The week in politics: No quiet break for the govt
Was this the week when the coalition’s initial momentum finally faltered?
Half-term weeks always feel a bit odd. The combination of parliament taking a week off and a bank holiday produce some odd news stories – culminating in the ‘sexy MPs’ website which dominated headlines (rather shamefully) on Tuesday. Looking at the site now makes for a few surprises as the top ten appears to have completely transformed over the last few days. Luciana Berger, who was number one, has slipped dramatically down to number 35. It just goes to show: politics is a fickle business.
Westminster distracted by sexy MP website
The real reason for this oddness, though, is that there’s a sense the tide may be turning against the coalition. The ‘listening pause’ over its most controversial policy, the NHS reforms, came to an end, prompting Andrew Lansley to lay the ground for a ministerial climbdown. Plans to shift the NHS towards a focus on competition, at the expense of pretty much everything else, have prompted such a hostile response that concessions are inevitable. But there is much to play for, as this bitter ongoing struggle approaches a key phase.
Lansley paves way for NHS climbdown
As we plough on into the coalition’s second year in power, news stories this week reflect the scale of the challenges it faces. Cambridge fellows joined Oxford dons in passing an unusual no confidence motion against higher education minister David Willetts – another nail in the coffin for the coalition’s tuition fees policy. A poll showed peers were determined to fight to the last baroness against Lords reform. Even mild-mannered celebrities like Judi Dench came out against the government’s drug policies, calling for a rethink. With ministers taking it easy this week, it started to feel like one-way traffic.
.htm”>Oxbridge unites for no confidence motion against government
Peers dig in against Lords reform
Drugs war has failed, celebs tell PM
The general sense, then, was of crises continuing to develop with agonising slowness. The epitome of this came with the release of the latest global emissions figures, which showed 2010 had been a bumper year for polluting. Britain’s energy secretary, Chris Huhne, may be a little distracted, however; he found out he is under investigation from the Electoral Commission, over allegations about him pushing speeding points on to someone else’s licence. We’re going to have to wait to find out whether he will be able to keep his job – or not.
Record emissions prompt climate change warning
Electoral Commission starts Chris Huhne investigation
Other long-running sagas, too, are in flux: the big news from the Twitter superinjunctions drama was that bosses from the microblogging site are to be sent for by MPs. And then there was the thoroughly unsatisfactory Sepp Blatter fiasco, in which the FA stood up against Fifa and got pretty much nothing for its troubles.
MPs to seek Twitter boss grilling
MPs lash out at Blatter as Fifa crisis deepens
This week has been like the middle film in an exceptionally awful trilogy. When you’re relying on MPs to provide the sex appeal, you know things are in a pretty bad way. Roll on next week!
