on IMF, and the IMF said that fiscal consolidation is part of resolving the problems facing the UK economy.

And pause.

Both Ed and Dave quite good in that first exchange

It does seem to be a system with a lot of merit.

I like how the smaller states generally are front loaded in the primary calendar.

Mr Dancer, may I say that your factually neutral summaries of what is said at Prime Minister’s Questions are a boon to those of us that can’t watch or listen to them?  Many thanks.

Dave on the NHS is pathetic.

Ed is much better when he asks awkward questions to Cameron and avoids the jokes.

And resume.

Q4 is on ‘flagship health bill’ and loss of support for it. Much laughter from Labour backbenches. Cameron makes lame second opinion joke, then says thousands of GPs not just supporting but implementing the Government’s reforms. Speaker again silences Labour benches. Cameron cites one GP from Doncaster (E. Miliband’s constituency).

Q5 says Cameron is out of touch on the NHS. Miliband cites GP survey and Royal College of Nursing, neither of which are pro. Cameron says Miliband is out of touch with Doncaster. Cameron bangs on about extra this and that in the NHS since the election. Says Labour wants to cut NHS spending and would make it worse not better.

Q6 Miliband says morale down and waiting times up, and cites Conservative-dominated Health Select Committee slamming the changes. Says nobody wants the bill and refers to no more top-down reorganisations quote, and asks Cameron to put aside his arrogance and drop the bill. Cameron says Miliband panics and backs down at the first union upset but the Government doesn’t. Refers to a Shadow Health Secretary quote in favour of GP-related changes.

Er…because it is EdM’s own constituency?

Agreed. this is a much better performance from Ed today.

I liked the way he lowered his voice after one or two of his questions. He normally sounds as though he is screeching. 

DC 7/10
EdM 7/10

I agree we need to show confidence in ourselves if we are to dig ourselves out of this mess.

Ergo, the one thing the government could do – indeed MUST do, right now, today – is give the go-ahead to Boris Island.

This is the only way to get us back on our feet, massive infrastructure investment: other budgets must be cut to do it if necessary, though I suspect private BRIC finance would be very keen on such a potentially lucrative project. The Chinese think long term, a glittering new London airport is  - long term – a tantalising investment.

Boris Island would also mean we are serious about linking our economy to those areas of growth: right now we don’t have direct air links with half the most important cities in Asia and Latin America. Even Jakarta!

Build it and they will come. But build it. And f*ck the little birds. And the Lib Dems.

M Mark:

And?

The majority of international trade in the world is now service sectors and will increase its share in future.

He was far more convincing on the NHS than the economy, that’s for sure.

That’s because Dave is clueless on the NHS
Who on earth thought rambling on about a GP in Doncaster was a good idea?

I’m regretting missing the cricket for this.

The perception is that Ed didn’t get a victory today given how bad the economy performed today.

I agree although I doubt REd was convincing to the general public  many of whom will have spotted he ignored the PM’s answers and so went on to make a clanger on the statistics, such as waiting times.

Economy: No score draw.

NHS: Miliband 2-0 Cameron (But hardly anyone was watching this particularly match)

No doubt focus groups are telling Labour this is what people are beginning to think about Cameron

May I second antifrank’s sentiments.

Either that or he was suggesting Miliband doesn’t know what’s going on in his own constituency.

Well, I think you’re absurdly optimistic. Sorry.

We are in relative decline and will be for the next century, that is inarguable. The question is whether we will enter absolute decline, i.e. actually get poorer over time. That is now far from impossible.

I have two hopes: the shale gas revolution, if it pans out the way I see it, is going to seriously lower energy prices across the globe, eventually. There is almost nothing better for an economy than cheaper energy. This will be a big big boost.

Also, such are now the fiscal constraints on any government it will be impossible for Labour to get back into power in 2015 or (more likely) 2020 and f*ck it all up again: no one will lend them the money.

So the UK is bound to be governed in a relatively sensible way for a decade, as we literally have no choice. That stability may allow us to sweat off the debt and get back to real growth.

But it is going to be damn hard and damn painful, whatever happens, and you are irrationally sanguine.

Bit of a flat PMQs I thought.
 
Until Lisa Nandy (Lab, Wigan) stood up.

Not spotted her before. Merits further research methinks…

Someone needs to tell the PM you don’t pronounce it “Donkes-ter”…

HenryG has been singing her praises for months.

Vielleicht.

Countries can be surprisingly resilient and bounce back from huge disasters. Rome thrived after Cannae, Byzantium had three excellent Comneni emperors after Manzikert, Britain was victorious after the Nazis swept across Europe.

I’d also point out that the possibility of instability in rapidly growing countries or other black swan events should not be forgotten. Just as decline is not inevitable, neither is prosperity.

“If that Q4 construction figure (-0.5) is accurate, december must have been a shocker”

It was.

But January  MAY be a little better in housing but weaker in commercial. 

It’s certainly going to be hard for the next few years – don’t get me wrong.  That’s true of lots of other countries as well, of course.

But the problems are not insuperable and the decline not inevitable.  We’re in nowhere near as bad a situation as we were in 1979, when the consensus was that continued decline was unavoidable because of the structural and political problems.

Of course, if Ed Balls becomes Chancellor or PM in 2015 then all bets are off.  That is one risk hanging over us.

Cameron very bad tempered today.  He gave away the game, and made Ed look better than he actually was.

For REd not winning is losing when he has such ammunition to hand.

Ed did better today. Cameron OK on economy but poor on NHS.

Upthread – the fact Ed can’t think on his feet might be a danger for him if he manages to get as far as the next GE debates (there will be debates).

I reckon it saved Labour from electoral armageddon at the last election. How short blinky’s memory is…..

There is a presentational problem on the Labour front bench, caused largely by Miliband’s scripts.

It’s a nasty case of bad acting syndrome.

Whatever answer Cameron gives, he is greeted by this bizarre display of wide-eyed incredulity from the opposition, generally accompanied by hand gestures. Miliband will invariably come out with this “he’s wrong!”, “He isn’t listening!” “He simply not answering the question!” “He doesn’t get it!” stock line, and repeat his question, whatever Cameron says. And he does it with this really awkward ‘shocked’ expression on his face.

Basically, it’s all a bit am dram. Save the incredulity for the real clangers of answers. It makes it seem a bit more serious then. They should really be setting their faces to ‘concerned’, more.

Will all of your placemen be lacking in patriotism,they are living overseas after all.