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Posts under ‘Westminster’
Hypocrisy upon hypocrisy: welcome to global tax avoidance plc
Apr 27th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The latest report from the Public Accounts Committee, published yesterday, really says it all about the tax avoiders. The head of tax for Ernst & Young, one of the UK’s Big Four accountancy firms, admitted that their accountants are seconded to government to draw up tax laws: “I think there are benefits in the work [...]
Is Cameron the least accountable PM ever?
Apr 17th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.Is Cameron the least accountable PM ever? At least in terms of answering the questions asked by MPs. I’m not just talking about the way he evades so many questions, but the number of times he even faces Ed Miliband. The last PMQs were on 20 March before the budget. There have been none since [...]
How desperate are the Tories to mythologise their “glorious past”
Apr 10th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.Just as Thatcher outranks Churchill in the estimation of Sun readers, so she does in the eulogising of Tory MPs. When Churchill died in 1965, the four speeches in his memory in the House of Commons lasted 25 minutes. He had been an MP until the previous year and Prime Minister only ten years earlier so a [...]
Whips’ control over scrutiny of parliamentary bills badly needs reform
Apr 4th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.One of the key problems in Parliament which is little understood, but which hugely undermines its effectiveness, is the Whips’ stranglehold over the scrutiny of Government bills. At present Members of these Bill committees are chosen by the House Committee of Selection, itself composed of Whips from the main parties with a chair chosen by [...]
Leveson should not apply to the not-for-profit blogosphere
Mar 18th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.Mark Ferguson raises an important issue which has been neglected in the last minute deal-making and it is important albeit not what most politicians are currently hacked-off about — on the important question of whether the deal meets the requirement of adequate statutory backing see the Spectator or Labour List, although be warned that they [...]
See you in the chamber! Ministers snub Atos campaigners’ delegation
Mar 15th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.This week something happened which is without precedent in my 40 years of parliamentary experience. On an issue of acute public importance where there had already been a parliamentary debate revealing a total cross-party consensus solidly opposed to government policy, a departmental minister then refused to see a delegation to discuss the matter further and [...]
A Shadow Cabinet reshuffle worth having
Feb 28th, 2013 by Daniel Blaney.Earlier this week Mark Ferguson of LabourList speculated that there might be a reshuffle of the shadow cabinet shortly. This may well be a good thing, but would depend on which changes were made. At present, of the full members of the Shadow Cabinet 16 are men and 10 are women. It is time at [...]
The nastiest by-election ever? And a self-inflicted disaster for Labour
Feb 25th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.Thirty years ago yesterday. The Bermondsey by-election is certainly a contender for the nastiest by election in Britain. Peter Tatchell refers to it as “the lowest point in modern election campaigning: the most violent and scurrilous election in Britain in the 20th century and the most homophobic election in British history.” Losing a safe Labour [...]
One Nation: a smokescreen or a curb on the power of wealth?
Feb 18th, 2013 by David Pavett.The one-nation slogan has many possibilities. It can clearly mean many different things to different people. There is already gross confusion as to what it means when used by Labour politicians. It is not a magic wand which will, when waved at a largely empty policy cupboard, suddenly fill its shelves. Neither is it an [...]
