Charles Moore's reflections on the week
One of the issues in the Governance of Britain Constitutional Renewal Bill with which we are threatened is the question of war powers. When he became Prime Minister, Gordon Brown gave the impression that the ‘royal prerogative’ should be removed: Parliament, not the executive, should have the sole power to decide whether the nation goes to war. Last month, Jack Straw, the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, published the White Paper. Mr Straw is really the last cunning old fox in government. While deferring to the idea of parliamentary supremacy, his recommendation ‘does not see a requirement’ for most of the things which the reformers would like, and opts, instead of legislation, for something called ‘a detailed resolution’ which would set out the processes which Parliament would follow if war loomed. Mr Straw’s trickery is completely justified. It is ridiculous that the nation should have to wait for parliamentary approval before taking any military action, because timetables of war do not work like that. It is also democratically unnecessary, because no government can prosecute a war for any length of time without parliamentary approval. As Enoch Powell pointed out in the middle of the Falklands war, the royal prerogative is a huge power, but it is of no avail without ‘retaining the subsequent and continuing confidence of the House’. The demand for a change in all of this results from guilty feeling about the Iraq war. But the funny thing is that this, unusually, was a war that the Commons did clearly debate before it began, and clearly voted for.
Halliwell’s Film Companion lists every feature film ever released. The films beginning with the word ‘I’ give an insight into the human ego. Here are just the titles where the ‘I’ is followed by the letter a or the letter b: I Accuse, I Aim at the Stars, I Am a Camera, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, I Am Curious — Yellow, I Am Not Afraid, I Am Sam, I Am Sexy, I Am the Cheese, I Am the Law, I Became a Criminal, I Believe in You, I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle, I Bury the Living.
More articles from: Charles Moore | this section
Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
Advertisement
It wasn’t meant to be this way. The Tories used…
David Cameron is a sunny-side-up politician. At his first party…
The year has begun with the British political class obsessing…
Westminster used to think that 2012 would be the year…
Downing Street’s negotiating team returned from Berlin last Friday afternoon…
1 Terry shouldn’t be captain, but that should be Capello’s decision to make - Rod Liddle
2 Snow? What snow? - Rod Liddle
3 JFK: The Nastiest President of the Twentieth Century? - Alex Massie
4 Do we really need to know more about Gary Speed’s death? - Rod Liddle
5 Scottish Labour Embrace the Logic of Independence - Alex Massie
1,700 Unusual Christmas Presents Request Catalogue 01935 815 195 Quote SPEC10 for 10% discount www.presentfinder.co.uk
Pimilco based Florist with online ordering Web: www.olivebranch.net Tel: 020 7630 1868 Fax: 020 7233 8844
62 Shore Road, Warsash, Southampton, SO31 9FT Telephone: 01489 578867 Web site: www.ruffs.co.uk
Apollo Magazine | Corporate | Advertising | Privacy | Terms
Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP
All Articles and Content Copyright ©2012 by The Spectator | All Rights Reserved
Be the first to comment on this article!
Back to top