Parlez~me~'n~Tory

Rightly wry, satirically right

This week has seen a return to Parliament for our MP’s after their extended summer recess; today sees a return to Prime Minister’s questions.

Gordon Brown is expected to announce a further 500 troops are to be sent to Afghanistan in the House today but that announcement will be overshadowed by something far grimmer.

During the 82 day holiday enjoyed by our [for the large part] elected representatives the War continued unabated in Afghanistan.

During the conference period brave men were dying.

During the {silly} season brave men were being maimed.

In the House of Commons today the Prime Minister will read out the roll call of those who have laid down their lives in the name of our country, in the name of our Government in the name of the vain.

His words promise to bring a tear to hundreds if not thousands of people across the land as they remember those that perhaps they never knew.

My only hope is that the Prime Minister does not stoop to his general low standards in the minutes following this reading with his usual partisan rhetoric whilst failing to answer any and all questions put to him in the House.

The fallen:

July

Rifleman Aminiasi Toge
Corporal Joseph Etchells
Captain Daniel Shepherd
Guardsman Christopher King
Bombardier Craig Hopson
Warrant Officer Class2 Sean Upton
Trooper Phillip Lawrence

August

Craftsman Anthony Lombardi
Corporal Kevin Mulligan
Lance Corporal Dale Hopkins
Private Kyle Adams
Private Jason Williams
Captain Mark Hale
Rifleman Daniel Wild
Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton
Private Richard Hunt
Sergeant Simon Valentine
Fusilier Simon Annis
Fusilier Louis Carter
Lance Corporal James Fullarton
Sergeant Paul McAleese
Private Johnathon Young
Fusilier Shaun Bush
{An unnamed Royal Marine}
Sergeant Stuart Millar
Private Kevin Elliott

September

Lance Corporal Richard Brandon
Private Gavin Elliott
Corporal John Harrison
Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman
Trooper Brett Hall
Acting Sergeant Stuart McGrath
Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett
Private James Prosser

October

Acting Corporal Marcin Wojtak
Guardsman Jamie Janes
Lance Corporal James Hill

The good people of Great Britain, whatever your faith, whatever your politics, whatever your desires I implore you, PLEASE NEVER FORGET.

Following the rush to sign up to the TV debate to be hosted by Sky TV wtih what seems to be 2 seats taken and 1 empty chair Gordon Brown has finally put an end to his dithering and issued a definitive and final consideration that he may potentially change his mind further down the line. Get that?

As always with #GoBro it is not a matter of what he says but what he sometimes doesn’t say. This time around when questioned on his possible attendance his mantra has been

There will come a time for these other things but it’s not now

It seems that we are back to the there’s important things to do for the good of the country bilge that conveniently got forgotten whilst he was away on his holidays!

Maybe there just isn’t enough make-up left in No10 to help the ashen faced PM get through the debate.

Another of the Prime Ministers statements today tells us just as little as everything else that is quoted

I’m happy to do debates all the time, but we’re not at the point of having a general election

Well, Gordon, if you were not in such a weak and ineffectual position we would not even be discussing a General Election at such an early stage in your Government!

Do us all a favour, stop wasting lives, money and time, do not delay the course of nature, call that election, NOW!

Honestly, you couldn’t make this latest scandal up.

#GoBro must be thanking his lucky stars for the summer recess and for the fact that he doesn’t have to face David Cameron over the dispatch box to the now familiar tune of:

Why won’t he admit…helicopters…

Whilst the country holds it’s breath waiting to see as to whether the Government will supply enough helicopters to help our troops in Afghanistan it transpires that the 6 strong fleet of Merlin helicopters planned for delivery to Helmand in December cannot fly on combat missions because the Government has not provided funding circa £100,000 per kite to fully equip them with kevlar.

Unnamed source:

We are going to send aircraft out to Afghanistan that are lacking in the required protection. It will be the same as driving a Snatch Land Rover along a road full of mines

Decisions, decisions. What’s the Government to do? FAIL!

Delay deployment until the kevlar is fitted or deploy with a known risk and retro-fit the kevlar?

How about getting it right the bloody first time?

There were claims, counter-claims and accusations by the bucketload in this last episode of PMQ’s before the summer recess.

Main topics for discussion were Afghanistan, Helicopters and Unemployment. I do wish #GoBro wouldn’t interupt his own sentences to say “…LOOK…”; look at what? A national disaster?

John Bercow really needs to think deeply during his summer holidays about how he MUST control the time wasted by the PM in skirting the issue and his delaying tactics. PMQ’s lasts for 30 minutes and at the halfway point yesterday David Cameron had only asked 3 of his 6 questions, with some of the PM’s answers lasting for 2 minutes. Mr Speaker, Sir “It’s simply NOT good enough.”

Get the kettle on, sit back and watch #GoBro get YetAnotherMauling (YAM).
PMQ\'s 15th July 2009