PMQs

Why can I not find it within me to like Harriet Harman.

Not that HH will lose much sleep over my endorsement, she certainly did well enough without my vote for deputy leader.

As much as anyone, I was shocked when she won, I had just assumed that everybody else was in on the joke, obviously not. But she is now favorite to take over from GB, surely, surely not?

I occasionally have a dichotomy when watching debates in the Commons, I like watching Tories like Hague, Pickles and Bercow, but agree with very little. However, with some on my own party's front bench, I just can't stand listening to them, they grind me the wrong way, Ball's, Alexander and Cooper etc, but when my teeth stop gnawing and my instant dislike of the hectoring, stilted, humourless, humanoid delivery subsides, the substance is there.

Unfortunately, I find HH intensely annoying, and disagree with almost everything she advocates (almost automatically now) she is everything we as a party we should avoid. 'Nanny state' is a horrid cliche, overused and a sign of faulty thinking, apart from when HH speaks of course. Has she ever seen a quota she hasn't liked?

Anyway, unfortunately, she did not pull off another win at PMQs today, and Hague was his usual self, funny, but bombastically wrong on many of the issues (the issues always seem to come second to his jokes anyway), although the over-rated Cable was pretty good today.

The real winner today was Miliband, the Foreign Secretary has a very awkward fake smile, no need for that fake smile today, he enjoyed Harman's performance very much.