One of the more striking aspects of the Damian Green affair is how it’s angered MPs from every side, corner and alcove of the House. And quite right too – this is something that could have hefty implications for Parliament as a whole. The Tories and Lib Dems, in particular, have been singing from an almost identical hymn-sheet when condemning the heavy-handedness of the arrest, and now it’s emerged that they’ve taken the cooperation a stage further. According to the Beeb, Cameron and Clegg are going to meet to “discuss tactics” ahead of the Queen’s Speech tomorrow. Their aim is to secure a debate on the Green arrest; although one can’t help but wonder whether they’ll also discuss the plan to force out Michael Martin said to be brewing among certain Tory MPs.
So far as the Green arrest is concerned, discussions between the two opposition leaders are good to see. Coordinated action tends to be real action; and can be taken as a sign that Parliament isn’t going to sit on its collective hands. The question now is whether this opens the door for further cooperation over the issues at hand. Call it idealistic (or put it down to the Red Bull I just drank), but one option that’s popped into my head is for the Tories and Lib Dems to set up a cross-party commission for civil liberties. For the past few months, the idea of a Tory-only commission has been mooted as a way of using David Davies’s particular talents. But, to my mind, involving Clegg & Co. would send out a much stronger message about how parliamentarians won’t tolerate repeats of the Green fiasco.
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