Mar 20 2007
Sexual Orientation Regulations - the last rites in the Commons
Yesterday evening some of my colleagues took over the task of trying to secure a proper debate on these contentious regulations. Repeated Points of Order to the Deputy Speaker gave us the ruling that the government has obeyed the letter of Parliamentary law, leaving the rest of us thinking they had done so in a very undemocractic spirit.
Their decision to pass this matter as a Statutory Instrument rather than as a Bill limited debate to only 90 minutes, when the Official Opposition had called for the more extensive and thorough process of examing a Bill. The decision to rush the committee to limit the scope for people to attend and complain backfired, as many of us did do just that. It also guaranteed?? them another set of complaints on the floor of the House last night.
It will leave a nasty feeling amongst many that Parliament is being badly treated by this government, so the legitimate concerns and arguments of people in our society cannot be expressed and properly considered.
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John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
Isn’t it good that our glorious Red Leaders care about what really matters in life - punishing drivers, not bothering with rubbish collection or letting control freak gay fundamentalists massage their egos to name three.
Crime? PAH! If the Public can’t behave themselves then why should Labour demean themselves by interfering in their affairs?
High Taxes? HMPH! Better that Labour have the money than the bigots, who would only waste it all on plasmas, football, excessive amounts of groceries and other such fripparies.
Europe? If the swines can’t embrace Europe, it just proves their bias!
“It will leave a nasty feeling amongst many that Parliament is being badly treated by this government, so the legitimate concerns and arguments of people in our society cannot be expressed and properly considered.”
Precisely.
The damage to Parliament’s ‘repute’ aside, the distasteful example of how the SORs were rammed through is not going to do anything to convince the electorate that their opinions are heeded at all by Government; and that belief appears to be creating growing cynicism and apathy amongst the general public.