What chance do we stand when even backbenchers are screwed?

John Redwood MP brings to light one of those obscure governmental manouvres which rarely hit the headlines, or even a brief mention, in the MSM.  After the swinish behaviour of MPs a few years back had reduced parliament to an even lower regard in the public eye, a change to procedure was made in which a backbench committee - the (House of Commons) Business Committee - was set up and given the right to introduce debates on any subject  of their choosing on one day a week.  This committee was freely elected by all members of the House:

Several of the Backbench debates have highlighted important issues that would otherwise have been ignored or played down – the European Court of Human Rights, the Hillsborough disaster and the plight of circus animals were other examples.

Needless to say, none of the party hierarchies liked this arrangement and so now the government, part of which, I would remind you, is made up of so-called Liberal-Democrats(!), has forced through, using the weight of their payroll vote, a change to procedures so that in future members will be elected on a party basis, that is, Labour will vote for Labour members only, and so on.  Thus, the party managers think they will be able to exert greater control over what the committee decides in future.

It is only a small matter, no more important, I suppose, than a dog turd on the pavement, but it is an indicator of the shit that still sticks to everything and everyone in the Westminster sewer!

 

Comments

[Whyaxye]

Yes, this is somehow so petty that it falls short of being outrageous. "Liberal Democrats" are strange creatures, aren't they? This spiteful little manoeuvre is arguably democratic, in that it makes it more likely that the will of the majority will prevail. (And nothing wrong with that, apart from the fact that the majority are usually wrong!) But the liberal bit puzzles me. I think they only claimed to be "liberal" as it was a good way of being oppositional and campaigning. Now they have got their power, they are as illiberal as all the others. Don't you just wish Clegg serious harm?!

[David Duff]

Nothing too fatal, I hope!