Wednesday 11 July 2012

On Second Reading

The Labour MPs who voted against the Lords Reform Bill:

1. Adrian Bailey
2. Kevin Barron
3. Margaret Beckett
4. Stuart Bell
5. David Blunkett
6. Ronnie Campbell
7. Ann Clwyd
8. Jim Cunningham
9. Jim Dowd
10. Frank Field
11. Mike Gapes
12. Dai Havard
13. Stephen Hepburn
14. Kate Hoey
15. Kelvin Hopkins
16. George Howarth
17. Gerald Kaufman
18. Siobhain McDonagh
19. Andrew Miller
20. Madeleine Moon
21. Geoffrey Robinson
22. Frank Roy
23. Barry Sheerman
24. Dennis Skinner
25. Graham Stringer
26. Derek Twigg

There were also some interesting abstentions. And this is a remarkable list, Left and Right, Old Labour and New Labour. It reflects the clear feeling all the way across the Parliamentary Labour Party.

The list of 91 Conservatives contained literally no one who could ever have been a Minister in this Government, most of whom must surely have known it. Being a PPS is neither here nor there.

In spite of which, certainly if Labour had voted against Second Reading, and probably if Labour had merely abstained, then there would probably have been fewer than 30 Conservative rebels, and certainly fewer than 40. There were 91 rebels because Ed Miliband gave them permission.

There will be nothing like that many at Third Reading, especially if Labour either abstains or, as is far more likely, votes against the final signing off of a Bill such as neither Lewis Carroll nor Monty Python could possibly have conceived.

Sir George Young withdrew the Programme Motion in order to spare his colleagues' exposure as all talk, since as few as 20, if that, would actually have voted with Labour.

The 26 above, several of whom would not have acted in this way without prior clearance, have expressed the real Labour attitude to this dog's breakfast of a Bill. But denying it Second Reading would have spoiled all the fun. That fun will now begin. Indeed, it has already begun.

8 comments:

  1. Easily exposed as fantasy, Mr Lindsay. Ed Miliband wrote (26th June 2012)

    "We are serious about Lords reform; we support an elected Upper Chamber"

    91 Tories voted against their own Government. Labour, in Opposition, could only muster 26.

    If the Tories had a free vote MORE would have voted against the Bill.

    Give Labour a free vote, and they'd all be for it.

    You know the truth, so why the nonsense?

    Fantasising about Labour being something else (other than the anti-British party it is) won't make it come true.

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  2. You are living in a dream world, with absolutely no idea how politics works.

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  3. It is a fascinating list. Deliberately covering all bases within the PLP. Truly representative. A masterpiece of the whips' art.

    You are obviously right about why the party supported Second Reading with this proviso and about why the party will not support Third Reading but three quarters of the "brave 91" therefore will.

    Also about how not one of them had anything to lose by their "bravery" and about why the Programme Motion was withdrawn. You should be a whip. I know, wash my mouth out.

    Paul Noonan has the long post-GCSE summer to fill up while it rains. Go easy on him, he'll learn.

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  4. I don't mind the churlish insults, it just shows I've alreeady won the argument...

    Amidst the nonsense, neither of you sees fit to mention Ed Miliband's article (26th June 2012) in which he confirms the Labour Party's passionate support for Lords reform.

    The people living in a "dream world" (or filling a post--GCSE summer) are those sad fantasists who think the saviour of Britain is Ed Marxist Miliband.

    You have to feel sorry for people like that,

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  5. Bless.

    I think we can safely say that no one is ever going to suggest, even in jest, that you should be a whip.

    Now, I really am going to bed.

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  6. Some newspaper article expressing nothing more than support for the principle? That's all you've got?

    Honestly, Mr L, I'm surprised that you can be bothered to put up this "putting the minor into minor public school" rubbish.

    You really should be a whip, or on the policy review, or something like that. I can imagine you as Deputy Leader.

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  7. Peter Hitchens has also pulled Paul Noonan's naive nonsense to pieces this afternoon. Take a look.

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