You learn a lot about Ministers by watching them when they have to perform in Parliament. Ministers who know what they are doing and who are democrats like the opportunity to set out their case and deal with criticisms. Authoritarians and incompetents wriggle, skate and writhe in the Chamber. There are all too many of the latter in this government.

Yesterday we saw the extremes. Jack Straw was relaxed, at home, capable of??presenting the government’s swift change of tack on Parliamentary approval for the war with a hint of amusement, confident??because he had always favoured the latest position. He is one of the few that recognises the need to keep the House informed and to treat all MPs who intervene seriously on the merits of their points. Gordon Brown will doubtless move him up in the reshuffle and will benefit from doing so.

Des Browne bombed even by his standards. He looked like a man embarrassed by having more than fifteen minutes to fill at the end of the debate, with nothing to say and a slow delivery that at times slowed so much??I felt he was going to stop altogether. He had no answer when I asked him the obvious question, why had he changed his mind over Parliamentary votes before military action? It was hardly an unexpected or difficult question, but all the preparation time had produced no answer he could pass on. After the mess of the media presentation of the Iranian hostage fiasco Gordon Brown would be wise to let Des Browne spend more time practising his speeches from the backbenches.

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