Saturday, September 24, 2005
Legislating with dummies
So that is how grown-up Government works? You produce a set of proposals designed to appease your own party rather than operate in the interests of the people of Wales. You add in a change to the electoral system for the sake of undermining the opposition and shoring up the political position of Labour AMs. And then, at the first sign of dissent, you accuse the other parties of 'kindergarten politics' and tell them it is time to grow up!
So as to shore up his own position Peter Hain then adds in for good measure the possibility that the Tories may seek to wreck the Bill altogether and demands that Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats rally behind his half-hearted attempts at modernisation, regardless of their own views, so as to head off the right wing at the pass. So much for mature debate and legislative scrutiny.
Actually, this is par for the course with Peter Hain as is the way that he suggests changing the proposals. It now seems that we are to have a pre-legislative scrutiny stage added in at Westminster so that MPs can examine Assembly Bills in detail. This effectively puts the Assembly back under the thumb of Westminster and more dependent than ever on Welsh Labour MPs for any proposals to be approved. It is giving an element of primary law-making powers with one hand and taking it away with another.
If Peter Hain waters this proposal down any more then it really will be not worth having. He cannot seriously expect to push through this sort of legislation without dissent and without each line being challenged and scrutinised. He cannot seriously expect opposition parties to put their own ambitions for Wales to one side to back the compromise he came up with to quell dissent within the Labour Party. And he surely must realise that slagging off the institution he is seeking to reform is no way to win friends and influence people.
This is the arrogance of power. It is the arrogance of somebody who believes that grown-up Government is about retaining control and stifling opposition. It is about showing the baby the dummy but not letting him get his lips anywhere near the teat.
So as to shore up his own position Peter Hain then adds in for good measure the possibility that the Tories may seek to wreck the Bill altogether and demands that Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats rally behind his half-hearted attempts at modernisation, regardless of their own views, so as to head off the right wing at the pass. So much for mature debate and legislative scrutiny.
Actually, this is par for the course with Peter Hain as is the way that he suggests changing the proposals. It now seems that we are to have a pre-legislative scrutiny stage added in at Westminster so that MPs can examine Assembly Bills in detail. This effectively puts the Assembly back under the thumb of Westminster and more dependent than ever on Welsh Labour MPs for any proposals to be approved. It is giving an element of primary law-making powers with one hand and taking it away with another.
If Peter Hain waters this proposal down any more then it really will be not worth having. He cannot seriously expect to push through this sort of legislation without dissent and without each line being challenged and scrutinised. He cannot seriously expect opposition parties to put their own ambitions for Wales to one side to back the compromise he came up with to quell dissent within the Labour Party. And he surely must realise that slagging off the institution he is seeking to reform is no way to win friends and influence people.
This is the arrogance of power. It is the arrogance of somebody who believes that grown-up Government is about retaining control and stifling opposition. It is about showing the baby the dummy but not letting him get his lips anywhere near the teat.
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Peter Hain should just give it a rest for a bit...he really has utterly lost the plot....amongst the "chattering classes" this just earns contempt and amongst the general public there is real anger at the mismanagement of the Health Service.....
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