Political journalists like me love nothing more than a bit of banter with Cabinet Ministers and other senior politicians.

But I confess that Harriet Harman won our contest during Gordon Brown's visit to the Beormund Community Centre, Bermondsey, to spell out his agenda for the next parliamentary year.

"Is this another relaunch, Prime Minister?" I called out to Gordon, in that helpful way that we TV journalists do, as he and Harriet arrived.

Gordon ignored me, but Harriet burst out laughing and said: "You've had more relaunches, Jon, than I've had hot dinners!"

A fine riposte. (I assume she had in mind nothing more than my long and varied career as a political journalist for four different national newspapers and two broadcasting organisations.)

A few hours later, on our PMQs programme on Sky News, I was interviewing my old Southampton University mate John Denham about the draft legislative programme. (John was student union president in 1976-77 and I was president in 1978-79.)

I couldn't resist teasing him about a video clip on a website that shows John standing speechless with a fixed grin of pure terror while a journalist asks Labour's Crewe and Nantwich by-election candidate Tamsin Dunwoody if Gordon Brown is an asset or a liability.

Time after time she refused to answer. Why didn't John, the experienced politician, intervene and help out the relatively inexperienced candidate?

Of course Gordon is an asset, John assured me in our Sky News interview.

And so, on the evidence of her quick wit in Bermondsey, is Harriet Harman, if she can silence impertinent journalists like me with such aplomb!

Comments

[Merv. Beszant, Dubai 18 May 2008 15:28:22]

Jon,
M/s Dunwoody should have stated that Gordon was an asset, but being careful not to mention for which Party!

[Michael Hardman, South Africa 16 May 2008 13:45:19]

Thats the problem with Harriet, she will not take lessons from from "a man in a base ball cap". Funny they not even taking lessons from the British Electorate.

[neither/niether 16 May 2008 12:01:56]

Morning Mail
That's so much of Labours problems. They don't listen to anyone, or take lessons or learn lessons.

[Dahele 16 May 2008 08:59:18]

The difference is, John, that your re-launches would have only effected you. The government's re-launches effect the whole country!

[Michael Hardman 16 May 2008 06:49:49]

Gordon Brown on Sky News last night.....Get on with Job, still on the Job, carry on with the Job, in the position to do the Job..........come on chaps does he know he has a Job.

[The Morning Mail 15 May 2008 17:44:45]

Harriet is fantastic. I loved the moment at PMQ's, standing in for the PM, when she handbagged William Hague with the line ' I wont take lessons from the man in the baseball cap'

The look on his face was priceless!

[neither/niether 15 May 2008 16:30:19]

Her parties policies I don't agree with, but she,s someone that it's difficult not to like.

When she's compaired with "little devil" Hazel Blairs, Harriot is a pussy cat.

[Tony, Yorkshire 15 May 2008 16:09:33]

Yes but not quite as good as the one about Clem Atlee

'An empty taxi drew up outside the Commons
-and Clem Atlee got out'

But for Brown, the best one might be

'The New Labour Cabinet had a sceance conference on their future vision of Britain
- but the ghost of Brown failed to appear. His vision was entirely an apparition, apparently'

(visions, apparency, ghosts, sceances etc - oh well, do your own stuff then)

[John (Northumberland) 15 May 2008 14:23:29]

"...like all you tories you don't mind giving it but you don't like taking it".

Posted by: John Delaney 15 May 2008 13:37:10

With a government who spends 600 Billion of our hard earned every year, this is one accusation that cannot be leveled at the Labour Party.

They just love taking it!!!

[John Delaney 15 May 2008 13:37:10]

Peter,Fife.
Labour never lowered themselve in the past?.

Posted by: Bruce Hulmes 15 May 2008 13:05:48
Well its about time they did then give cammers and his merry men a taste of thier own medicine,but like all you tories you don't mind giving it but you don't like taking it.

[Bruce Hulmes 15 May 2008 13:05:48]

Peter,Fife.
Labour never lowered themselve in the past?.

[Trevor 15 May 2008 12:45:29]

But, unfortunately for the Labour crew, we riff-raff in the electorate do not assess politicians by the wit or otherwise of their ripostes.
We judge them by how effectively or ineffectively they run the country.
And the only relaunching of Labour we are going to do is relaunching them at the first opportunity OUT of government and into the political wilderness for at least a decade, probably longer.
I think Crewe will emphasise that.
NuLabour has demonstrated unequivocally that they couldn't run one in a brewery.

[John (Northumberland) 15 May 2008 12:28:39]

More relaunches than hot dinners?

Yeah, a fantastic riposte. Bet Churchill wished he had thought of that one!

As a Conservative, I definitely support Harriet for Leader of the Opposition. The words 'fireguard' and 'chocolate' spring to mind.

And as for Tamsin's performance? Clearly, she doesn't rate Brown so she could lie or not answer. It was a 'beam me up, Scotty' moment.

And if Gordi can't even get a vote of confidence from a Labour PPC, how is he going to convince the electorate?

[? 15 May 2008 10:48:09]

major went to the country and got elected. big difference!

[Liz, Suffolk 15 May 2008 10:21:05]

John Delaney.

I'm sorry - I was being sarcastic.

[Elizabeth Davies Cape Town 15 May 2008 10:17:09]

You have to feel sorry for Tamsin...she is being thrown into shark infested waters. She knows Gordon is an anchor round her neck at present, not a good start to a political career having the backing of Brown is like having the plague.

[John Delaney 15 May 2008 10:13:27]

Posted by: Liz, Suffolk 15 May 2008 09:13:51

And niether was major first time around and this comes from the woman who asks if mps pay tax.

[Anne 15 May 2008 09:48:35]

"as a political journalist for four different national newspapers and two broadcasting organisations"

In that case Jon, it's a bit unprofessional to shout out such silly comments, and so reminiscent of the sort of tactics that journalists use against some poor devil who the press have relentlessly put through the mangle - "how are you/your family, feeling?" when the day before they'd been jumping up and down, incoherent with excitement and completely indifferent to that person and his family's distress. Still - time to move on and have a glass of champers and forget all about it eh?

[Liz, Suffolk 15 May 2008 09:43:02]

I don't think Harriet wants to be the Leader of the Opposition in 2010 - she wants to be Prime Minister. If public confidence in the Labour party gets any lower, the job will be a poisoned chalice by then.

[Peter, Fife 15 May 2008 09:41:27]

It just maybe that Labour has decided to respond in kind to the name callers and abusers who populate both Parliament and the media.

I for one feel they should rise above such examples of the worst of human nature; however I am not the target of said abuse, ergo I choose not to castigate those who do respond in kind.

[Liz, Suffolk 15 May 2008 09:13:51]

Oh dear Tamsin.

Grodon may have been unanimously elected by his Labour cronies, but he wasn't elected by us!

That's the difference!

[Khalid 15 May 2008 07:31:26]

Fear not Jon,your relaunches are most memorable and above all of a higher standard. So, give Harriet [The Bangles] & [Walk Like An Egyptian].

[crown 15 May 2008 06:43:35]

He claimed in your interview that he went on to say GB was an asset. He did not say GB was an asset in the whole MORE4 interview, he waffled around the subject. Another Labour Liar.

[Stevie, Folkestone. 15 May 2008 02:00:38]

Harriet is keeping her powder dry to become leader of the opposition when the inevitable election collapse occurs in 2010 by playing the role of loyal party MP, but not such an obvious supporter of the leader. She's not daft enough to stand against Gordon when the whole party are as desperately on the ropes as they are now.

Crewe and Nantwich is now an exercise in damage limitation and a very expensive one at 2.7 billion pounds and at the moment there's no obvious carrot to tempt the electorate with come 2010.

I've watched pmq's and the draft Queens speech again this evening and it's shocking the number of holes you can poke in Mr Browns logic and comments, even as a simple layman, from avoiding the published rise in unemployment, to avoiding Nick Cleggs wholly justifiable concerns completely, while allowing his underlings in the Labour Party to heckle and jeer a very valid and worthwhile point that strikes right at the heart of what Labour is supposed to stand for, attacking the fuel companies over prices, when everyone in the country realises it's the fuel duty that’s crippling us and less to do with the profits of big oil.

I'm not even convinced that the Caroline Flint VDL (Visible document literature) wasn't deliberate, as many in the know predict the situation is going to be much worse than even her document appeared to show.

The Bank of England predict the next five years are going to be difficult, it's a shame Bottler didn't risk his arm and go for re-election last year, he might just have won, currently he hasn't got the proverbial cat in hells chance with only two years to go.

It's clear that Labour are really desperate and the next two years is going to produce politics with so many dirty tricks, it'll make George Bushes Florida election results look like a gathering of ark angels.

From my point of view in anticipation of the upcoming carnage, the question is, just how much damage are the current version of the Labour going to do to the country, before they're elected out of office.

[mr happy up north 15 May 2008 00:27:50]

Jon
i applaud your decency and honour in reporting fairly, something positive about government minister, when the 'pack dogs' are running against the government and, in particular, gordon brown.

even when there is something good to report, they seem hell bent on making a miserable story out of it.

now i do appreciate that gordon, when it comes to work at least, can be a bit of a misery guts and journalists do like a politician like 'call me dave' with a sense of humour. a sense of humour is like a cherry on a cake, a nice touch, a pleasant extra, but not strictly necessary.
although i have heard that gordon can be quite humourous when he is with people he feels comfortable with.

harriet also, though holding to her reputation for being strong on women's issues, also seems to have lightened up considerably since she became deputy pm. so perhaps things are balancing out a bit.

politics is serious to gordon brown but i have the impression that to david cameron it is a game that he is playing for a bet.