Comments on: Parliament finally detaches from reality

By: Over Night Cash System

Over Night Cash System — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:07:58 +0000

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By: adam

adam — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:53:55 +0000

There is no doubt this labour government hates parliament, they make no secret of it.

Really it is MPs in general to blame though. Its like turkeys voting for christmas in there; Lisbon; Leg.+Reg. Reform
X2.

The country has been dying for over 100 years, we are just watching the last few spasms.

By: mikestallard

mikestallard — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:37:10 +0000

Let me see. You say that we have a parliament run by people entirely out of touch with the growing international banking crisis. The Ministers are of the opinion that everything will be all right. “Leave it to us.” Meanwhile the EU is in full control of all our futures, or rather, the Commission, unelected, pretty well unaccountable, is in full control.

Even Newsnight led on the international crisis last night. If the EU handles the impending crunch with the same finesse as it handled the foot and mouth crisis, Wow!
I read your excellent speech, by the way, in full. You said all the right things, too, in a simple straightforward way. And you say that nobody from the government listened!

Scary times indeed.

By: londonerr

londonerr — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:24:38 +0000

Mr Redwood, you pulled up the govt on the important matter of the banking sector’s regulation, a structure which the PM tinkered with and with which we now suffer the consequences.

I hope that Mr Cameron takes this up at PMQs tomorrow as the US actions and interventions these last weeks contrast sharply to this govt’s actions. The US seems like it means business, while we dither. A clear indication of Labour’s - the PM’s - weakness on the economy. He fluffed it when we needed strength of resolve and swift leadership in teh budget.

You shone a bright light in this debate, sadly I’m afraid it takes more than one match to set fire to wet wood.

By: Freeborn John

Freeborn John — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:46:30 +0000

To what extent though are the problems described due to the current government rather than systematic problems with the Westminster system? It seems to me that when the government controls the legislature rather than being held accountable then members of the government such as Miss Eagle really don’t need to do much more than go through the motions. And when MPs know that real power lies outside the legislative chamber then they will begin to behave less responsibly and the quality of the debates will suffer.

If the problems are systemic then we might hope that the Opposition would propose changes that would compel future governments to respect Parliament more. After all this is the only body able to claim to truly represent the British people rather than the single will of the Prime Minister. The LibDems of course would propose proportional representation such that most governments would need to win consent in the legislature from one or more of the other parties for whatever they propose. Personally I would like to see an elected 2nd chamber with real power to block legislation (rather than simply delay it) and whose assent would be required for the ratification of foreign treaties. And for EU law that does not address cross-border issues to be clearly subordinate to Westminster such that it can be overruled in this country when a majority in Parliament so desires. But with the Conservatives 13 points up in the polls only 14 months before an election the need for reform no doubt will be forgotten as the prospect of becoming the over-mighty executive becomes tangible.

By: Brian Tomkinson

Brian Tomkinson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:48:45 +0000

Labour has badly devalued Parliament over the past eleven years. The calibre of their MPs is, with a few exceptions, dreadfully poor. The Labour government has manipulated the civil service and parliamentary procedures to emasculate the activities and power of the Commons. Our democracy is withering but there is no ringing warning or outrage from the Conservative Party to whom most people look to replace this discredited shower.

By: Oscar Miller

Oscar Miller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:31:29 +0000

It’s rare for me to watch BBC Parliament in the evening - but I did last night - and I wholly concur with John’s description. I was actually stunned by Angela Eagle’s performance - and my expectations are as low as they can be. The sheer arrogance and utter disdain with which she refused to answer the questions put to her showed just how unfit for power this government is. Instead of replying to questions Eagle recycled stale old jibes at the Conservatives as if they were in power and the government was in opposition. The idea she should be held to account over the budget just didn’t figure. Why doesn’t the Speaker (or in this case the Deputy Speaker) intervene when Ministers refuse to answer questions like this? The contempt Angela Eagle has for the House was palpable.

By: Matthew Reynolds

Matthew Reynolds — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:58:07 +0000

I think that the gist of your message is John that the Labour Party & Government in particular and polictical class in general are out of touch with reality and that we face a growing & present danger as the UK economy is not well placed to cope with an imploding world economy and in the wake of this The Bank of England & Parliament are pretty helpless . They have not got a clue about solving this which therefore explains why economic confidence & Labour’s popularity are on the slide . The customers who I speak to at work ( @ M&S in Summertown , Oxford ) view the alcohol duty increases as being a wolf in sheeps clothing in the sense that they are depicted as being for public health so that our booze intake is limited - but really it is for revenue raising . Our wine sale came to an end on Sunday & the duty increase took effect on midnight Sunday . Sales surged as a result - so thanks to the Chancellor being so hamfisted & incompetent we had a nice boom in alcohol sales last weekend . I must remember to toast Mr Darling when I crack open a bottle of 2001 red Rioja with my evening meal later today !

By: Letters From A Tory

Letters From A Tory — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:35:00 +0000

“crisis of capitalism”? Oh please. The Bank of England is pretty powerless these days and is not able to strengthen our position in financial markets thanks to their diluted powers. We need a central bank we can count on in tough times.

http://lettersfromatory.wordpress.com

By: Francis Irving

Francis Irving — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:04:14 +0000

“green taxes and regulations” — I’m confused. Stopping Climate Change is about securing the long term future of the economy, I’m not sure in what sense you are calling it “green”.

I agree that we should be very worried about the current economic situation, but we should also be worried about the economy in 30/40 years time as food prices rise, and a refugee crisis reduces world trade.

We’re the wealthiest people to have ever been in the whole history of humanity. It’s the least we can do to use some of that wealth to secure it for future generations!