The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

[sasguru]

Oh come on guys, anyone would think Labour have engineered a coup d'etat the way you're going on.... In reality they are in their death throes (albeit prolonged). They are highly unlikely to win the next election. My problem is will the Tories be any better or have they watered down their principles (chief among which used to be the idea of "small government")?

[threaded]

If they, the New Lie, get this nasty piece of legislation in place who is to say when the next election will be?

[Lucifer Box]

If they, the New Lie, get this nasty piece of legislation in place who is to say when the next election will be?

Indeed. There has already been talk about postponing local elections "until a better system has been implemented".

Thing is, once this law is on the statute books it's too late. No government will ever surrender its power to implement primary legislation without recourse to Parliament and I don't want any government to have that ability available to it, whether labour, conservative or whoever.

To say that the current government is in its death throes and is unlikely to win the next election is probably not the case. Even the electoral commission concedes that it is almost impossible for Labour not to win given the current boundaries (in fact they could gain a smaller share of the national vote than the Tories and still have a parliamentary majority).

[zathras]

Oh come on guys, anyone would think Labour have engineered a coup d'etat the way you're going on.... In reality they are in their death throes (albeit prolonged). They are highly unlikely to win the next election. My problem is will the Tories be any better or have they watered down their principles (chief among which used to be the idea of "small government")?

Have a quick look at some of the activities of new Labour and they very well might have.

• Civil Contingencies Bill (our 'Patriot Act')
• RIP Act
• Gradual Politicisation of the Civil Service, including political advisors being appointed control of Civil Servents
• A weakening of Cabinet Government
• Highest use of secondary legislation in any modern government
• Highest use of the Parliamentary Act to get through ill thought out acts
• Weakening of Habeus Corpus with the extention of days held in custody from 7 days to 28 (a four fold increase)
• Stated desire to reduce the use of Juries in trials
• Politicisation of the Judiciary by the creation of the Department of Constitutional Affairs and bringing them into that.
• Numerous attempts to reduce free speech
• Legislation and Regulary Reform Bill aka The Abolition of Parliament Act

Even if their intention is honourable they have so weakened the traditional checks and balances of the British Constitution that they very well might have.

[Fungus]

Oh come on guys, anyone would think Labour have engineered a coup d'etat the way you're going on.... In reality they are in their death throes (albeit prolonged). They are highly unlikely to win the next election. My problem is will the Tories be any better or have they watered down their principles (chief among which used to be the idea of "small government")?

I wish you were right but I very much doubt it. Blair may well be looking rather tawdry and dog eared, but look at how Ministers are passing blame onto Blair, in the knowledge that he is to leave. Once gone, Brown will market New Lier as fresh and exciting and free of the Blair sleaze. And the electors will believe him.

You only have to look at how New Lier recovered in the past from periods when the polls were against them. They are skilled at media management.

The only hope for the Tories is to dislodge Blair, so that Brown can have a chance to screw up big time, which I think he will. I reckon he does not have the skill to hold together the New Lier reptile as he's too pompous and unbending, and in consequence dissent will break out.

Just my opinion and time will decide who is right.

[expat]

One Reich, One folk, One Tone...

The one single solitary reassurance is that the New Lie Thousand Year Reich will last as long as all Thousand Year Reichs: 13 years on average.

"The third reich will last a thousand years" - Hitler, June 1934.

"...so that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth should last a thousand years..." - Churchill, June 1940.

So when in March 1975 Ian Smith promised no black majority rule in Rhodesia, "not in a thousand years", we knew the end was near.

"a thousand days to prepare for the next thousand years" - Blair, 1997
You're doomed, me old son!

[sasguru]

I wish you were right but I very much doubt it. Blair may well be looking rather tawdry and dog eared, but look at how Ministers are passing blame onto Blair, in the knowledge that he is to leave. Once gone, Brown will market New Lier as fresh and exciting and free of the Blair sleaze. And the electors will believe him.

You only have to look at how New Lier recovered in the past from periods when the polls were against them. They are skilled at media management.

The only hope for the Tories is to dislodge Blair, so that Brown can have a chance to screw up big time, which I think he will. I reckon he does not have the skill to hold together the New Lier reptile as he's too pompous and unbending, and in consequence dissent will break out.

Just my opinion and time will decide who is right.

Whatever you think of Blair, he has the "charisma" to get voters to vote for him (particularly women). I doubt that the dour Brown will have the same appeal, especially when faced with fresh-faced Cameron. And don't forget that Cameron has his own marketing guru and is no slouch in the charm stakes.
Sometimes we analyze things too far and make no allowances for the shallowness of the electorate.

[Fungus]

Whatever you think of Blair, he has the "charisma" to get voters to vote for him (particularly women). I doubt that the dour Brown will have the same appeal, especially when faced with fresh-faced Cameron. And don't forget that Cameron has his own marketing guru and is no slouch in the charm stakes.
Sometimes we analyze things too far and make no allowances for the shallowness of the electorate.

The shallowness of the electorate is exactly what I was thinking about. Blair had charisma as 'we' thought he was sincere. But I would say that he is now soiled goods with a distinct whiff about him. I think you're right about Brown, but I think it needs time for people to see that. After all in many people's eyes he is the Miracle Chancellor who has delivered continuous growth and high employment (you mentioned how shallow people are).

[zeitghost]

One Reich, One folk, One Tone...

The one single solitary reassurance is that the New Lie Thousand Year Reich will last as long as all Thousand Year Reichs: 13 years on average.

Stone me, I was right.