Debate for naught?

The debate over the raid on Damian Green’s office is trundling along in the Commons (you can watch it here).  So far, the talking points have been a (failed) attempt to get the debate extended to six hours, as well as some Tory resistance to Michael Martin’s proposed committee on the matter.  This should be Parliament at its very best – a packed House, debating an important issue that’s angered many – but there’s a sad air of pointlessnes about it all.  I guess it’s something to do with Gordon Brown’s whipping of the Labour benches.  As Bob Marshall-Andrews put it earlier, he and his Labour colleagues are on a “”thinly disguised three-line whip” – which is probably a two-line whip mixed with some strong-arming from Brown’s heavies.  As Ben Brogan observes, the upshot is that Our Dear Leader will most probably win out:

“But you should watch this debate, which is just kicking off properly now.