Monday 22 June 2009

Too many lords a leaping?

At breakfast the other day with a member of the Shadow Cabinet, another guest complained bitterly about the number of Lords in the Government. (It has to be said the Shadow Minister didn't seem that fussed indeed I think he is grateful to Brown - it makes it easier for a future Tory government to do the same.) So does it really matter if Ministers are not elected? I am not convinced it does. Ok, they are not called to account in the Commons. So? When was the last time a minister was so crushed by the questioning of MPs on the floor of the House that s/he changed the policy or even resigned? Ministers are accountable in many other different ways. John Humphrys, Paxman, Select Committees - they regularly have to appear before these inquisitors. And if we are going to have a House of Lords, shouldn't our noble friends be able to scrutinise ministers effectively? Another point worth bearing in mind is that the current system pretty much means that if you want to be a minister you have to become an MP. Your motivation is not to become a great legislator but to get into the executive as soon as possible - what impact does this have on the legislature. Finally, being able to bring in talented people into government who are not career politicians but draw on wider experience has to be a good thing. The point surely is not where in the Houses of Parliament the minister sits but whether they are up to the job.

157 - Bercow's lucky number

So we have a new Speaker. Stand up John Bercow, Speaker number 157, Finchley Boy and an alumnus of Westminster Strategy (the founding name of Grayling's public affairs operation). The man has made "a personal journey", that is to say he has moved from the right of the Conservative Party to the left and in so doing has upset many in his party. I am sure there will be many on the Tory front bench who will be congratulating him through gritted teeth. But the real question is not how well he is liked by the Conservatives but how well and how quickly he can restore the reputation of Parliament. The last weeks have been unbelievably damaging to our political system. The lack of judgement, greed and contempt for the public on the part of too many MPs revealed by the expenses scandal has disenchanted and alienated voters. Our democracy is dependent on our trust and faith in our elected representatives. Parliament and the political parties will have to work hard to repair the damage and Mr Bercow will need to lead them. Let's hope he is not overwhelmed by the weight of the responsibility.

Monday 8 June 2009

Say no to hate

I am depressed and I am angry. The BNP has won two seats in the European Parliament. I am furious that this vile, racist party will represent the people of Britain. But of course it does not purport to represent the people of Britain. In this, at least, it is honest. It represents "the indigenous British" whoever they are - I doubt there one family in the whole of the UK whose blood has not mingled over the generations with that of Angles, Vikings, Normans, Huegenouts, Irish, Caribbean or any of the successive waves of immigrants who have come to this country in search of the better life. The party's whole rationale is based on a lie. So how did it manage to win two seats? Well, like other parties of hate, it has exploited fear and ignorance to win votes. It has also taken great advantage out of the expenses scandal and of the turmoil in the Labour Party. Finally the three main parties failed to respond effectively enough to the threat posed by the BNP. They have persistently adopted the "let's not give them the oxygen of publicity" (or "ignore them and they will go away") approach which plainly hasn't worked. They should be out there, rebutting the lies, condemning the policies and shining a light on the truth of this ugly party - we all should.