Andy Burnham won Makerfield

From one point of view, the electorate can tune in to PMQs and remind themselves who is currently in government. It doesn’t last very long and is usually light weight. Do the MPs attending actually listen to the questions or are they otherwise engaged on their mobile phones?

Cossy

Tuliptree

Horse haha house

Well you did mention braying 🐎🐎🐎

Horses don’t bray, they neigh, which is an altogether pleasanter sound.

I absolutely agree with Tuliptree’s view of PMQs. It has no value at all.

PMQ is theatre but does give an insight into parliament, there is other televised coverage of many other activities for those interested.

Much of the business is boring routine and much of the real work is done outside the commons, with MPs only gathering to vote.

NotSpaghetti

Watching an actual debate is more enlightening.
...PMQs is entertainment really I fear.

And that is exactly the problem

Watching an actual debate is more enlightening.
...PMQs is entertainment really I fear.

Tuliptree

Horse haha house

Well you did mention braying 🐎🐎🐎

LemonJam

We can see the style and rhetoric of the various party leaders as Casdon highlighted. I wouldn't have the insight into Badenoch's character so well without watching her performance at PMQs and listening to her language.

Bearing in mind how many seats her party lost at the last GE- how many MPs have defected to Reform- that her party secured under 2% of votes at Gorton and Denton and just over 2% votes at recent Markerfield by elections she is already in a dire place.

I hope she hasn't let the Aberdeen by election result go to her head- that is an outlier constituency and all about the oil. She can not win a GE losing all other by elections and losing MPs as she has- and not with that style. She will always be outgunned on aggression and divisiveness by Reform UK and Restore.

It’s a shame as recently I thought she came across as fairly balanced and positive, now I’m wondering which one is the real KB?

She can mock and laugh all she likes at the current govt, however her own party have absolutely nothing to brag about.

The entire situation around both removal of tax breaks for private schools and applying Inheritance Tax to farms is extremely emotive. I can see exactly why this would fire up MPs from all parties.

My own personal view is Private Schools are not charities, if it was possible I would probably have tried to to find a way not to penalise private Special/SEND schools.

As for farmers, so much has actually been put in place to mitigate the IT and to prevent the very rich simply purchasing working farms to avoid it.

They are both pretty tough topics, but all MPs should be able to challenge without all the jeering and so called “banter” most of them employ.

If these tactics were used with commercial businesses complaints would be made and heads possibly roll.

It’s often rude, childish and completely unnecessary and it does give the general public licence to believe they can behave in the same way.

There’s a huge difference between using humour to lighten situations and debates and being personal and vitriolic.

Actually tuliptrees response to the alienation comment was probably close to what my reply would have been.

It’s the difference between a 40 part epic and a one hour highlights show. Most people will choose the highlights show rather than spend hours of their lives watching deadly dull committees grinding through minutiae. Whole house debates are better, but last much longer than PMQ, and unless you watch the whole debate you don’t get the flavour. They all have their place.

Horse haha house

But what is it that we are supposed to recognise for what it is? I really don’t get it. In whole horse debates we see the dynamics, the personalities and much much more. Depending on the bill, we see a whole range of Ministers being questioned, held to account, demonstrating whether they’re across their brief. We see the calibre of many backbenchers - as opposed to just hearing their braying in PMQs.

Tuliptree

Casdon

It’s what PMQ is for though Tuliptree, it’s the main public insight into the workings of parliament. I don’t agree that it’s a waste of time, I think it’s important to our democracy to see how the government and the opposition of the day are operating.

It’s the absolute antithesis of providing an insight into the workings of parliament. It tells us nothing about how parliament works. It isn’t how the government and opposition are operating. It’s cheap garish theatre which demeans the really hard work done elsewhee in Select Committees or when a bill is being debated by the whole House. If PMQs is how people understand how Parliament works then no wonder we have such a politically illiterate electorate

I don’t agree Tuliptree, it’s not perfect of course, but it’s important, I think it’s a real insight into the dynamics and personalities involved. I agree with Galaxy that some exchanges are alienating, and I’d like to see more professional behaviour, but I think you’re being patronising to the public to assume that most people don’t recognise it for what it is.

Sorry Lemonjam - thread moving too quickly. I really really believe that PMQs as currently instituted is actually harmful to democracy and really damages our politics in this country.

Tuliptree

LemonJam

If it alienates you- no need to watch.

Irrelevant - I thought we were discussing its purpose, not whether I liked it. Come on.

That was directed to Galaxy who posted that she thinks its alienates the public to some extent.....

PMQs is slightly different than a debate but I hear where you are coming from....

LemonJam

If it alienates you- no need to watch.

Irrelevant - I thought we were discussing its purpose, not whether I liked it. Come on.

Until PMQs changes- it what's we have weekly, when parliament is in session for the leader of the opposition to ask 6 questions and other party leaders questions also....It's a current holding to account process and party leaders use it wisely or not...

I’ve seen all the insights I needed into KB from watching her in debates. Much much more telling then flashy PMQs.

If it alienates you- no need to watch.

Casdon

It’s what PMQ is for though Tuliptree, it’s the main public insight into the workings of parliament. I don’t agree that it’s a waste of time, I think it’s important to our democracy to see how the government and the opposition of the day are operating.

It’s the absolute antithesis of providing an insight into the workings of parliament. It tells us nothing about how parliament works. It isn’t how the government and opposition are operating. It’s cheap garish theatre which demeans the really hard work done elsewhee in Select Committees or when a bill is being debated by the whole House. If PMQs is how people understand how Parliament works then no wonder we have such a politically illiterate electorate

We can see the style and rhetoric of the various party leaders as Casdon highlighted. I wouldn't have the insight into Badenoch's character so well without watching her performance at PMQs and listening to her language.

Bearing in mind how many seats her party lost at the last GE- how many MPs have defected to Reform- that her party secured under 2% of votes at Gorton and Denton and just over 2% votes at recent Markerfield by elections she is already in a dire place.

I hope she hasn't let the Aberdeen by election result go to her head- that is an outlier constituency and all about the oil. She can not win a GE losing all other by elections and losing MPs as she has- and not with that style. She will always be outgunned on aggression and divisiveness by Reform UK and Restore.

I agree with the idea of watching democracy in action as well casdon, but I think it also somehow alienates the public.

Killing jobs is a perfectly reasonable phrase, if you google you will see the word killing used by politicians, even Burnham ( goodness knows how those who invented VAR will cope with him using the phrase killing spontaneity).
I think I probably agree about PMQs and what purpose it serves. I think it also alienates the general public to some extent.

It’s what PMQ is for though Tuliptree, it’s the main public insight into the workings of parliament. I don’t agree that it’s a waste of time, I think it’s important to our democracy to see how the government and the opposition of the day are operating.

PMQs is absolutely no way to hold the government to account. It’s an incredible waste of everyone’s time - the hours and hours that go into preparing for it on both sides when that time could be used more productively.