A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
If the Guardian report is true, and Brown is planning a fully elected Lords - and elected by a proportional system - it's fantastic news. I had worried that Brown was instinctively conservative on constitutional issues but the opposite seems to be the case.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 7:52 am
Labour MP for North Durham since 2024. Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012 and since 2020. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Dad. Unite and GMB union member. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.
6 Comments:
Well, I am too pleasantly surprised by Brown's lack of conservativism so far on constitutional issues.
An elected Lords under PR, long overdue, would complete the Commons' encirclement by proportional assemblies.
This would add pressure on the Commons to bring in a proportional system - long overdue in itself.
I suspect PR is one of the few things Luke and muself agree on.
8:29 am, May 21, 2007
Go Brownie go! A McDonnellite policy!!
9:24 am, May 21, 2007
Luke,
You seem to be forgetting that Brown is effectively in opposition right now, in the same way that Blair was pre-May 1997. He'll say anything that smoothes over the transition from one leader to another. All of this will be forgotten once he's in government. Who's going to hold him accountable to this? There's not an actual manifesto or programme, just a few speeches. He's called for radical constitutional reform before, his 1992 Charter 88 Sovereignty Lecture, yet only last week gave his tacit support for the FOI curbs in Parliament. Judge him on his behaviour, not his rhetoric.
I don't believe for a second that there's an appetite for radical constitutional reform among either your Labour First associates or the party staff both in London and the regions. Anything that lessens the ability of party managers to carve things up and dish out offices as preferment will not progress.
There's a lot of wide-eyed-ness replacing weary cynicism right now, the 1997 spirit all over again. Let's see how long it lasts once we have a Brown cabinet.
10:29 am, May 21, 2007
I dunno alfredo, Brown has to a degree created accountability for himself on this topic by 'letting' it run, or starting it running.
I too like the sound of it and I'm just hoping it will be one of Brown 'startling starters' (especially since 'trust' has got of to such a disaster with the FoI matter)
11:52 am, May 21, 2007
That would be good, but he must limit the power of the Lords. One house must take precedence, and that house shoud be the commons.
1:37 pm, May 21, 2007
Chris calls this McDonnellite. If you Google john4leader.org.uk (283 pages) the lords are mentioned eleven times, but never in the context of constitutional reform.
9:17 am, May 22, 2007
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