Sketchup: Afghanistan statement

Katie Fraser|10:12 UK time, Tuesday, 15 December 2009

A selection of lines from parliamentary sketch-writers.

The prime minister was in the Commons, giving a statement on Afghanistan after visiting troops there at the weekend.

In the Times, Ann Treneman notes that Gordon Brown has an been on a whistle-stop "sleepover" tour of the globe, as he's gone from an EU summit in Brussels to visiting troops in Kandahar, briefly calling in to London before jetting off again to the UN climate conference in Copenhagen:

"The man seems to be on some kind of statesman high. Ronald Reagan had detente. Gordon Brown has a pair of jim-jams and a sleep mask."

Sleep is also the theme that Simon Carr in the Independent focuses on, referring to Mr Brown's ability to make spectators nod off as he's talking:

"Everything is so practised and proficient he can put you to sleep in under two minutes."
"The combination of purpose, detail, destiny, dishonesty, wishful thinking and driving energy are absolutely soporific."

The Mail's Quentin Letts is less than convinced that the prime minister carried off the military look in Afghanistan, where he donned a flak jacket and helmet:

"Frank Spencer visits the front line! The flapping wrists were perfect. Pure 'oooh, Betty'."

In the Guardian,Simon Hoggart reasons that at least an armoured Mr Brown would be protected from any attacks similar to that on Silvio Berlusconi with the miniature Milan cathedral:

"Some MPs yesterday gave the impression that they would very much like to go for Mr Brown with almost any kind of souvenir, even something labelled 'My prime minister went to Helmand, and all I got was this lousy flak jacket'."

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