.....from the Spectator
In historical terms, though, the most important recent
parliamentary vote was on the EU referendum motion. At first glance, this seems
odd. It was a non-binding backbench measure, and it did not pass — indeed, it
never had a chance of doing so, given that both Labour and the government were
opposed. But when 81 Tory MPs defied a three-line whip and voted for it, their
actions changed the calculus in No. 10 about how to handle the European issue.
It was this new approach that led to Cameron vetoing a proposed EU treaty back
in December.
Several factors have combined to breathe new life into
parliament. First, no party has a majority in either house. When Ed Miliband
was wandering the streets of Davos debating whether to force a Commons vote on
Hester’s bonus, he knew that the motion would have a good chance of gaining the
support of the Liberal Democrats, splitting the coalition and giving Labour a
chance of victory.
Then there is the creative destruction wreaked by the
expenses scandal. At the last election, the scandal contributed to a huge
turnover of MPs. Those who arrived in 2010 are acutely sensitive to the charge
that they are just as bad as the last lot. In general, therefore, they are more
independent-minded than their predecessors. Forty-seven per cent of the Tory
MPs elected in 2010 have already rebelled. Nor did the members who survived the
expenses scandal remain unchanged. When the public think the letters MP after
your name are a mark of dishonour, there is no longer any point in staying in
Parliament for the prestige; even for veteran parliamentarians, status now
means you have to achieve something. The breakneck pace of the new government’s
first months in office owed much to this new mood.
But perhaps the most important reason for the revival of
Parliament is that the politicians themselves have begun to appreciate it
again. For years, the trendy notion that Britain was a ‘young country’ led to
ambitious types turning their noses up at Parliament and its traditions. One senses
now a greater understanding of its place in the constitution.
The next session will see an intense debate about
Parliament’s role and the balance between its two chambers. The coalition
intends to make the House of Lords 20 per cent elected, with more elected
members in the coming years if Parliament wishes it. Already, other items in
the government’s legislative plans are being scrapped or delayed to clear the
necessary parliamentary time for this bill.
On this issue the executive can confidently expect an
extremely hard time from the legislature. We might not find a 21st-century
version of the Enoch Powell–Michael Foot double act that defeated Dick
Crossman’s plans for Lords reform. But we will see MPs defending the rights and
prerogatives of the Commons with far more vigour and conviction than they would
have had just a few short years ago.
James Forsyth |
