to love PMQs?

[OTheHugeManatee]

Apparently something like 70% of MN thinks PMQs is 'outdated, unprofessional and needs to change'. So clearly I'm in a minority. But I actually love PMQs. It's on in the canteen at work every week and I always make the effort to be down there at noon on a Wednesday to watch the bunfight.

I don't care if it's rowdy. I don't really care if it's a bit old-fashioned. Plenty of modern things are a bit shit, being old-fashioned isn't necessarily bad. I don't even particularly care if no serious politicking happens there either. (Though I do think important dividing lines are drawn between the parties in the cut and thrust of live debate.) I enjoy watching it and frankly I'd rather have a political system with space for public bunfights than one built on shady EU-style deals in darkened rooms with nary a whisker of democracy or public scrutiny to be found in any of them.

Surely I'm not the only one?

I love PMQs too. It's 'istorical innit! Keep it as is it, I demand.

James O'Brien does a nice little synopsis every Weds on LBC 12-1pm.

As for the popup - urghh. Just get lost. You should be able to cancel it once and for all if you click the cross. It just keeps coming back. Every. Few. Seconds. Way too intrusive and making assumptions that we are all just dying to have it changed.

I missed the survey asking about it, when did that happen?

phaedra, maybe because there are so many incidences of wrongdoing by big companies that it would be difficult to chose which one would be likely to be affected by a MN campaign.

Campaigning to change PMQs, on the other hand, to something more akin to normal people discussing important issues in a civilised way, (you know, like how we drum into our DCs all the time) is not something that's been done before, so maybe MNHQ thought it would a better chance of success.

"Freedom of expression" doesn't have to mean behaving like a twat, though, does it, humphrey?

mostly they are not behaving like twats though

important questions are being asked and answered. how often have you listened to the whole thing?

I am watching question time, lots of shouting over each other going on etc

Love PMQs.

Hate the pop-up.

And "I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave some moments ago".

I like PMQs, didn't see a survey, constantly see annoying pop up.

PMQs and the occasional Select Committee battering a witness, is about as engaging as politics gets around here.
I'm not sure that changing PMQs will make it anymore engaging. Especially as a lot of people seem to have a problem with it all being about the toffs in suits - changing the format of PMQs won't change the toffs as they are our elected representatives and will still be there.

Order order

I love the way Bercow struggles to keep a straight face.

I bloody love it and think it is one of the great things about our political system. I am really sad that MN are advocating scrapping it.

I think all of politics is there in a nutshell. It's not just the shouty stuff if you watch all the way through though I find that quite entertaining especially Miliband V Cameron. you get the PM and Leader of the Opposition head to was on the key issues of the day. You get arselicky questions designed to ram home a party message. You get serious niche issues raised that might not get airtime elsewhere, and constituency MPs ignoring all the noise and bringing stuff specific to their constituents.

The more I think about it, the more irritated I am by this MN petition. Most MN campaigns make absolute sense to me but this one just seems at once so over-reaching and so petty.

The more I think about it, the more irritated I am by this MN petition. Most MN campaigns make absolute sense to me but this one just seems at once so over-reaching and so petty

Here, here.

I do think PMQs can be a bit shit - but I don't quite get this as a MN petition. For starters, isn't it a tiny bit hypocritical coming from MN?! It's not like we never have bunfights or get a childish kick out of sliding round rules on insulting each other. I know we're not running the country, but still.

I'd rather MNHQ really pushed the existing campaigns. I just got an email saying they won't delete rape myths despite the 'We Believe You' campaign because apparently, it's absolutely fine if posters repeatedly undermine a MN campaign. What's the point of that, then?

It just feels as if there's too much going on already.

Apologies to whoever started the campaign, and I don't mean any personal offence to them.

I'd be interested to know how many of those who are anti-PMQs regularly watch the full half hour. It's currently the only forum for the back benches to hold the Prime Minister to account.

And how many recognise the role the media plays in driving the winners/losers dichotomy - leaders who have tried to time down PMQs have suffered in the media.

It's imperfect. What are the proposals for improving it, realistically?

I enjoy it, love hearing them squirm but wish it wasn't quite do prepare pared. When working as a campaigner it was fun hearing a friendly MP read out our questions!

I also object to the pop up thingy on here asking me to sign something. Couldn't mumsnet campaign about something more important?

I think it's great, DD's nap time coincides with it so I get to watch the whole bunfight, although I do think it would be enhanced if Mr Speaker could put people in time out for bad behaviour
I do wish people would stop with the 'toffs' thing, it's a lazy way to dismiss someone purely because of a choice their parents made when deciding on a school. No matter what anybody thinks of Cameron or any of the public school educated politicians from all parties having a go at the school they went to is ridiculous.

I like PMQs and its smaller cousin FMQs here in Scotland. I don't even agree with the political system we have in place and I still like them.

Politics is supposed to be stuff people care about. If it's something you care about you're probably going to be a bit loud and shouty about it. At PMQs/FMQs you get argument between the parties, a bit of life and noise, and as the OP said, is it not better this way than shady deals in darkened rooms?

I like PMQ's and I do not like the pop-up!

I hate PMQ - political point scoring with no real discussion of the issues of the day at all.

I would find it massively intimidating as MP and i think it should be possible to hold the Prime Minister to account without being ridiculed or jeered at. I can't think of another industry or business or part of public life where that sort of behaviour would be acceptable or considered a good way of achieving anything of value. It's just a circus - to entertain and distract us from actually influencing anything.

You can have passionate debate without jeering.

Perhaps the answer would be to give the Mr Speaker rights to punish MPs who are obnoxious and and cross a certain line. Perhaps MPs could be fined in a similar way that premier league footballers are fine for obnoxious behaviour.

"I would find it massively intimidating as MP and i think it should be possible to hold the Prime Minister to account without being ridiculed or jeered at. I can't think of another industry or business or part of public life where that sort of behaviour would be acceptable or considered a good way of achieving anything of value. It's just a circus - to entertain and distract us from actually influencing anything.!

Then maybe being a MP is not the job for you. Maybe the selection process would have the proviso "Shrinking violets need not apply!"

I enjoy PMQ although some of the shouting is boorish and distracting; it is so much better than during T.Blair's time when everyone seemed cowed into submission. Think the petition is rather trivial, and the pop-up drawing my attention to it is very irritating.

And that's the same argument used to justify any of the practices that keep Parliament the preserve of white males. Don't like it, don't try and change it, just accept its not for you.

But I do mind things like the gender balance. And I don't think you would have to be 'a shrinking violet' to find PMQ intimidating.