Blair government in "we're a bunch of abject bastards who don't give a shit about you or your stupid so-called concerns" non-shocker!
ID cards are back today. 12pm sees the launch of the "new" bill. Grrr... More later, if I get a chance.
And, in other news, they've gone and made John "fuck off or I'll twat you" Prescott head of the cabinet committee on electoral policy:
"Mr Prescott has made it clear to colleagues that there is no question of reviving PR for parliamentary elections."Oh, and:
"In another decision that signals his opposition to PR, Mr Blair formally abolish[ed] the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), he set up with the former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown as a vehicle to discuss PR. The scrapping of the JCC slammed the door on the prospect of Labour-Liberal Democrat talks on voting reform and sent a powerful signal that relations between Labour and the Liberal Democrats have hit a new low. Mr Prescott has told colleagues: 'That's all dead now.'"Grrrr... More on that later too, if I get a chance.
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I am Tony, the Wrath of God! (note frenzied Werner Herzog/Klaus Kinski eyes...)
Nosemonkey, wasn't the JCC formally wound up in 2001 after the last election?
Andy - from what I gather, it effectively hasn't existed for a few years, but was still listed as one of the Cabinet committees. Now, however, its abolition is official - and the timing, for those of us who didn't vote Labour and who are rather annoyed at the disparity between number of votes and number of seats, not to mention Prezza's somewhat blunt way of putting it, is something of a slap in the face.
It does seem silly that Kennedy is seeking to score political points over the formal abolition of a body he sought to abolish.
I hadn't realised that it hadn't been abolished already as it certainly hasn't met since 2001.
If Kennedy showed the slightish interest in reforming the JCC I think Blair would love to set it up again, though Brown and Prescott would be much less keen.
The point Kennedy is making is not specific to the committee's abolition - it's fairly obviously rather broader, as was the point I was hinting at.
It's more to do with the fact that there has been a fair amount of interest in electoral reform as Labour have got in with a majority with the support of just 22% of the electorate. This - especially with Prescott's comments and those of Charlie Falconer basically saying that anyone who reckons it's a slightly less than perfect system can piss off - would seem to demonstrate that Labour are not prepared to listen, as they have claimed.
There's nothing to say they have to pay attention to calls for reform - but they've just brushed them off as pointless and irrelevant and have effectively blocked their ears to them. The shutting of the committee is just one more indication - but Prescott's rather blunt way of putting it was the kick in the balls clincher.
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