Last chance saloon

So what to make of today’s Queen’s Speech?  Myself, I’m finding it hard to drum up much excitement.  After all, we already know most of its contents (if you want a primer, then check out this excellent Guardian summary article here), and much of it is either underwhelming, unworkable or – as everyone from David Cameron to Michael White has pointed out – self-servingly political on Labour’s part.  Tory peers are saying that they’ll block the proposals, but you’ve got to doubt whether they’ll be enacted before the next election anyway.  All in all, Danny Finkelstein’s analysis is attractive.  As he puts it: “who cares?”

But there is one sense in which this Queen’s Speech matters.  It is, at the end of the day, Labour’s last proper chance to set out a legislative package before their election manifesto.  Ergo, it’s one of their last chances to convince the public that they’ve got what it takes to govern the country.