#pmqs

Kemi Badenoch: *screams louder to establish dominance*

Daisy Cooper: Should we do something about that?

Katie Phang:

We here at Law and Disorder are not always doom and gloom. Sometimes we can make a serious point while having fun with it. Today is such a day. One of my constant laments is the threat that Convicted Felon Donald Trump poses to our democracy. Team Bootlicker — aka the Republican members of Congress and others in Trump’s Administration — have bent the knee. Some have done so out of fear that doing anything that remotely pisses off Trump will result in an online bullying session they do not have the testicular fortitude to handle. While this is happening, a majority of the Supreme Court is hellbent on testing the limits of the idea: “Can Trump Really Screw It All Up?” Bottomline, we are living in the “against stupidity we have no defense” era.

Faced with this threat, I humbly offer a first-step solution. One of the great spectacles of modern democracy takes place in London every Wednesday at noon. It’s at that time the political equivalent of a bare knuckles fight takes place in the House of Commons: Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). The green benches in chamber fill up to the brim and the Prime Minister stands alone at a despatch box[i] facing questions from his colleagues, backbenchers included. Of particular import, the leader of the opposition gets the opportunity to lob political grenades — in the form of six questions — to the Prime Minister. And those grenades are designed to punish. You may have seen videos of PMQs from time to time. What’s usually memorable is that the room is raucous; not a moment goes by without shouting, mock laughter, or a collective guttural moan of disapproval from the opposition. In short, PMQs visualize the idea that power must defend itself in real-time and in full public view. Or put more bluntly, the Prime Minister must convince others he is not a card-carrying member of the galactically stupid on a weekly basis.

PMQs have existed in some form for over a century. They became globally recognizable in the 1980s due to a combination of Margaret “The Iron Lady” Thatcher’s mastery of the circus that is PMQs and the onslaught of 24-hour news coverage. Most importantly, PMQs have made and broken political careers. [...]

An American PMQ Equivalent Is Good for our Democracy

At bottom, PMQs are an exercise in accountability. There are no carefully staged press conferences, no grandstanding speeches for the C-SPAN camera in an otherwise empty government chamber, no softball questions from a sympathetic podcaster, and no teleprompters or aides whispering test answers. Just the leader of a free nation and everyone else hoping that he either makes a fool of himself or doesn’t. If the Emperor has no clothes, trust me, you’ll know it. And in today’s America, with someone like Donald Trump in the Oval Office, we need that. Let’s be honest: Most of our politicians, regardless of party, couldn’t handle the intellectual preparation that PMQs requires. Heck, presidential candidates and the political consulting class get all bent out of shape just preparing for a few debates every four years. Similarly, most of our politicians lack true conviction in their positions. Instead, messaging on issues is polled and tested in small group petri dishes. And billions are raised to fund the entire exercise. Not exactly the stuff we want our leaders to be made of. An American version of PMQs, however, would lay waste to this entire strategy. More than anything else, Americans desire authenticity. For most of us, we would support a politician that may not share our views on all issues, but means what she says and says what she means. PMQs would make this apparent: the well-prepared float to the top while those who lie or can’t defend their actions and policies sink in front of our eyes. In the end, competence and conviction are rewarded.

All I want for Christmassssssss is… a general election.

Shout out to our fellow British lads, trudging through the arse end of the worst government of our lifetime. 

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