Clegg brands Iraq invasion “illegal” at the dispatch box
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From the Mail <blogger avails himself of his handily-placed spitoon>:
TweetNick Clegg branded the Iraq War illegal today as he stepped up for David Cameron in Prime Minister’s Questions.
The Deputy Prime Minister risked controversy by condemning the conflict, which was backed by his Tory coalition partners.
Downing Street was forced to distance itself from his remarks but insisted he was perfectly entitled to express his view.
Mr Clegg criticised the invasion during tetchy exchanges in the Commons with Jack Straw, who was standing in for acting Labour leader Harriet Harman.
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2 Responses to “Clegg brands Iraq invasion “illegal” at the dispatch box”
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Burbler-in-chief
Nick Clegg gave a good account of himself during his first session of PMQs. I loved it when he made Jack Straw eat crow over the illegality of Iraq and Labour’s appalling record. He made me punch the air from the sheer joy of it. Well done Nick!
Speaker Bercow looked as though he’d swallowed a wasp, he didn’t appear to like Straw’s and Labour’s well deserved humiliations one bit and behaved as he does when Cameron puts Labour on the back foot: made several timely interruptions which, if I didn’t know Bercow is scrupulously fair, would have had me thinking he was rather more intent than a Speaker should be on saving Straw’s bacon – just in time – and thereby putting Clegg off of his stride. Okay, Clegg did break a few minor clauses of parliamentary etiquette, but for goodness sake, Mr Speaker, it was his first time at PMQs and you allowed Brown to get away with far worse.
When I visited parliament, I stood with all the others waiting to follow the Speaker into the public gallery: at some considerable distance, of course. Down the stone corridor came the slow ‘plod, plod, plodding Speaker’s procession with Bercow in his master’s robe, leaning back on his hips and taking proud, swaggering strides in its midst. For a man who claims to hate the pomp of it all, he sure seemed to revel in it. Though to be fair to him, he did smile at and say hello to some of us as he passed. Yet as we pressed back against each other to keep the police happy and to keep a wide empty pathway between the boss man and his entourage and us, the great unwashed, ripples of intimidation went through the crowd. The whole procession… “hats off, strangers!”…seems designed to intimidate. Bercow was aware of generating that intimidatory atmosphere and seemed to greatly enjoy it.
Come back Betty Boothroyd?
I’m glad to hear it. I think we need a bit more of Clegg distancing himself from the Conservatives. Work together with them to govern the country, yes, but don’t give the impression you condone all of their policies.