Skip to main content

Mr Clegg was like a farmer, gummies stuck in the mire

Brussels-Bashers can look a bit batty on television – how sweaty and bendy-eared Basildon & Billericay’s John Baron has been in some interviews in recent days. And how the BBC loves to stitch up these Tories.

Yet in the Commons these trouser flappers, these E.L. Wisty-voiced ‘train spotters’ (train spotting in fact being a perfectly decent hobby) are in their element.

Walruses may be ungainly out of the water but once you put them in their preferred environment, down there in the surging briny, these tuskers become graceful.

Soon Clegg was up to his oxters in doo-doo. It is rare to hear such obvious lies at the despatch box

We saw this yesterday both at Prime Minister’s Questions and in the final day of the Queen’s Speech debate, in which the same Mr Baron made damaging interventions on Labour’s Ed Balls.

Shadow Chancellor Bawls was making another of his brash, blow-hard, broad-brush, blustery bombastications.

He leaned one elbow on the despatch box, honking hard, energetically insulting Government ministers. Of the economy, which is now in recovery, we heard little.

Mr Baron admitted he would indeed vote to leave the EU

Mr Balls was making much violent noise, hurling paper notes here and there.

His little Miss Moneypenny, Shadow Treasury Minister Chris Leslie, was acting as powder monkey, passing his adored boss his ammunition.

How imperiously Mr Balls treated little Leslie. He flung back documents without even glancing at the shaver.

Then Mr Baron unwrapped his long legs. With the exaggerated creakiness of an older statesman (he is 53 going on 70), he rose.

Mr Balls, fancying his chances, accepted the intervention on the condition that Mr Baron say if he would vote to leave the EU here and now. Here and now? Well, yes I would, said Mr Baron.

But I would prefer to wait and see if David Cameron can extract an improved deal from Brussels.

In return, Mr Baron invited Mr Balls to say if Labour favoured an in-or-out referendum on Europe. Ballsy flew into repeated whinnies of chaff.

The final upshot (after about 10 minutes)? Er, no. He did not favour a referendum.

This from the man who is said to be the most Eurosceptic of Labour’s top dogs.

Recent Commons manoeuvrings have seen non-binding amendments here, private members’ Bills there – finicky stuff.

But yesterday it was possible, despite Labour jeers, to see that Eurosceptic Tories really may have done David Cameron a favour.

      More from Quentin Letts...   Lucifer of the jockstrap: QUENTIN LETTS pays tribute to his childhood anti-hero, the wrestler Mighty Mick McManus 23/05/13   QUENTIN LETTS: Gasps, gore and a curious case of Sherlock in love 23/05/13   Boris yearns to be indulged... in politics and elsewhere 22/05/13   These Tories of the baleful brigade, less trainable than Burmese cats 21/05/13   QUENTIN LETTS: This show has its moments, but the main reason for seeing it is Miss Kendal 21/05/13   QUENTIN LETTS: Fingers were wagged about not respecting minorities 20/05/13   QUENTIN LETTS: They breed 'em tough in this thirties typing pool! 17/05/13   QUENTIN LETTS: Shining ladies light up our newest stage 17/05/13   Shake it oop, he boomed like a bingo ringmaster 17/05/13   VIEW FULL ARCHIVE

They have smoked out Labour and Lib Dem reluctance to give voters a say on our EU membership. Nick Clegg took PMQs, dodger Cameron still being abroad. He did well for the first 20 minutes or so.

His Lib Dem rival, Tim Farron (Westmorland), watched from the far end with a queasy smile.

Then Edward Leigh (Con, Gainsborough), another of Euroscepticism’s ancient mariners, produced a smoking blunderbuss: a 2010 election leaflet in which Mr Clegg called for an in-out referendum. Now the same Cleggy is blocking the idea.

Mr Clegg was like a dairy farmer whose gummies have become bogged in mire. He tried to manoeuvre out of it and – plop! – out came a naked ankle.

Soon he was up to his oxters in doo-doo. It is rare to hear such obvious lies at the despatch box.

My late father would have been 85 yesterday. How he would have relished yesterday’s debates, which so exposed the referendum blockers.

He would particularly have enjoyed a snorter of a speech from Richard Drax (Con, S Dorset).

‘Millions of voters believe we have a major problem with Europe and we have to deal with it,’ said Mr Drax. ‘If we do not we will lose the respect of this country.’

My dear Papa is now on the electoral roll of Elysium Central rather than some terrestrial constituency.

But what about today’s Britons, particularly the young? Was there meat here for them? I’d say so.

Mr Drax argued that the EU is ‘finished – look around! Wake up!’

France was ‘a basket case’ and Spain, with its 50 per cent youth unemployment ,was ‘on the verge of civil war’. A Labour MP, bored, disdainful: ‘Oh my God.’ The authentic voice of inertia.


Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o