David Cameron ignoring Ed Miliband’s questions at PMQ’s is an affront to parliamentary democracy (video)

(Originally published 8th August 2013 – video has been upgraded)

One of the cornerstones of our parliamentary democracy in the UK is that the Prime Minister is required to be accountable for the decisions of his government.  This accountability is, in part, achieved through the requirement for the PM to attend parliament once a week whilst it is in session and answer questions from MPs.

As we have an adversarial system, the most important and challenging questions are invariably raised by the official opposition and in particular its leader, and this is evidenced by his entitlement to a maximum of six questions (as opposed to the one granted to ordinary MPs).

In recent years, this ‘spectacle’ has become a national  embarrassment.  Thuggish yobs on the back benches make barnyard noises whilst our PM, David Cameron, rarely makes an attempt to answer the Labour leader Ed Miliband‘s questions. For a British PM to fail to take  PMQs seriously is an affront to parliamentary democracy and an insult to the British electorate.

The video from 10th July 2013 PMQ’s is just one example of how the PM treats the public’s expectation of  his office being accountable to parliament with contempt – this happens every week.

We should expect and demand more from our prime minister.

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