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. Whenever you are told that this is an independent House debating matters concerning an independent Parliament, cast your eyes on those packed Labour benches and remember that this is a Labour Commons in a Labour Parliament, and what goes on today is what Gordon Brown wants to happen. Richard Shepherd put it best: ‘How does this House defend the freedoms and liberties of all people if it’s unable to defend the freedoms and liberties of this House?'”
Couple the events of today with Quentin Letts’ damning account of the Labour whips team, and it’s easy to see why party whipping is one of the most controversial aspects of our parliamentary democracy.
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