Harriet wins. Snobs lose.

The whispering by Brown allies against Harriet Harman in the run-up to her PMQs performance is starting to look a bit churlish.

Many on her own side thought (perhaps even wanted?) her to fail, yet she confounded them. And immediately before PMQs, the Tory press team were highly excited at the prospect of William Hague drubbing Harriet.

It didn't happen. Speaking slowly and clearly, she showed the House of Commons why she won Labour's deputy leadership contest. Some decent comebacks to William Hague jibes (whose jokes fell a bit flat  - quite why Harriet would dress as a clown in Cabinet, as he asserted, I'm not sure).

She asked why Theresa May wasn't on show (are Tory women "seen and not heard"?). She reminded MPs about the money Hague earns as an after-dinner speaker and refused to take fashion advice from "the man in the baseball caps".

And, by the way, no marks for most uber-Brown allies for deserting Harriet in the chamber.

Present and correct were Alan Johnson, Jack Straw, Ruth Kelly, Paul Murphy, Tessa Jowell, Geoff Hoon and John Denham, who all showed solidarity sitting with her on the front bench. Yvette Cooper was behind the Speaker's chair.

But as for Ed Balls and Douglas Alexander - and anyone from Number 10 in the press gallery *- where were you?

* Someone has pointed out that the No 10 team weren't there because they are at the Nato summit. Fair point.

Comments

[David John Marusza]

Mr Coates seems to be under the illusion that the Justice Secretary is not a Brown ally. How then shall we explain his dramatic return to the cabinet under Brown? Could this be called a shade mischevious?

[Gordon Hartwright]

You can't understand why Harman would dress as a clown to take PMQs? Are you being deliberately obtuse?

[Mark Parry]

I think Sam Coates is a labour supporter judging by this rubbish written. Why would Harriet Harman dress as a clown?? erm......

[VJB]

Harman made me laugh when she talked about tax, she certainly is a deluded fool.

Hague came out best for me, I like him and more to the point I trust him.

May as usual, showed no idea of fashion, I wish she would sit further away from the camera.

[Dean Page]

Just looking at this awful woman makes me want to throw up. She and her marxist government are responsible for possibly the worst period of politics since the second world war. They have ruined this country; destroyed pensions & taxed the public to distraction, lied & cheated over the Irag war, presided over the ruination of our health & education system and systematically destroyed our cultural heritage in the name of political correctness & multiculturalism. She didn't win, she is a clown and if she was thrown out of politics yesterday it wouldn't be quick enough

[Andrew]

Both Hague and Cable were off key, which is lucky for Harman as she was stiffiled by her lack of brief and quipped in a wooden style that made me cringe.

Bad show all round.

[Dave]

Clearly Mr Dean Page has no concept or understanding of what marxism actually is.

As to PMQs, the girl done good. It wasn't the expected Hague demolition of Harman - she asserted herself and rebuffed Hague's lines. Having said that, Lord knows how she was elected Labour Deputy Leader in the first place!

[Hal]

I think Sam Coates must have been watching a different PMQs. After Harman referred to her blog site 'Harriet on the High Street,' it all fell apart, with the Tories laughing at her and her own party ,just looking plain embarrassed. She then had no answer to Hague's attack on the taking away of the 10% tax rate, by Gordon Clown. Incidentally Hague's suggestion that she dress like a clown is presumably because in cabinet, she is with the rest of the clowns.

[N Harris]

She is not the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

[Herman]

Dean Page - I think you are confusing the Blair/Brown years with the Thatcher ones. Nevermind

[Marti]

Oh dear, the Tories given a sound thrashing by a women, surely that usually happens only behind closed doors.

[P Stroud]

She was pretty good at the jokes, but when it came to the serious bits she was much less impressive and seemed out of her depth. Furthermore, she was incredibly verbose, even more than Brown, but made no better job of answering the questions. Perhaps she had taken lessons on verbosity from Hazel Blears!

[P Stroud]

N Harris, she is the deputy leader of the Labour Party, though Brown hates her.

[Matt Jones]

I think Hague was trying to be the serious politician that he is rather than using his after dinner speaker routine to show to the people that the Conservatives are a party who mean business. What's more, I don't blame him.

[NBeale]

She was pathetic and didn't answer a single question. Just because she didn't fall apart blubbing (but who ever thought she would) didn't mean she "won". To ask "why isn't the Shadow Leader of the House standing in for the PM" may seem clever to NuLab but it's just silly.