Politics update

Parliament is in recess this week so no PMQs update. However it is a good time, now the dust is settling a bit, to take stock of the fallout of the last few weeks.

The speaker has forced from office by weight of opinion in the commons (although frankly this was just a scapegoat attempt by MPs). The precedent here, breaking the last 300 years of tradition, is potentially alarming for the power of parliament but of limited significance to the wider public who are largely unaffected by the speakers authority.

The re-selection of MPs as candidates for the next election is looking more unlikely in many constituencies. Some of the back benchers taking the worst heat from the Telegraph have already declared they will not be standing. This morning a Tory mp on radio 5 attempted a bleeding heart defence of her claims saying that she was only trying to balance her parliamentary duties with caring for her son. This argument produced a sum total of no sympathy among listeners responding in the phone in programme (there are millions of working mothers who don't get state help, why should she? being the usual response) and by lunchtime the announcement of her readiness to step down was made. No front bencher from either side has yet made a similar announcement but on the whole the spot light has generally turned away from them.

David Cameron has been busy. In an interview on Sunday he said he was opening the conservative candidate list to anyone, whether previous party member or not. This is an idea I feel positively about and also is not a "say anything do nothing" announcement which I am pleased about. On Tuesday he announced his clean up politics strategy. And it is interesting. In a nut shell he plans to

1. "seriously consider" the possibility of fixed term parliaments.
2. enlarge constituencies to make a smaller house of commons
3. publish expense details of high paid officials and expensive projects online
4. allow free votes to MPs on all bills at committee stage
5. limit the use of royal prerogative
6. give backbenchers power over timetabling of bills and electing members and chairmen of select committees

This all sounds good but I have a few reservations. Fixed term parliaments are only good if there is a way to dissolve hung parliaments that are achieving nothing. (This was the problem the US had in the last term where the house and senate were democrat and the president republican). Enlarging constituencies would limit the contact MPs would have with constituents. Otherwise these proposals are good if he sticks to them. The free vote idea has the problem that he would have to enforce it on all parties to make it work. I'm not sure he could achieve that.