The government lives to survive another week in office. Though, of course, by the time you read this, Theresa May will have lost half of her cabinet, Britain will have departed the EU with no deal and the Lib Dems will have experienced a minor revival (now I’m just being silly). With the government unable to put forward a divorce deal capable of passing the Commons, Labour are being urged by opposition parties to call a vote of no confidence.
For a number of reasons, this is a misguided idea. It would unite the Conservatives in their time of crisis, undoubtedly all their MPs preferring a flawed Theresa May over Jeremy Corbyn. With the DUP currently on the government’s side regarding no confidence, the motion wouldn’t pass and therefore the chances of an election would recede. Victory for Labour electorally is itself not certain, the polls remaining fused and fixed. Commentators have speculated the true reasoning behind the call for a no confidence vote is because of Labour policy to campaign for a ‘People’s Vote’ were an early election not to arise. If Labour policy changed to endorsing a ‘People’s Vote’, (an unbelievably flawed, irrational idea addressing no concerns of Brexit voters), which is unlikely in itself due to the Eurosceptic leadership, a number of Labour MPs who voted remain would fear for their seats – especially in the north – if they opt for referendum two. Even if there were a backbench and opposition majority for a vote, primary legislation by the government is required for a referendum to pass into law, along with the timescale inevitably requiring an extension to Article 50. Fundamentally, there are many effective ways in which opposition parties can hold the government to account while not getting rid of it. Humble addresses, emergency debates and urgent questions have been shown to reveal the government as the chaotic shambles of an administration they are. Until the DUP break their confidence and supply agreement, the chances of a no confidence vote passing are next to zilch. Labour should hold firm within Parliament until that changes. ****************************************************************************************************************** And so David Dimbleby’s reign at Question Time comes to an end. Having watched the programme for a few years, it appeared that day would never arrive. He always had the ability of putting the audience first, allowing questioning, debate and, importantly, picking up the panel when they were evasive. Initially, I was gripped by the show every single Thursday. However, particularly after Brexit, the level of public discourse and debate became so sour that its viewing was no longer the priority of my week. I wish Fiona Bruce well in hosting, especially given she’ll be travelling around the country twice for Question Time and Antiques Roadshow. Having spent years with archaic antiques, looking nostalgically back to the past with ambiguity regarding their value, hanging out with politicians should be a walk in the park. ****************************************************************************************************************** It is nothing but revolutionary to witness the decline of Angela Merkel. For as long as I can remember, she had been the leader of Germany, Europe even, and a challenge to the US premiership as leader of the Free World. By stepping down as leader of the CDU earlier this month and not contesting the Chancellorship in 2021, that might and clout she grasped is soon to not longer be in her reach. Of course, she has been a flawed chancellor. Her policy of unliterally allowing a million refugees into Germany, involving little planning with other European nations, was incorrect and placed emotional compassion before a reasonable strategy to best assist people. Within the EU, she has often failed to address the issues of European bureaucracy and the decline of national sovereignty that some oppose. That, along with her general religious social conservatism, means she has been far from perfect. Despite all these limiting factors, the world will miss her once she has departed. Her clear European leadership, certainly not represented by anyone in the UK or Mr Macron, is the sort we will probably never see again. ****************************************************************************************************************** To escape from politics, I often listen to Radio 4 documentaries. To escape from non-fiction in general, watching television dramas are my preference (radio dramas have never really done it for me, mostly because I have no idea what is going on when listening to the last few minutes of the final episode of Radio 4’s ‘15 Minute Drama’ just before ‘Any Questions’). Thankfully, it was with pleasure and anticipation that I tuned into ‘Mrs Wilson’, a three part drama based, ironically, on true events. The main protagonist, Alison Wilson, played by her own granddaughter Ruth Wilson, tragically loses her husband, Alexander Wilson, of a heart attack in 1963. She goes into mourning, you would think. Until she realises she has no idea who her husband really was. Discovering more and more about him, we learn how little she knows, especially in relation to the other wives he never divorced and secret children. A particular character highlight was Fiona Shaw (previously of hit BBC Three series Killing Eve, among other credits) who stars as the chain-smoking member of the secret service, responsible for watching over Alexander due to his immense levels of fabrication. Repeatedly, she urges Alison to cease her investigations into her late husband for fear of the inevitable consequences of knowledge. When it is made clear Alison is resolute in discovering who he was, she has no option but to reveal everything. It was heart-warming to see a photograph of Alexander’s children (those who are still with us) from the four different wives, having decided to communicate in 2007, with the numerous children and grandchildren on display. Who Alex really was we still don’t know, some information (perhaps rightly) still kept secret by the Foreign Office to this day. All that can be certain is my chance of reading his books, formally having no idea of the author, have only increased exponentially. ****************************************************************************************************************** And so the holidays commence. Hurrah! Well, only slightly. While I am the very opposite of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas, I do have the pressing issue of mock exams lurking over my head. While there will be no revision over the turkey (not eaten by me anyway) the process of reading flashcards and making posters with felt tips rapidly running out of ink will occupy me in the days to come. A brief hiatus in that revision will come next Wednesday, when I travel to London to see the New Statesman Podcast recorded live at Conway Hall. Judging by the weekly conversation, I would thoroughly recommend you book tickets.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Author:Noah enjoys writing a blog and drinking tea Archives
September 2022
Categories
All
|