How many people turn up to hear the Writ moved for a by-election?
When no one is paying attention, the Labour Whips should move the Writ for every seat in the House, all to be held on the same day as Eastleigh. They should have done that today.
It would have been argued that most were not vacant. Let that have been put to the vote. Let the Lib Dems, especially, have been smoked out, along with the blowhard "rebels" in the Conservative Party.
It would have been argued that most were not vacant. Let that have been put to the vote. Let the Lib Dems, especially, have been smoked out, along with the blowhard "rebels" in the Conservative Party.
Those elected would only serve for the remaining half of this Parliament. But that would do. For the remaining half of this Parliament.
Desperate times, and all that.
If they had stood up to move by-elections in all Lib Dem seats, the likes of Peter Bone might have voted with them, if primed in advance to be there for the ambush.
ReplyDeleteOr would they? As you say today, they never vote against the Coalition when it might lose. They would probably have tipped off their own Whips. Their rebellions are all a con, at least you are not fooled by them.
Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteThat obviously doesn't make sense-since the Labour "rebels" knew there was no chance their party would lose on gay marriage.
Yet they could only muster a hilariously pathetic 22-to join a massive 139 Tories against Cameron.
Call that an Opposition?
Sorry, I call it a joke.
139 Tories who knew that it was going to go through. 100 of them would have voted in favour if they had had any fear that the Government might have been defeated.
ReplyDeleteThey never vote against the Government when it might be defeated. The ones in the Major years, before your recollection, did, sometimes to devastating effect.
They were far less numerous. But they were serious. There is nothing serious about the present "rebel" rabble.