Stuttering PM stumbles over PMQs

Much of the media focused today on the nervousness the Prime Minister appeared to display as Gordon Brown stuttered through his first Prime Minister’s Question Time. “The way, the way, the way forward“ the Mr Brown stammered in reply to one question from David Cameron. “Of course, of course I think that,..I think the …” at which point the Leader of the House urged the assembled MPs to keep order as he wished to hear the Prime Minister’s answer. This ironic remark brought guffaws of laughter from the House. Eventually Gordon Brown only gave further ammunition to the Opposition. “Has he not has forgotten I’ve only been in this job or five days” declared the Prime Minister. This was something many pundits hinged upon saying he was like a nervous schoolboy [Guardian / The Times]. Mr Brown has much to make him nervous as Britain faces a new wave of terror attacks. However, the threat level was today reduced to ‘Severe’ from ‘Critical’ by the government. The situation is still very critical in both major fronts in the war on terror, Iraq and Afghanistan. Today 6 Canadian NATO troops and an interpreter were killed in Afghanistan [BBC] whilst several suicide attacks killed a dozen in Iraq [BBC]. Two US troops also died in a helicopter crash the US military confirmed Wednesday. Last week saw 5 troops killed in what was described as a ‘coordinated attack by insurgents. Those deaths brought to 99 the number of U.S. troops to die in Iraq throughout June. The toll for the past three months — 329 — made it the deadliest quarter for U.S. troops in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. [Fox News]
And on Tuesday a blast in Yemen killed several Spanish tourists [BBC]. These events have been pushed to the back of the news agenda in light of the events at home. But the news abroad will no doubt be playing on the Prime Minister's mind as much the continuing domestic crisis.