Speaking in the debate on working practices last night, Lord Lucas made a point that he had already covered in one of his posts on this blog. That is, the problem arising from having a coalition with enough votes in the Lords to command a clear majority. After 1999, no one party enjoyed a majority and the Liberal Democrats were de facto the swing voters. “Now we are in a position where the Government are in control. We on these benches will have to learn the virtues of rebellion, which those of us who were here when the hereditary peers were in the majority knew well because that was the only way the House functioned and had respect.”
It seems to have been a quick learning exercise. In the first of two votes this afternoon on Third Reading of the Academies Bill, the Government lost by 193 votes to 171. It carried the second vote by 210 votes to 163. It is clearly not going to be plain sailing.
But given an elected House I dare say that would NOT occur !
Carl.H: Quite so.
So the Upper House is already popular-politically-stacked against Wisdom, Impartiaity, Expertise and Common-Sense ?
With the Conservatives’ pseudo-democratic trojan-horses, this current Big One being their Academies Bill, Britain will be further negatively-divided between Rich and Poor; between upper-class Little-Lord-Fauntleroy academies and lower-class Artful-Dodger ‘backward kids’; between a Governing Class turning deaf-ears and tight-shut eyes to the Needs, Hows and Affordable-Costs of The People, and instead commanding The Public to start asking what they the public can do for the Governing class.
PM Cameron’s speech a minute before entering 10 Downing Street: “Ask not what your Country can do for you; but ask rather what you can do for your Country”.
That is a very similarly ominous shadow to the one cast over lower-class Australians by the tory-ist Shadow PM of Australia John Howard, that
There’re citizens out there claiming the Welfare-Benefit and thinking that the World owes them a Living, and we’re going to stop that.
So how many such ‘livings’ is the PM stuffing into his private pocket every week ?
And how many free-dinners, free-luxury-car rides, free-partyings, and other luxury expenses likewise chalking-up against the lower-class tax-payer out of his/her lone, one-only human-living ?
If only that lone, one-human-living citizen’s house-and-home could be independent, as well as your much greater Upper House, my lord.
Some of us are beginning to wonder which is the more vital to us, under the threatening shadow of the so-called ‘Commons’.
=============
(JSDM0055W1407).
One more nail in the coffin of British farming..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-10637059
Once again sentimental bunny-huggers win out against the chance to do a scientific survey.
“Third Reading of the Academies Bill, the Government lost by 193 votes to 171. It carried the second vote by 210 votes to 163. It is clearly not going to be plain sailing.”
Surely if you believe in the value of HofL readings and amendments, then losses and wins such as that can only be a good wind for the shore.
Plain sailing according to that definition would be easy majorities, few amendments, and little…. (dreadful word) scrutiny.
Gareth Howell: Quite so. It is important that no Government takes the House for granted.
As in the wash up where no scrutiny was performed. Just waved through.
It’s a case of the tax payers being taken for granted, all to keep those in the style to which they have become accustomed.
Still no word on why the report into Lords expenses is a state secret.
Must contain some rather dirty laundry.
After all, why would anyone investigate themselves, and not be able to make it secret.