After the pomp of the Queen’s Speech delivered by HRH Prince Charles, the week afterwards is always a bit flat with votes upon it following five days of debate. It follows a predictable pattern: our side extolling the virtues of the Bills announced, the opposition parties moaning about what they’d prefer. Opposition amendments to the Queen’s Speech are put to the vote and as sure as night follows day, the amendments are voted down. Even though I’ve seen the State opening of Parliament many times, it still impresses as centuries of traditions unfold and are duly respected.
One does wonder though whether we truly need 38 new Bills over the coming year? Some of the Bills reflect amendments to law to counter recent mischiefs that have arisen. This would include the Harbours (Seafarers’ Remuneration) Bill to close the loophole exploited by P&O ferries to fire its local staff and replace them with lower paid contract staff.
It is not uncommon that Parliamentary time runs out and Bills are carried over to the next session. This is true of the Online Harms Bill to regulate the internet. We all want the internet giants to ensure that inappropriate images and content that children should be protected from are taken down, but I do wonder how the requirement in the draft Bill to moderate ‘harmful but legal’ content can possibly be legislated for? As a libertarian Conservative I worry that this may give the providers carte blanche to gold plate interpretations and take down content which should be considered free speech, reasonable argument and opinion but may not in line with a shouty ‘woke’ agenda. Subjectivity is always difficult within legislative interpretation – views of what is ‘reasonable’ will vary.
Just to pick out some of the Bills included that caught my eye. These include the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which will include new planning procedures and will codify the government’s levelling up agenda, an Energy Security Bill which will doubtless extol further costly Net Zero measures upon which I’ll doubtless have concerns, a Brexit Freedoms Bill to make amendments to retained EU law that came over in its entirety upon Brexit easier and quicker, the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill which will finally ban live exports, hugely relevant to Ramsgate.
Brexit issues are back in the news as the government seeks to address the deficiencies of the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP). Many might say that we signed it so we’ve got to live with it but wording within offers its own salvation and I would refer to Article 13(8), the suspension provisions of Article 16 which the EU did reach for during the pandemic with a view to limiting the availability of Covid vaccines to the UK. It cannot be right that the people of Northern Ireland effectively have no voice: they have to comply with new EU rules and taxes with no representative at the table and be subjected to the European Court. This is in conflict with its status in the Union of the UK within the preamble to the protocol and is undoubtedly causing pressure on the Good Friday Agreement which has kept the peace for so long and allowed a new stable prosperity for Ulster. Any who say we’d be breaking international law perhaps haven’t read the texts or simply want to continue their animosity to Brexit through any means. Additionally domestic legislation within the Withdrawal Act under s38(2) reasserts the sovereignty of Parliament to do as it pleases.
As part of the ongoing Levelling Up agenda, I was delighted to welcome Minister Neil O’Brien to Ramsgate. His department has approved a £300,000 grant to Heritage CIC in order to progress works to the Granville Bars on Eastcliff. A beautiful, quirky building with a grand past and I hope a bright future as hospitality, entertainment and creative space. The Ministerial visit also gave me an opportunity, with TDC leader Ash Ashbee, to show Neil the extensive projects around the harbour as part of the £20m grant allocation.
“but may not in line with a shouty ‘woke’ agenda”
You of course want the freedom to extol your agenda but don’t want anyone to have a “woke” agenda. So to clarify you only want censorship under your control, Sounds rather familiar to the agenda in Germany in the 1930s
“Shouty woke agenda” is a totally impartial phrase, of course.
Says someone who often shouts at people online when she disagrees with them.
It doesn’t matter if I “shout online”. I am not an MP.
I’m glad you feel that you can justify your behavior.
“It cannot be right that the people of Northern Ireland effectively have no voice: they have to comply with new EU rules and taxes with no representative at the table and be subjected to the European Court”
again more spin from the Tories because in the recent elections more people voted to keep the NIP that voted for its removal.
Frost negotiated and Johnson acclaimed it as an “Oven Ready deal” and you voted for the Bill, have you forgotten that bit Craigie Baby?
But they had a voice and their wishes came through loud and clear. In the brexit vote they voted to remain by a large margin. In the recent elections they voted to reduce the brexit loving due to a minority party. Is that loud enough voice for you? Or don’t you hear it as they are not saying what you agree with?
Go on Craig you show ’em !
“The ripples from a stone thrown in ignorance are gathering pace.”
Craig doesn’t want anyone to be awake. Anyone awake and alert to his nonsense is a threat.
He is such a little snowflake bless him. Anyone that has a different view is a shouty and awake. Yes yes we are.
I see the usual sleepwalkers in the comments cheering him on….
Wake up people and don’t just tow the asleep is better narrative.
Just like Pavlov’s Dog…
Where’s the strategy to ease rising inflation and the cost of living? Where is the major (i.e. a lot more than £20m + £300k) investment to support ‘levelling up’ and the government’s plans for another 20,000 houses in Thanet? Where is the plan to improve primary and secondary health care services in Thanet? What will be done to combat crime and pressure on the police? How is life going to be better in the future and what is the government doing now? Work to ‘codify the government’s levelling up agenda’ is hot air!
These are some of the real issues that affect real people’s lives – many of the issues he mentions have been around for too long without progress and without a clear joined up strategy.
Nero fiddled while Rome burned, this lot seem to have been partying while this country has been going to the dogs.
“It cannot be right that the people of Northern Ireland effectively have no voice:” Except the majority of voters in Northern Ireland voted for parties that accept the NIP. Its only the Tories desperate need to pander to the the rabid DUP to maintain their (weakening) majority.
38 bills might be too many Craig, but how about a couple that would both ease the cost of living crisis and stimulate the economy without being inflationary. First, increase social security, universal credit and increase the number of people (civil servants) administering those and all the other things (Passport issuing, DVLC operations etc etc). Support for the poor and disadvantaged has fallen steadily in real terms over the past 10+ years, while pay for the top earners has increased massively. The economy can’t improve if people are too poor to buy things.
Second, start insulating homes and building on-shore wind turbines – providing large numbers of good jobs and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and foreign imports, improving our balance of payments, energy security and general wellbeing.
Oh, I forgot Craig. You are a member of the party of the rich (even if they’re not British), the party that breaks its own laws, and the party that supports a leader that lies, cheats, and sacrifices all around him to save his own neck. Fat chance of you and that party doing anything at all to improve the lot of the poor, or Britain itself.
YAWN! You could place a wind turbine in your back garden and talk into it enough hot air created for everyone!
YAWN! You could place a wind turbine in your back garden and talk into it, enough hot air created for everyone! SIMPLES!
As usual, Craig doesnt really understand his own legislation. Article 16 can be invoked only if there is “serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade” the DUP being a bit upset they lost the election doesn’t meet that requirement. Article 13.8 (to give it the correct reference) allows for the subsequent precedence of a new Protocol only if one has been AGREED.
Finally, Section 38 of the Withdrawal Act (1) states “It is recognised that the Parliament of the United Kingdom is sovereign”. Boris Johnson lying to Parliament somewhat undermines that statement.
Now we have photos of Boris slurping booze at what is obviously a party. And No. 10 staffers queuing up to dish the dirt on what appear to be orgies happening on a weekly basis at the PM’s residence. And he says there were no parties.
Have you out your letter into the 1922 committee yet, Craig?
If not, why not?
Orgies?! Any photos of that tasty ginger bird from Labour?
Mackinlay and many other Tory MP’s will let Johnson get away with his blustering to try and excuse himself from all the parties in No 10, because they are enslaved by him! They think it was Johnson that won the last election, it wasn’t it was Johnsons lies that won the election. Remember the £350 million a week that would go into the NHS if we left the EU? That was a lie, and never happened, instead Johnson cut nurses, and NHS staff salaries, by not even increasing their pay to match inflation, just after he left hospital because he was gravely ill with Covid! The man is an incorrigible liar, what did he do when he said he would “Fix” Social Care? It still means that those who have property or savings having to pay at least £86,000 for their Care, but those who don’t have it, in the next room getting the same Care, don’t pay a penny!
Then there is the horrendous mess created by the Tories, especially Priti Patel, deporting migrants to an African dictatorship, why? Its because we left the EU thats why! When the UK was a member of the EU any migrants entering the country illegally, could be returned to the first EU country they arrived at, but no longer because no EU country is obliged to have them back, after we left the EU, Duuurh! What a bunch of incompetents the Tories are, especially Mackinlay, who was an ardent Brexiteer in UKIP!
The person who won the election for the Tories was Jeremy Corbyn!
I forgot the 20,000 unnecessary deaths of mostly elderly people supposedly in Care, who were sent back to their Care homes from hospital still contagious with Covid, because their hospital beds were needed for more Covid patients, Duurh! Johnson wouldn’t even declare that the Virus was lethal, and people should wear masks, initially until after he caught it! One thing Johnson isn’t though, and thats a Statesman, he is a blustering chancer, and a proven liar, supported by gutless Tory MP’s, because they think it will keep their constituency seats!