Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Government defeats
This could be a good week for defeating Governments. Later today, the Welsh Assembly Government is expected to lose a vote on its proposal to neuter the Arts Council. Yesterday, the UK Labour Government suffered two significant defeats on its Racial and Religious Hatred Bill.
Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, has just been quoted on Radio Wales that he thought the vote was a purely political act by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, using an opportunity to defeat the Government rather than voting on principle. If anything that statement sums up Labour's problem, they have stopped listening. On the Liberal Democrats' side this was a matter of deep principle, centring on freedom of speech and of expression.
Everybody is concentrating on the reasons for Labour's narrow defeat. As epolitix reports (courtesy of Liberal England):
MPs had been expected to back the government, having already passed the proposals once.
But in a sign of the government's waning authority, and the controversial nature of the proposals, MPs voted by 288 to 278, a majority of 10, in favour of keeping a Lords amendment to restrict the offence of inciting religious hatred to threatening words and behaviour rather than a wider definition also covering insults and abuse.
In a second division MPs then voted by 283 votes to 282, a majority of one, to ensure that discussion, criticism, insult, abuse and ridicule of religion, belief or religious practice would not be an offence.
The Government whips massively miscalculated, they left 20 Labour MPs up in Scotland, campaigning in the Dunfermline by-election, whilst on the second issue the Prime Minister failed to vote, despite having gone through the lobbies earlier, allowing a losing margin of one.
Jonathan Calder, Sandra Gidley and many other bloggers report that Mark Oaten returned to the House of Commons to cast his vote against the Government. Jonathan also tells us that George Galloway gave up the pleasures of the Big Brother roadshow to walk through the lobbies in favour of Labour's proposals, proving that he and his party cannot be trusted to oppose illiberal and restrictive legislation. The Government must have put on a saucer of milk!
Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, has just been quoted on Radio Wales that he thought the vote was a purely political act by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, using an opportunity to defeat the Government rather than voting on principle. If anything that statement sums up Labour's problem, they have stopped listening. On the Liberal Democrats' side this was a matter of deep principle, centring on freedom of speech and of expression.
Everybody is concentrating on the reasons for Labour's narrow defeat. As epolitix reports (courtesy of Liberal England):
MPs had been expected to back the government, having already passed the proposals once.
But in a sign of the government's waning authority, and the controversial nature of the proposals, MPs voted by 288 to 278, a majority of 10, in favour of keeping a Lords amendment to restrict the offence of inciting religious hatred to threatening words and behaviour rather than a wider definition also covering insults and abuse.
In a second division MPs then voted by 283 votes to 282, a majority of one, to ensure that discussion, criticism, insult, abuse and ridicule of religion, belief or religious practice would not be an offence.
The Government whips massively miscalculated, they left 20 Labour MPs up in Scotland, campaigning in the Dunfermline by-election, whilst on the second issue the Prime Minister failed to vote, despite having gone through the lobbies earlier, allowing a losing margin of one.
Jonathan Calder, Sandra Gidley and many other bloggers report that Mark Oaten returned to the House of Commons to cast his vote against the Government. Jonathan also tells us that George Galloway gave up the pleasures of the Big Brother roadshow to walk through the lobbies in favour of Labour's proposals, proving that he and his party cannot be trusted to oppose illiberal and restrictive legislation. The Government must have put on a saucer of milk!
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Peter
I have just read that in Scotland the Executive is following the same process in wales of taking funding for major Arts Bodies from the Arts Council and bringing it "in house" under direct political control.
The Lib dems in scotland are part of the executive presumably they are allowing this to happen or else it would be defeated? Is there a difference between Lib Dems in scotland and Lib dems in Wales on this policy?
I have just read that in Scotland the Executive is following the same process in wales of taking funding for major Arts Bodies from the Arts Council and bringing it "in house" under direct political control.
The Lib dems in scotland are part of the executive presumably they are allowing this to happen or else it would be defeated? Is there a difference between Lib Dems in scotland and Lib dems in Wales on this policy?
The motion that the opposition is promoting today and which has in fact just been passed says:
"Instructs the Welsh Assembly Government to immediately carry out a public review of the role of the Arts Council for Wales and to halt, forthwith, all work associated in any way with its preparations to take over responsibility for the direct funding of Welsh National Opera; National Orchestra of Wales; Diversions; Academi; Clwyd Theatr Cymru and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru until:
a) a comprehensive consultation has been carried out with all interested parties, the terms of which to be agreed by the Committee for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport; and
b) it seeks the approval of the National Assembly by a motion to be tabled by the Business Minister in December 2006."
That is the process that was carried out in Scotland. The difference is that the Labour/Lib Dem Government north of the border consulted, here they have not.
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"Instructs the Welsh Assembly Government to immediately carry out a public review of the role of the Arts Council for Wales and to halt, forthwith, all work associated in any way with its preparations to take over responsibility for the direct funding of Welsh National Opera; National Orchestra of Wales; Diversions; Academi; Clwyd Theatr Cymru and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru until:
a) a comprehensive consultation has been carried out with all interested parties, the terms of which to be agreed by the Committee for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport; and
b) it seeks the approval of the National Assembly by a motion to be tabled by the Business Minister in December 2006."
That is the process that was carried out in Scotland. The difference is that the Labour/Lib Dem Government north of the border consulted, here they have not.
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