There is more sympathy across the House for the Prime Minister than one would guess from the headlines.
The Leader of the Opposition took the chance to do a bit of electioneering by praising Tony Blair’s achievements.
“One of my cricketing heroes was Geoffrey Boycott…he stuck to it, and he got the runs in the end.”
Change, optimism and hope are a step up from paralysis, despair and pessimism. But successful politicians don’t necessarily radiate uplift.