The Queen's Speech provided further evidence of the 'omnishambles' which this Tory-led government has become.
No vision, nor purpose and no direction. This is the best way to describe the Queen's Speech.
In my own area of responsibility, it was frankly amazing that there was no bill to regulate the lobbying industry.
Of course there is nothing wrong in principle with the idea that politicians and senior officials should be lobbied on behalf of various interests. Lobbying can be a healthy part of democracy; it can inform debates and highlight urgent issues that face the public. But it is only healthy when it operates with transparency and under regulation, not when it is lurking in the shadows of the corridors of power.
It is essential that it is not done behind closed doors so the public don't know what's happening. And it's important that there is a firm code of conduct to ensure the highest standards.
Without transparency and a code of conduct, David Cameron himself said that lobbying "was the next big scandal waiting to happen".
He was right. And it is his government which is at the centre of the scandal. The country has seen repeated scandals around 'cash for access'; Adam Werrity and Liam Fox; and revelations of contact between his government and News International; the list goes on.
It was surprising then, to see that a statutory register of lobbyists was not in the Queen's Speech yesterday. Despite a promise in the Coalition Agreement; despite numerous pledges to clean up politics; and despite the almost weekly revelations about Cameron and his cronies' ties with the lobbying industry; the truth is the Tory-led government have failed to act.
It is clear that the public are fed up with business-as-usual politics. This is the government of huge public service cuts, a squeeze on ordinary people's living standards and rising unemployment, and we see a millionaires' budget, an attack on the NHS and Cameron riding on Rebekah Brooks' horse. The public's trust is being destroyed. Making promises to clean up politics and then failing to do so can only contribute massively to public cynicism.
It just shows how completely out of touch the Tory-led government is with ordinary people's concerns.
This government cannot shy away from the fact that there needs to be a statutory register of lobbyists, with a code of conduct that can be enforced with clear sanctions to those that breach it. A half-way house on lobbying simply will not suffice.
How many more uncomfortable and embarrassing headlines does David Cameron want?
Ed Miliband has been clear about Labour's position: there needs to be a statutory register, it is the interests of transparency, the interests of fairness and in the interests of the public.
The truth is that lobbying is the big scandal that will happen over and over again, at the government's expense. Delay, equivocation and obfuscation. These have been the government's watchwords in relation to this matter. The Queen's speech is another lost opportunity. What have this government got to hide?
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Imagine an education minister who had actually taught in an inner city comprehensive, public school would not count. The Armed Forces Minister must have been either a private soldier or a completed the commissioning course at Cranwell, Dartmouth or Sandhurst. Furthermore, they must actually have served a few tours, preferably in Afghanistan or any other conflict zone. And Imagine an Employment Minister, who had experienced life on the dole.
A radical suggestion since most of them would never have passed the selection process. There used to be saying those who can; do. Those who can't; teach. It appears this now contains the phrase those who can't do anything go into politics. Let the politicians learn the minimum wage, and get paid on results. Would that not clear out the House of Commons in double quick time?
Yet another cynical ploy by another politician who wishes to muddy the waters to benefit his own aims at the expense of the voters. When will they ever learn.............
As has already been stated, there were thirteen previous years to address these problems and the main concerns of government those thirteen years was the nanny state, cctv surveillance of all citizens, denial of any vote involving Europe and the continuance of Thatcherite policy of destroying industry in this country and involving us in illegal conflict while feathering your own nests, pretty much what the coalition are presently doing alongside turning this nation into slave labour for overpaid and workshy rich executives. When people vote in an MP they expect him/her to stick to what they say, we never voted for some gutless pushover to tow the party line whatever consequences to their electorate, we want our members to actually stand up against those policies we deem to be wrong, sadly, none of you have the guts once you're on the gravy train.
When I see all the can't remembers and can't recalls I'm not confident that anything will change.
I'm so glad I emigrated to Australia because there's no longer any reason to return
This corruption has been growing since the sixties and extends right down to local level i.e. planning and i feel the problem is politicians in general.Most people do not want the responsibility or have the lust for power that these people have and just want a roof over their heads and pay the bills so we get a lot of failures becoming politicians because they cannot compete in the real world even with their private educations.
Main point is lobbying the disease or just a symptom of the innate narcissism and greed that these people have.
From a party that tried to impose the GCHQ big brother apparatus, and denied its citizens a referendum granted to ALL other EU nations?
"No vision, nor purpose and no direction."
Labour’s Mission Statement: Leader’s way or the highway.
"lurking in the shadows of the corridors of power"
like the expenses business was?
"the truth is"
hidden from the people. How much are the daily EU contributions currently running at?
"It is clear that the public are fed up with business-as-usual politics."
It is also clear that the public vote for a policy only to have the politician elected to promote it do a 180. Here’s looking at you Nick.
"Making promises to clean up politics and then failing to do so "
is exactly what this article seeks to excuse. If it did not, wouldn’t it also list the egregious acts of all the parties?
"It just shows how"
contemptuous politicians are of public intellect.
"How many more uncomfortable and embarrassing headlines"
How many more elected extremist candidates. Before the pound drops? Give us true democracy GOTP, BTP, FTP. Or initiate the police state, and rewrite the dictionary definition. Vote as much as you want, it won’t affect party policy.
"Ed Miliband has been clear about Labour's position:"
It has nothing to do with the people.
"What have this government got to hide?"
Pretty much the same as every other government. It’s a self-serving society centered around its own survival.
Also, once these stories became known, the government acted to clean up the system. I don't think they did it very competently, but they did at least address the issue.
If Westminster, is regarded as the `Mother` of democracy`, it is more than time that severe contraceptive measures were introduced.