There's also some interesting stats on the stance of the Conservative frontbenchThis is not good and the trend needs to be reversed. The Opposition needs to be far more hard hitting and while the Conservatives shouldn't oppose for opposition's sake, I find it hard to believe that we can agree with 79% of the government's legislation.
- they allow early four-fifths of Government legislation through on-the-nod,
without a vote at second or third reading. In this parliament, they've contested
the principle of just 21% of government bills. This is significantly down on the
32% average for the whole of the 2001 Parliament, which was itself down on the
41% in the 1997 Parliament. This downward trend began before David Cameron took office, but it has become much more noticeable under his leadership.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Just How Revolting are Conservative MPs
Revolts.co.uk is the ultimate political geek site. To celebrate mark David Cameron's two years in charge, they have analysed Tory Party revolts HERE. The full research paper (PDF) is HERE.
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13 comments:
How much of the legislation is edicts from Brussells that has to be nodded through rather than examined?
That 79% has an interesting parallel- it is pretty much the percentage of legislation that originates in Brussels.
Is there any acausality?
"I find it hard to believe that we can agree with 79% of the government's legislation."
The fact is that in last couple of years most of the government's legislation has been moderate and the opposition has been broadly in agreement with it.
There is little point in voting against legislation with which you agree, simply because you are the opposition. This could rebound on you when you could later be accused of failing to support a worthwhile measure.
Well Iain, instead of saying you find it hard that "we can agree with 79% of the government's legislation" why do you not tell us specifically what legislation you disagree with, or think should be questioned/challenged? That would be more useful than making sweeping statements.
You find it hard to believe Iain?! It's pretty hard work for the Labour left also.
Do I get a link from your story then, or a review of my "service blog post" re the latest Abrahams malarkey?
Iain, much of what Labour proposes is sensible -
Sadly, it's the way Labour implement things that is the problem.
Iain, I hate to say it - but I think you've over-reacted again.
:)
Do you think this may, by any chance, be connected with the Apathy the UK voter has with politics?
You don't need the actually statistics of how bad something is to know that tastes bad!
:)
Given Labour's majority, it's probably worth keeping our powder dry for those divisions we can stir some trouble up with.
Given this government's ineffectiveness in implementing anything and addiction to legislation it's not so bad - although it does give us a list of pointless acts to repeal/reform when in office.
The answer is mostly Brussells. However that does not mean that the way the legislation is implemented should not be carefully scrutinised. Too often the Labour party favours quantity over qualilty. They have never got the hang of doing a few things well (so they are CLEAR and work), rather than many things badly so they tie us all up in hopeless knots - thus leading to endless legal wrangles.
I am not at all certain that the Conservatives are doing enough of the small print grind. This is their job, just because they agree with the broad objectives of a Bill, it does not mean it should go through on the nod, badly drafted and unworkable.
Pull your socks up Conservatives!
Hmm. And simultaneously Conservatives rise, and Labour fall in the polls...
Have you considered that these days Labour's ONLY viable campaigning technique (apart from telling us what great things they did in 1997) is to say that they are not the Tories. As such they are desperate for concrete examples of where the two parties have disagreed - half the things they do are designed purely to prompt Tory opposition.
But they're getting more an more desperate because the Tories aren't giving them the ammunition, which stats like this prove.
Greg
Proof that Dave the Boy Blunder is the hier to Blair and thus Adolf's grandson
perhaps if the front bench spent more time oppossing the Government, and less time on their various other 'jobs', 'consultancies' and 'external interests', more might be done to reverse the dreaful decline in this country brought upon us by ten years of rulership of the Labour Party!
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