From Spoilt Ballot
“A disgrace to democracy in this country!” John McDonnell MP
Update from Douglas Carswell
I sit in the chamber watching a little drama unfold. It illustrates quite how monumentally useless our Parliament has become.
The government announces there will be a third runway at Heathrow. But there’s to be no decision by those we elect. It’ll be decided by the quangos.
A Labour MP, the chap for Hayes and Harlington, gets angry at the total inability to hold the decision-makers to account. As his anger grows, I see a man who seems to finally understand that he and the chamber in which he sits hold no purpose.
He snaps. He walks down, picks up the Mace and puts it aside. His dignity intact.
The Commons authorities, useless at ensuring the Commons does its job, are quick to expel him.
Unbelievably, as I walk out of the chamber I overhear two doormen talking to two police officers. The officers have presumably been sent to remove the unfortunate MP. Indeed, I hear one say “He’s already left the Parliamentary estate …”. Phew. What a relief.
Ironic, isn’t it. The Commons authorities are quick to expel from Parliament someone who represents their constituent’s views. They didn’t seem to care who set foot “on the Parliamentary estate” when Damian Green’s office was invaded without a warrant.
As I walk across Parliament Square, I notice how the band of protesters is now much larger than it was when I was first elected. I wonder why ….
UPDATE: Apparently the Sergeant at Arms – you know, the one that said “okay” when the police wanted to raid Damian Green’s office – was apparently a little zealous trying to track down and remove the MP for Hayes and Harlington. My mole says she was seen in full regalia hunting for him down in the library. Where was that zeal before?