Old Holborn

Monday, 03, Aug 2009 02:51

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politics.co.uk Blog

politics.co.uk blog

Read the latest blog posts from the editorial team at politics.co.uk

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  • Cosying up to the coalition

    One of the most infuriating aspects of writing about a new government is the sheer foot-dragging reluctance of lobby groups to mouth off against them.

    So many organisations prefer to keep on err on the side of caution when it comes to criticising our new rulers - because they know they are going to have to work with them for several years to come.

    To the extent that the coalition hasn't yet addressed all of the agenda points in its programme for government just yet, that's fair enough.

    But for those where clear proposals are now in the open, what's wrong with a bit of open-ended criticism?

    The shift from six months previously makes the trend all the more clear. After 13 years of irritants virtually any organisation was ready to launch into a rant against the iniquities of New Labour's processes.

    Now we find ourselves faced with endless off-the-record conversations about the slapdash approach of the coalition - and nothing to put into our articles. There is real concern out there about many of the government's ideas, but very little willingness to openly come out and challenge them.

    The result? Ministers get something approaching carte blanche. Only when they try especially ill-thought-out proposals (c.f. academies bill) do they attract slings and arrows of negative press coverage.

    This honeymoon period won't last forever, of course. This is the thought which sustains us through the long, long summer months.
     

  • Dog days

    The terrible torment of politics in early August is especially excruciating this year.

    Twelve months ago was bad enough. I recall staggering into a deserted parliament (out of boredom of course) before being told by a sage old veteran that the first week of August is, approximately, the most tedious period known to man.

    Two years ago Russia obliged by invading South Ossetia. Last year Locerkbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's compassionate release livened up the Worst Month Of All. So far, this month hasn't come up with an equivalent relief at all. The row with Pakistan definitely doesn't count.

    The break is, arguably, worse than usual, because MPs are set to return for a two-week sitting of parliament in September. It means they only have five weeks or so to cram in their summer holidays - and so are all off at once. No one is available to speak to because they are all on a beach somewhere.

    The result? Those who haven't yet managed to escape are left trying to get worked up about very little. They can, for example, write five paragraphs about absolutely nothing. A journalist's work is never done.
     

  • They need a holiday

    After a couple of (very busy) days MPs are heading back to their constituencies for the long summer break.

    Actually, it's not so long as all that. There's only five full weeks until the Commons returns for an unusual fortnight of sittings in September.

    Still, most of us wouldn't sniff at the opportunity to have five weeks away from it all.

    Twelve months ago the newspapers were full of outrageous 'MPs on holiday' stories as hacks looked for new angles on the 'they're monsters' theme.

    This time around it might be different. A senior government whip I spoke to on the terrace of the Palace of Westminster on the first day of the recess had a distinct strain of relief in his voice.

    "We all need a holiday," he said, rather pathetically. MPs felt utterly victimised this time last year. Walking around the corridors of parliament was like wandering through a combination of a morgue and a museum.

    (Given the state of the culture budget, I'd probably just be able to say 'museum' in a few months)

    The Kelly inquiry into expenses restarted the furore one day before MPs returned. Then came Legg and the auditors; an exhausting general election campaign; and the minor trauma of a coalition formation. Perhaps MPs do deserve a holiday, after all.
     

  • Exalted company

    If you're one of our many dear, devoted readers who receive the politics.co.uk daily newsletter you already know of the many delights we have on offer.

    But it is always reassuring to know that those in positions of power and influence - or at least those who were until recently in positions of power and influence - are among those who follow the site carefully.

    politics.co.uk has discovered, through the underhand means of talking to him, that Labour leadership contender Ed Miliband is an avid follower of the site.

    He said: "I get your newsletter every day. It's very good."

    For some reason this was the only one of his remarks which stuck in the memory. But then, what could possibly be more important?
     

  • Sir George Young: Good at his job

    Last Thursday lunchtime I bumped into an MP in the Commons on his way to business questions, after which the parliamentary weekend officially kicks off. He was hugely excited. "There's something about business questions - it's so unpredictable," he enthused.

    This is because there's a fundamental tension in the role of the man in charge, Sir George Young. As leader of the House he can be asked about absolutely anything - and must be as adept at coming up with an answer as David Cameron is in PMQs. He also has to look after the interests of backbenchers, too, who are constantly clamouring for debates on this and that.

    Sir George, who was the runner-up to John Bercow in last year's Speaker election, is doing what appears to be an excellent job. Here's a few examples to illustrate the point:

    - - - - - - -

    Mr Tom Harris (Glasgow South) (Lab): I am not entirely sure about this new democracy malarkey. Although we are not allowed to say it, the Whips did a very good job in previous Parliaments of ensuring that Select Committees had a good balance, geographically and in terms of gender and experience. Under the new system, I am not sure that that will be possible. May we have a debate at some point on whether this new experiment in democracy within the House has worked? I am not sure that the Wright reforms were the right reforms.

    Sir George Young: I cannot believe that the hon. Gentleman is suggesting that we go back to the old system whereby the Whips nominated Members to Select Committees. It is astonishing that in the House of Commons, the cockpit of democracy, an hon. Member should make such a regressive suggestion that we abandon elections and go back to nominations.

    - - - - - - -

    Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab): Further to the comments of my hon. Friend and best mate the Member for Cardiff South-sorry, I mean Glasgow South- [Laughter.] It is a bit further north than the Cardiff constituency.

    My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow South (Mr Harris) obviously agrees with a predecessor of yours, Mr. Speaker. Bernard Weatherill once told me "You can't have civilisation without sewers, and you can't have Parliament without the Whips." May we have a statement, or perhaps a debate, on the cost of democracy and of some things we have lost which are valuable, including the ability of Opposition spokespeople to travel in order to carry out their duties? That has been taken away by our handing over such matters to people who know nothing about politics. Is it possible for the Leader of the House to look into the matter? I am sure that he will want to make certain that the Opposition can do their job properly, as he did when he was in opposition.

    Sir George Young: The Government are very anxious for the Opposition to be able to hold us properly to account. Having been an Opposition Front-Bench spokesman myself, I recall that the Short money makes provision for travel for Opposition spokesmen. That is the source to which the hon. Gentleman should look in order to fund his important travels around the country.

    - - - - - -

    Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East) (Lab): If the Leader of the House granted a debate on public sector cuts, I could inform him of my plans for alternative cuts. The Foreign Office recently admitted to me that the ministerial wine cellar was worth £860,000 a year, and that it had just spent nearly £18,000 on replenishing it after the election. However, it was less candid about what was held in the collection. Does the Leader of the House think that Ministers should tell me what is in it, and should we sell it so that we are "all in it together"?

    Sir George Young: I could have said that the chief secretary was not the only person who left the cupboard bare, and that the government hospitality cellar had to be replenished when we came to office; but I will not.

    It says here: "The Government hospitality cellar is a carefully managed resource that is integral to the service delivered by government hospitality for all government departments. Expenditure since the election has been part of the normal buying pattern for the cellar, on which between £80,000 and £100,000 is spent per annum."
     

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