There's a coverage void for someone to do a prolonged period of 'I love you guys, really I do' to then produce a great magazine piece on what the hell is going on inside the Badenoch set-up at the moment. - ThreadSky

stephenkb.bsky.social • 12 days ago

There's a coverage void for someone to do a prolonged period of 'I love you guys, really I do' to then produce a great magazine piece on what the hell is going on inside the Badenoch set-up at the moment.

Reposted from Tom Hamilton

Why doesn’t Kemi Badenoch’s PMQs team game out what the PM’s likely answers are? (Or if they do, why don’t they do it better?)

Comments

pollik.bsky.social•12 days ago

Tbh, I would like to see PMQ abolished for the pure theatre that it is.

Instead of point scoring, let's have debate.

stephenkb.bsky.social•12 days ago

It's not pure theatre, it's basically the only lever that Downing Street has to control the departments.

pollik.bsky.social•12 days ago

How does that work?

stephenkb.bsky.social•12 days ago

It's what Downing Street uses as its 'you need to tell me X, what are your plans for Y, it will be asked of us in PMQs'. It's why Callaghan and Thatcher started taking all of them rather than it being a free-for-all.

pollik.bsky.social•12 days ago

I see your reasoning - it would be nice if I thought it worked like that, but I don't.

It is like with petitions to government where the response is a restatement of policy, than any engagement or acknowledgement of the petition.

stephenkb.bsky.social•12 days ago

It does, in fact, work like that. Like, the PM giving a proper answer (they never do) is not the point of the process. People get this confused, because they forget that PMQs is the creation of the PM's office.

da.videvans.uk•12 days ago

You're so right. But surely all it will do is confirm the whole thing is a '2012' comedy rerun, adding some local flavour through anecdote.

stephenkb.bsky.social•12 days ago

Every PMQs Badenoch does leaves me with questions like 'does Rachel Maclean *watch* PMQs?' and 'what does her PMQs prep actually *involve*?'

johncains1.bsky.social•12 days ago

MOTD highlights

rossmc11.bsky.social•12 days ago

It's the perfect rope-a-dope strategy, which you'll remember from Muhammad Ali v combine harvester.

worgztheowl.bsky.social•12 days ago

Float like a butterfly.....arrrgggghh!

aremay.bsky.social•12 days ago

I think it's instructive to contrast with the other person allowed to ask more than 1 question. I'd say Davey's a persistently "solid, reliable" performer who's clearly comfortable threading questions together over weeks to build a theme. Badenoch's performance just seems entirely scattered?

onelifestand87.bsky.social•12 days ago

But how could they cope with someone with such a reputation for thinking on his feet.

saintmatt.bsky.social•12 days ago

Ha ha. Rachel Maclean! The woman who said if people are struggling should work more hours or get a better paid job. She's advising her! No wonder she's crap.

nutedawn.bsky.social•12 days ago

Sincere question: do they think she’s been doing well? Like, is that their honest private view? Because that would be really worrying but you can’t rule it out

aladdinnoons.bsky.social•12 days ago

You might reasonably think that after years in government they’d at least know how #PMQs works

It kind of reminds me of Liz Truss’ Whipping operation over the fracking vote. Chaos and cluelessness.

It wall all end the same way

chelseachemist1.bsky.social•12 days ago

I missed PMQs and I’m going to watch it on catchup, did she really stink the joint out then?

stephenkb.bsky.social•12 days ago

Remarkable levels of "We don't plan for anybody".

chelseachemist1.bsky.social•12 days ago

Major Napoleon meme energy from LOTOs office. You genuinely do have to question if it’s a guarantee if they survive the locals if they’re terrible.

chelseachemist1.bsky.social•12 days ago

Thankfully she’s got an excellent set of local elections to come and look forward to!

camtreblig.bsky.social•12 days ago

My assumption is that there are very few people who want her to be better. Everyone with a dog in the fight either doesn’t want her to change at all or just wants her gone and is waiting for the opportunity to oust her

camtreblig.bsky.social•12 days ago

The number of people whose position is “Kemi could make a great PM but first she needs to make a number of changes” is zero. Her loyalists think she’s great as she is, Lib Dems and Reform want her to stay because it helps them, and Tories who don’t like her are just waiting until they can oust her

jamesdaustin.bsky.social•12 days ago

It's genuinely bizarre. I mean, what the hell was that? The final question was just presenting your jaw and asking to be punched

stephenkb.bsky.social•12 days ago

Genuinely was a 'am I having a stroke?' moment that question.

alannfylde.bsky.social•12 days ago

Can I ask? Did you (or Tory MPs for that matter) expect that she'd be this bad? She has been a cabinet minister in quite a big Department after all.

stephenkb.bsky.social•12 days ago

She has surprised everyone.

danielincornwall.bsky.social•12 days ago

It seems fairly consistent with some of the more extreme Commons performances as a minister - do you think this is worse, or that it's just confounded the expectation that she'd bother to get better in a higher-profile role?

stephenkb.bsky.social•12 days ago

I think it's worse, but in part it a) helps when you have the civil service machine behind her and b) your two briefs are ones that the Labour opposition was for various reasons, not interested or able in opposing or putting you under pressure.

alannfylde.bsky.social•12 days ago

Thank you

jayzedbee.bsky.social•12 days ago

It is genuinely insane because id have thought young woman, likes to argue would easily beat starmer who cant think on his feet but she like. Just doesnt have anything

catus14.bsky.social•11 days ago

If you assume the Daily Mail front page is bound to be so accurate you don't need to verify it, you are likely to look dumb.

jamesdaustin.bsky.social•12 days ago

And then you look at her choice of media etc etc.

I guess her team is young and very twitter pilled?

inglesongrey.bsky.social•12 days ago

I don’t know whether it’s being fed from the Leader’s office but two of the four questions from backbench Tory MPs were about Chagos islands and repatriations.

Just completely Telegraph OpEd/RW twitter brain.

juanincognito.bsky.social•12 days ago

Wonder if i can put a bet on as to when she lands that covetted Sargon of Akkad interview (is he still a thing?)

jamesdaustin.bsky.social•12 days ago

I can't beleive she went on Triggered.

She's the Leader of the Opposition!

jonchambers.co.uk•12 days ago

They think they’re Trump.

jonchambers.co.uk•12 days ago

And yet haven’t worked out they’re Corbyn.

juanincognito.bsky.social•12 days ago

Reasonable to assume she or her team must listen

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