First Minister's Questions

First Minister's Questions is a bit like the board game Cluedo. Lots of dramatic pointing and accusing people of all sorts, like murdering the Reverend Green in the conservatory with a crowbar. And this week was no exception, especially when it came to questions from those pesky party leaders.

Today, at First Minister's Questions, the Leader of the Opposition, Andrew RT Davies AM was getting angry and twanging his braces over the cost of drugs. He was on his feet, darting accusations at the FM that thanks to free prescriptions going to wealthy people who could quite easily pay for medicine out of their own pockets, other people with serious illnesses were going short of much needed drugs.

The FM, of course, didn't take this lying down. He even shifted from a double propped elbow position on the podium, to use one arm, flailing like a windmill to verbally pin RT, who had up to that point been in full righteous and indignant flow. Carwyn, assuming his best magisterial manner said that the problem with the Leader of the Opposition was that he substituted "abuse for ability and bombast for eloquence."

Appearing this week as the understudy for Liberal Democrat Leader Kirsty Williams was Peter Black AM. Festooned in a multicoloured, eye wateringly bright tie he asked a few questions on behalf of KW who was in London .

The visit, we earlier learned at the weekly presser, involved hobnobbing with his eminence Nick Clegg MP and that chap at the Treasury Danny Alexander. Peter, was kindly worried about the elderly. He was concerned that a recent report undertaken by the volunteers organisation BRVS found that many of our pensioners felt lonely and isolated and worried about the future. He also wanted reassurances from the FM that their standard of living would be safeguarded.

Strangely, by coincidence, the welfare of elderly people was something that Darren Millar AM also raised later in FMQs in connection with Crown Green Bowling.

Crown Green Bowling! Mr Millar wanted to know, if this healthy outdoor pursuit, popular both in North Wales and the North of England could be extended to those creaky of joint in the South Wales.

A strange question in many ways but topped by an even stranger answer from the FM! Exhibiting a detailed knowledge of the subject that pointed to either a fair bit of research or perhaps indicating that he has taken to the green himself?

He informed us that there's a nine inch rise between the boundary of the green and the Crown of the green itself! Well, who would have known ?

Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood AM turned her attention to the economy. A subject that has been returned to week on week. Specifically, she was concerned about how and when Wales would be able to borrow money in its own right, which was deftly lobbed back over the net by the FM laying the blame firmly for restrictions at the feet of the coalition Government.

No FMQs next week, the Assembly is in recess.