At last, the debate about reforming our political institutions has been seized by the scruff of the neck and given a good shake. Better still, it's our side doing it.
I'm bored with listening to David Cameron play off one side against the other. His calls for reform are meaningless without some content, and, as usual, our friend in the blue has been lacking in substance. This could, of course, be because the idea of reform doesn't really come naturally to him, but as the PR man in him comes to the surface, he is smart enough to know that if he talks about change with sufficient conviction, faked or otherwise, he'll fool enough of the people, enough of the time, to get away with it.
On the other hand, our teams in both the Commons and the Lords have been calling for reform for years, to a chorus of yawns and catcalls from both the Government and its loyal Opposition. These things never seem to matter in the good times, the cynical view being that the public don't really care. Sadly, they may have a point in that sense, in that, when times are good, little attention is paid to how decisions are made.
Now, however, with a tidal wave of excrement being tipped over our Parliamentarians, there is a realisation that 'something must be done'. Just enough to remove the stench, just enough to make it go away but not so much that politicians are taken out of their comfort zone.
No, not good enough. What we need is a power hose (I like them, they're fun...), radical reform, a veritable cleansing of the temples. So I would add something to the list of demands - a new Parliament building. Organisations grow comfortable in their familiar environment, and unless you remove the social equivalent of the cosy armchair, they'll just revert to their old ways. So build a new Parliament, equip it for the new politics, provide access to the public and reinforce the sense that things are different now. Oh yes, and make the BBC televise it live on a new BBC Parliament 2.
In the meantime, we'll need a use for Needham Market Middle School when the Conservative County Council close it down, so they can all meet there until the new building is completed...
Why not just bring the criminals within it to justice - or does the fact that your party participated in war crimes, racial genocide, child rape & organlegging bring it too close to home?
ReplyDeleteAh, I wondered when you'd turn up here, Mr Craig, with your frankly bizarre allegations.
ReplyDeleteUnless our Parliamentarians have much more interesting private lives than I imagine, I presume that your point is an abstract one. I also presume that they didn't do something you wanted them to.
So, until you can demonstrate that they are personally engaged in, or ordered such activity, do move along...
Since you know of me you certainly know that your party has knowingly participated in all these things in Kosovo. Your claim about "abstract" genocide puts youn in the same category as deniers of the Jewish Holocaust. Typical of your Nazi party. http://a-place-to-stand.blogspot.com/2009/03/imprison-convicted-war-criminals.html
ReplyDeleteAh, I see, Serbian apologist desperate for attention, with a taste for hyperbola.
ReplyDeleteMake your point in your own time, in your own space, don't abuse my hospitality. And why not stick to the topic, whilst you're at it...
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteon topic, I agree with you that reform clearly doesn't come easily to Cameron - in fact I thought his plea for 'people power' was closer to a call for mount the barricades!
off topic, by Neil Craig's logic undertakers and coroners are murderers.
I have had in my head for a few months now a new Commons, a bit like the London Assembly building but with more gravitas, and with three sets of benches arranged in concentric circles... but I have no idea where it would go....
ReplyDelete