Why tone is so important

Prime Minister's Question Time followed the usual pattern of the opposition accusing the government of breaking promises and the PM accusing the opposition of having no policies and no answers to the country's problems. David Cameron is a fairly slick operator and was particularly effective in making Gordon Brown look cumbersome and , at times, dishonest. Mr Cameron hasn't been quite as effective since becoming Prime Minister. It is a more difficult job,but he should be able to see off the hostile questions he receives. Today he was caused more problems than he should have been by questions about the appointment of a personal "vanity" photographer. It seemed to be a relatively easy question to brush off, but his prickly response meant that it appeared to strike home. He does have a habit of visually appearing exasperated when he receives questions that he believes are beneath him. This arrogance will be what viewers take away from PMQs rather than the substance of the argument.