David Cameron and Ming Campbell tried to trip up Tony Blair over current stategy in Iraq at this week's Prime Minister's Questions.Both failed to pressure the PM in what was a muted PMQ that failed to get off the ground.
It was a good session for Blair, as he made a robust defence of the current policy in Iraq.
The PM sugggested that there had always been a policy of withdrawl from that country as and when the Iraqi army was able to take control of the situation.
Both opposition leaders failed to pick up that Mr Blair's timetable for withdrawl has changed constantly, and his use of the phrase "when the job is done" was dangerously open-ended.
David Cameron decided to split up the six supplementary questions he is entitled to as Opposition Leader, giving the PM breathing space to state again and again that all is well in Iraq.
Cameron began by quoting the comments from the Chief of the Defence Staff last week, that the British presence was exacerbating the violence in Iraq.
The PM responded that "we have a democracy in Iraq for the first time in that country's history," hardly something the Conservatives could disagree with. Indeed Mr Cameron had to state his party supports the governement of Iraq.
Cameron could have attacked the lack of a clear timetable for withdrawl, but instead chose to ask again about the role of our troops. Mr Blair said that progressive withdrawl was the policy of the government and that some provinces were already under the control of the Iraqi armed forces. Talk of leaving immediately merely brought "dismay to our allies and heartens our enemies."
The Tory leader was forced to reiterate his party's support for the mission British troops are undertaking in Iraq, thereby backing the government. He was left to ask for "frank and candid answers from the Prime Minister," but in a textbook PMQ performance Mr Blair appeared both frank and candid.
20 countries were involved in the mission, all willing to stand and fight for democracy. There was nowhere for Cameron to go with this line of questioning, so he sat down and allowed Ming Campbell to continue the theme, with even less success. The UN reports that 3000 Iraqi civilians are dying a week, the LibDem leader told MPs.
"Innocent civilians are not being killed by British soldiers but by terrorists" was the PM's reasonable response to that weak point. The troops are there on a UN mandate. Next Ming stated we should change our strategy or get out of the country.
"Leaving would be a mistake and a gross dereliction of duty," replied the PM. What good would come of deserting the Iraqi government, he asked.
Blair was unscathed by these attacks, and both opposition parties wasted opportunities to attack the PM on the serious problems faced by British troops. All of this added to the sense of a gloomy PMQ, with little progress or enlightenment in the entire 30 minutes.
It took a backbench Tory, Peter Viggers, to raise a serious failing of the government, namely that troops wounded in Iraq are dumped on the NHS rather than treated at military hospitals. Again, the PM was well briefed, saying that neither the patients nor the NHS staff treating them had complained about the current arrangements.
David Cameron used his second set of questions to try and paint the PM as the Angel of Death, about to swoop down on the Post Office network.
Blair hit back, saying that the government had already spent 2bn on propping up post offices, and that people preferred to use bank accounts for benefits payments. 98% of pensioners preferred to use their bank accounts. Were the Tories offering to spend even more money on post offices?
Another really weak set of questions from Cameron. And the rest of the questions? Not one had any impact on the PM at all. Everyone asked for meetings on various subjects. Everyone was told the PM would be happy to meet, to discuss and to consider. Yawn.
Air ambulances are wonderful. School results are better than ever. More people don't die of cancer under Labour. The NHS is fabulous. The DUP have done a great job at the talks on Northern Ireland last week. Violent video games are a bad thing, but the industry have been terribly co-operative with the government. DNA testing has caught hundreds of murderers and rapists. Britain attracted more foreign investment last year than China and the US put together. Teaching citizenship is important. The goverment is sorry about delays in payments to farmers, but it is all sorted now.
It was as if everyone had been drugged, while Blair rattled on and on about the shiny new Britain he had created.
A zinger from LibDem MP Greg Mulholland looked like it could excite some interest. Pakistan is scheduled to execute a British citizen, after a very dodgy trial, at exactly the same time that Prince Charles and Camilla will be making a royal visit. Shouldn't the trip be cancelled?
Blair got out of this one too - he had personally talked to President Musharraf about the case, and was still hopeful that a reprieve could be granted. Charles and Camilla still get to go on their trip.
No one asked about the shambles of two men under control orders just disappearing. No one asked about murders being committed by criminals out on licence, supposedly tagged and monitored.
No one even bloody mentioned North Korea. Remember that? Little issue of World War Three? Anyone?
Jack Straw outraging sections of the Muslim community? Not a word.
Job losses in the NHS? May as well be happening in a different country.
Let us hope by next week Cameron, Campbell and the rest of the House can think up some proper questions.
PMQ is about holding the Prime Minister to account. It is a sorry state of affairs when his monthly press conference is more taxing than thirty minutes at the dispatch box.
