How could Harriet Harman, rumoured to be vying for Gordon Brown’s job, miss the golden opportunity that presented itself at Prime Minister’s Question time? Now I am no fan of Ms Harman, in fact, that would be an understatement, but who could fail to squirm as she ‘performed’ in place of the prime minister.

It was clear from her replies, and I use that term loosely, that she was neither prepared nor capable of dealing with any questions, least of all those posed by William Hague, a serious bruiser on such occasions. It would probably be too kind to describe her performance as inept, but to all and sundry, it was an embarrassing experience. Miliband was unable to contain his amusement, whilst Straw, Darling and others looked incredibly uncomfortable. You could almost hear them in unison saying ‘when will this be over’. It makes you wonder whether there ought to be a deputy for the deputy PM. Lets face it, I have seen better, more polished performances from children at their annual nativity play…and yes, I mean it.

They do say that if you give someone enough rope, they will hang themselves and I suspect that those in the ‘Stop Harriet Campaign’, were more than happy to hand it to her. A first year student would know how important it is to prepare before you present or accept questions. Harman clearly failed to do this, worst still, this was in front of her fellow MP’s and the television cameras. If that is not clear evidence of a bad judgement call, I don’t know what is? Failing which, it could just be the arrogance of office, but one thing is for certain, she has demonstrated that she is unlikely ever to be a suitable candidate for Labour leadership. After all, we know that New Labour like polished performances, even if they lack must substance, in Harman’s case, it appears that she has neither.

According to William Hague, the Conservative leader, David Cameron is “ready to be PM”, perhaps someone should enlighten the Conservative party by informing them there is a world of difference between being ready and being capable.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that the Labour party will lose then next general elections, but this is simply not the same as the Conservative party winning the election based on merit and a clear mandate. Voters fed up with the lies and spin of the Labour party are desperately looking around for an alternative. The Liberal Democrats still seem intent on increasing taxes whether this is through local taxation or local taxes, probably both. The bottom line is no party can seriously expect to get voted in on a policy of increased taxation, although they will probably be able to rely on the votes of people who don’t contribute to the taxes they are proposing.

So we are left with the Conservative party and yet, apart from a few headlines, it is still difficult to determine what they actually stand for. Their reluctance to make clear their policies and then stand by them implies an uncertainty that does not bode well for a government in waiting. Better to fight for what they truly believe in and campaign on that agenda, than to take the Labour line and wait for the newspapers to tell the government what is best for 60 million people.

The Tories have indicated that they would abolish the discredited ID scheme, abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers and raise inheritance tax. That is the first week taken care of, then what; they have a potential 5 years in government? Try as I might I just cannot see Cameron being a good prime minister. He just doesn’t seem to believe in anything, I believe he is guilty of gesture politics, a cynical and manipulative sideshow. Yes he speaks eloquently, yes he is young and yes I am sure he will become prime minister, but I have yet to see anything that would indicate to me that he will make a good prime minister.

When Hague suggested that David Cameron was one of the best people he had worked with at a senior political level, I was left questioning his judgement, which is a real pity, because I have always admired and liked William Hague. If he has seen something that the rest of us haven’t, then tell us why he is one of the “best people”? I am happy to be corrected, I remember believing that Michael Portillo was of the most pompous, arrogant people I had ever heard, yet my opinion changed completely when I watched him on television after he had left politics. I guess we all get it wrong sometimes.

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