Unbreakable Glass

My MP, friend and near neighbour, Pat Glass, asked the question of the day at today's PMQs: shouldn't a Minister who breaks the Ministerial Code lose his or her job? Cameron's "answer" was that the Code left it up to the Prime Minister. Well, yes. That was why this question had been asked of the Prime Minister. So, what was his answer to it? Very obviously, he didn't have one.

I don't know how much Pat fancies being the MP for everywhere from north of Haltwhistle to south of Barnard Castle. To whom, after all, would that be particularly appealing? But she is a highly effective constituency MP, as her summoning of Michael Gove to Consett illustrated, and as will be further illustrated by her summoning of the managing director of Go North East to newly bus-starved Lanchester on Friday 28th of this month, at 6:30pm, in the main hall of Saint Bede's. Clearly, she is also doing sterling work holding this Government, including this Prime Minister, to account on the floor of the House.

Things could change between now and May 2015. Pat could do something that crossed the line for me. She is a practising Catholic, but that doesn't stop people. However, assuming no such unhappy development, not only would I vote for Pat, but, if I were well enough, I would campaign for her. I could do with pounding the pavements with leaflets in hand again. The local Labour Party certainly knows where I live. While still in my teens, I was their sub-agent for this traditionally Tory ward, delivering them an overall majority of the total vote on a four-way split. They have never forgiven me. And they never will.