Clash of the political titans. Not.
Today heralded the great domestic political clash of the titans: Peter Mandelson versus Ken Clarke. Each a big beast in their own party, it would have been the first time they had collided since Clarke took over the business portfolio in opposition to Secretary of State Mandelson.
The latter has announced a rescue package for the motor industry this afternoon. Except these two Goliaths did not clash at all. They didn’t even set eyes on each other because they’re in different houses of parliament. Mandelson had to make his statement in the House of Lords; Clarke opposed it in the House of Commons.
Maybe it’s time something was done about such an arrangement. Last year, after his appointment, MPs complained to Mandelson that they wouldn’t be able to quiz him in the Commons. But if MPs wanted to do that they would have to change the law.
So the great “clash of the titans”, thanks to ancient arrangement, never took place.
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Jon Snow wrote “Maybe it’s time something was done about such an arrangement. Last year, after his appointment, MPs complained to Mandelson that they wouldn’t be able to quiz him in the Commons.”
This is hardly new. And contrariwise, isn’t Jack Straw the first Lord Chancellor (aka Justice Minister) ever to be answerable to MPs?
Yes an appointed legislative chamber is a democratic international embarrassment, but it’s hardly new with the third coming of Mandy. Personally, I’m all for a fully elected (by PR) second chamber – but it doesn’t really solve your problem. There would still be two chambers.
As long as Governments want to draft in appointees as Ministers (and that’s happened forever) then this sort of thing will continue to happen. It’s not even that long ago when Prime Ministers were drawn from the Lords.
Anyway, Parliament has long ago ceased to be the bully-pit of the nation – having ceded that to the TV studios. Aren’t you personally pleased about that? It’s only MPs who can’t get on telly who moan. The nation is distinctly unbothered about it.
I’ve always been a bit puzzled by this but isn’t there something inherently wrong with allowing somebody to sit in both houses, especially if that person is also part of the inner workings of the government?
I can only assume that Dave didn’t want a ‘clash of the titans’ otherwise he would have appointed a noble Tory to shadow Mandy. Or maybe there aren’t any noble Tories up to the job…
Jon:
I do not think it is a clash of titans; I think it is a clash of bringing in a new government in the Next General Elections….
Aren’t we missing the point here? How many people have new labour brought people into government bypassing the ballot box by giving them a seat in the house of lords. It needs to stop, its inherently undemocratic.
Might not the second house home the regional assemblies of england ,replacing the even more defunct-ed county-councils, with, regions of from 7-12/14 millions ,thereby keeping Scotland attached politically?.