I'm getting tired of Ed Miliband
Jun. 16th, 2011 12:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
indigoneutrinoI've just managed to catch up on yesterday's PMQ's and I've got to say I'm getting really irritated by Ed Miliband. Normally I find Cameron can be very annoying as well, but this week I think Miliband really was the worst. I didn't have a problem with the first question he asked, actually I think it was a good issue to raise. He brought up findings from Macmillan Cancer Research UK about how the government's proposed welfare reforms would cause cancer patients to lose up to £94 a week in support. It's a perfectly valid point and he was right to bring the issue up, and I think if it's true then that's a major flaw in the government's proposals. But the problem I had with it is that Miliband wouldn't let the issue drop.
Cameron gave him an answer along the lines of 'we haven't changed the criteria for who qualifies for this support and it will be provided for at least twelve months to cancer patients, and from then on it could be provided indefinitely on a means tested basis'. Ok, I normally get really wound up with Cameron because of how he always avoids giving a direct answer, but on this occasion I thought that was alright. I don't know if him saying cancer patients wouldn't lose their support is correct, or if Ed Miliband quoting Macmillan Cancer Research and saying they would lose up to £94 a week is true, but nobody watching PMQ's is going to know for sure unless they go and do the research for themselves. The two main party leaders simply asserting that the other is wrong over and over again isn't going to get anybody anywhere.
If Ed Miliband really thought that was a poor answer, he should have let it speak for itself and moved on to another issue. Instead, he basically asked the same question again but rephrased. Ok, I can sort of understand saying it once more just to reinforce his point, but he used up all of his allocated questions talking about the same issue, and he continued to get the same answer. It was just going round and round in circles and was wholly unproductive. Why did he have to waste all his questions talking about the same thing? He's supposed to hold the government to account, and there are so many other issues he ought to have brought up as well. I'm not saying support for cancer patients shouldn't be debated, but I don't think Cameron and Miliband were actually debating it - they were just repeating themselves and asserting they were right using the same points over and over.
Honestly, I do think there have been occasions when Ed Miliband's put on a good show at PMQ's at really managed to challenge Cameron, but yesterday was not one of them. Do better next week, please.
Cameron gave him an answer along the lines of 'we haven't changed the criteria for who qualifies for this support and it will be provided for at least twelve months to cancer patients, and from then on it could be provided indefinitely on a means tested basis'. Ok, I normally get really wound up with Cameron because of how he always avoids giving a direct answer, but on this occasion I thought that was alright. I don't know if him saying cancer patients wouldn't lose their support is correct, or if Ed Miliband quoting Macmillan Cancer Research and saying they would lose up to £94 a week is true, but nobody watching PMQ's is going to know for sure unless they go and do the research for themselves. The two main party leaders simply asserting that the other is wrong over and over again isn't going to get anybody anywhere.
If Ed Miliband really thought that was a poor answer, he should have let it speak for itself and moved on to another issue. Instead, he basically asked the same question again but rephrased. Ok, I can sort of understand saying it once more just to reinforce his point, but he used up all of his allocated questions talking about the same issue, and he continued to get the same answer. It was just going round and round in circles and was wholly unproductive. Why did he have to waste all his questions talking about the same thing? He's supposed to hold the government to account, and there are so many other issues he ought to have brought up as well. I'm not saying support for cancer patients shouldn't be debated, but I don't think Cameron and Miliband were actually debating it - they were just repeating themselves and asserting they were right using the same points over and over.
Honestly, I do think there have been occasions when Ed Miliband's put on a good show at PMQ's at really managed to challenge Cameron, but yesterday was not one of them. Do better next week, please.
