Parliamentary Politics

  • Badenoch needs to step up

    The demise of support for the Conservatives happened under a Prime Minister that sought a populist agenda. This is not the sort that is breaking news in America, but the kind that’s noticed here. It comes up in meetings and it becomes the context of government work. The trouble is it’s not popular.

    The tendency of Conservatives to come out with weird ideas hasn’t abated. The majority of proposed policy is conspiracy theory wrapped up in the moment. It’s for the crowd out in the cold. It’s for those who wish for just a slither of a vision. This isn’t real politics.

    The notion that something new is the arrival of a solution is old hat stump canvassing. It can’t live beyond the odd front door that will hear no more of it after it’s shut. The real driver of change is change itself. The message gets through that efficiency is improving and problems are resolved over time.

    This builds voter confidence. It seeds trust in politics. It makes elections winnable. The task ahead is for Badenoch to prove that she’s capable of doing something different herself. It’s not an appeal but an objective. It’s in the form of a broad directive. It’s a final notice on laziness. It’s a check on apathy.

  • Prime Minister’s Questions

  • Sarah Pochin MP gives maiden speech

  • Prime Minister’s Questions

  • Westminster Week: Take cover!

    Monday

    The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy MP (Tottenham/Labour), praised Ukraine for its “defiant blitz spirit” in a Ministerial Statement. His disdain for the war has been a consistent line. Today he put Putin’s war into a “Tsarist tradition” in Russian imperialism. He said “Ukraine’s security is our security”, but it’s an anxious wait.

    Wednesday

    Prime Minister’s Questions brought out the gusto that sometimes is Parliamentary politics. Kemi Badenoch MP (North West Essex/Conservatives) said the increase of defence spending announced yesterday was her idea.

    The Prime Minister retorted, saying “she didn’t feature in my thinking at all”. He denied hearing about it, calling it a “desperate search for relevance” for her.

  • As spending goes up, so do defences

    The legacy stakes are high at this point. A Premier’s term is his or hers to own, but there’s always worry it won’t go well. The belief in a set of policies can get punctured by disappoints – and defeat.

    Sir Keir Starmer’s Plan For Change, a bold initiative from a Premier who got past his first personal test of ridding the Labour party of antisemitism, is his game changing stab at ultimate power.

    The announcement yesterday of an historic funding increase for the Armed services is appropriate, but it’s also a step into Tory heartland. It’s where defence has often also mattered more than not.

    Labour’s landslide victory is becoming a profitable policy point scoring exercise. It’s a spin doctor’s military drill, taking in many targets. A testy change of focus, it also means Starmer is on a warpath.

  • The role of Holyrood in Scotland

    The Scottish Parliament, like the UK Supreme Court, is a relatively new feature on the UK political scene. It will take time to understand its importance, and its true significance.

    The passing of laws isn’t a passage of time. The effectiveness of its legislative program is its truer litmus test. It has to be seen to be true to be called effective, and to get respect.

    It’s believed to be a positive step toward independence, which at present is Scotland’s largest political ambition. However, it’s not clear if it will fully satisfy all the aims in mind.

  • Westminster Week: Average expectations

    Monday

    It’s interesting to see the public gallery busy. It overlooks the Commons chamber. It’s a good view over proceedings. It can be awkward if the issue is closer to home.

    The gallery is supposed to be quiet, but every now and then an odd laugh goes up as an MP says something. It’s a natural reflex but reveals a truth that some of us are acutely engaged.

    Wednesday

    PMQ’s is a rough and ready experience for MP’s. It’s back and forth has inspired and repelled in the past. Kemi Badenoch MP (North West Essex/Conservatives) was in a combative mood today as she launched sideswipes at the Prime Minister.

  • Why we vote for political parties

    The act of voting has been the same for many years. There’s a similarity to it that’s remained unchanged for many years. It’s been used as the process for getting new MP’s elected for over 150 years.

    The position of an MP in a party is now contested. It means they’ve got a loyalty that’s written into their job. A whip in a party makes sure it’s got a hold over its members. It means work gets done.

    The ballot paper is marked out by party, and candidate. There are independents, but these stand for personal reasons. It may be there’s overlap, but they’re free to prioritise their work.

    The bulk of government work is focused, and a political party helps to make sure it is. If all terms and conditions, as it were, have to be agreed every time, it’d be too inefficient, and costly.

  • Westminster Week: Traditional values

    Monday

    It’s a busy Public Gallery for a Monday start, and the DWP is on the agenda. It’s a long-running saga that doesn’t let up, as a back and forth approach is taken by the main parties to issues of welfare.

    If you thought it was all over, it definitely doesn’t look like it, in the near future, or otherwise.

    Wednesday

    Sir Julian Lewis MP (New Forest East/Conservatives) called out a “guilded, self-selecting class of people who think that their institutional importance is greater than truth or justice”, referring to people implicated in the Post Office scandal.

    It’s a bit rich, coming from him.

    Thursday

    The Prime Minister faced the House of Common’s Liaison Committee. It’s one of only two occasions a year, and it’s not easy, by what I hear.

  • Reform break ranks

    In a late turn of events, all but one of Reform UK’s MP’s have broken ranks to vote in line with the rest of the House. It’s occurred once for all except James McMurdock MP (South Basildon and East Thurrock/Reform UK), who’s yet to join a majority in a Commons vote.

  • Reform revolt continues

    Since last reporting on it in October, Reform UK MP’s have continued to vote against the grain in Commons votes.

    According to Parliamentary records, all five MP’s have voted against the House each and every time since 4 July.

  • Long Report: Keeping society civil

    The idea behind rulership of any kind is a noble one, it’s just in practice it doesn’t always meet expectations. This is true in the UK, where discontent is found everywhere. The sources of it are both expected and unanticipated. There are people who, surprisingly, don’t care at all.

    It’s a sad situation, especially if your country is built around making sage decisions and believing in wisdom. The culture of England is such, and its history is ready fodder for debates in this way. However, there is a time for agreeing with one another, if not just to prosper ourselves.

    The reality of late is not as clear as this, either. It’s a truth be told that despite a belief rule doesn’t matter, or the day of Kings has passed to give way to democracy, it still matters who we are. The press release hasn’t gone out overseas, and it proves in repeated calls for independence.

    What we do wrong

    The activities of Parliament for instance are no barometer for us to measure the truth by, since sentiment – public or otherwise – is simply not as consequential as historical moments in themselves. It doesn’t matter if we write a perfect sermon, speech, or slogan, as it counts for so little.

    The genuine change is not coming because people said it so, but because we want it so. In some sense constitutions give a false impression of progress, because the past can be used to nudge things along in the present. The issue is the previous lot were not meant for this at all.

    The false logic is that people today know what they want, and so it’s best to give it to them. The reality is politics is a science and getting to a compromise takes more than an act of protest. The result has to be in line with our human interest, based on rights, and so it’s not as slapdash.

    The worry is we’ll make the same mistake we allege of others, with decisions too quick and harm created for others. The same can be said of legislatures today, because of a temptation to make snap judgements that lead to a repeat of historic offenses, wrongs, and controversies.