You might have missed this…

[d000hg]

Headline news all over the BBC.

[SueEllen]

I read somewhere that this need not have happened at all if Labour had got their act together and voted down the earlier proposal. With the Tory abstentions and the ones ignoring the Whips, they could easily have done so. If true, it does highlight how useless our opposition really is if they miss a chance to defeat the sitting government.

You read wrongly.

The Labour abstentions are from pairing and unlike the Tories they don't go back on their word.

[malvolio]

You read wrongly.

The Labour abstentions are from pairing and unlike the Tories they don't go back on their word.

Didn't think you paired for abstentions and non-voting, only absences.

AS for Labour not going back on their word, where can we start...

[eek]

From memory (as I can't find the tweet) 60 Tory MPs had permission to miss yesterdays vote.

All the other Tory MPs who abstained, intentionally abstained rather than following the whipped vote to vote Aye.

[northernladuk]

Probably one of my more stupid questions but.. not being at all political... surely the Gov doing U turns every so often is a good thing? It would be worse to continue down a path that has become untenable than doing a U turn no? I mean, if there was uproar every time a U turn was made in a project we'd not deliver anything cause we would be too busy complaining?

[eek]

Probably one of my more stupid questions but.. not being at all political... surely the Gov doing U turns every so often is a good thing? It would be worse to continue down a path that has become untenable than doing a U turn no? I mean, if there was uproar every time a U turn was made in a project we'd not deliver anything cause we would be too busy complaining?

Depends on the scale of the U-turn.

In this case it's probably cost Owen Paterson his seat - previously it would have been a low profile issue making a recall hard to organise and win.

After yesterday - as soon as it's triggered I suspect they would have the necessary numbers in a week.

In this case it's a completely unforced error and the issue is that this Government seems to be making a lot of them.

[d000hg]

In this case it's a completely unforced error and the issue is that this Government seems to be making a lot of them.

When you have such a weak opposition the government can get sloppy and not get hurt much. A bit like sport - when two teams are both close they are very focused on not screwing up.

[SueEllen]

And he's gone...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...s-watchdog-row

Owen Paterson has decided to resign as the MP for North Shropshire, saying: “I will remain a public servant but outside the cruel world of politics.”

Paterson was facing a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons and a potential byelection, after Boris Johnson withdrew his support from a bid to protect him.



Downing Street executed a humiliating U-turn on Thursday, just hours after Johnson whipped his MPs to support an amendment that paused judgment in the Paterson case while the system for policing MPs’ behaviour was overhauled.

[d000hg]

He can get a job at the UN now.

[xoggoth]

Probably one of my more stupid questions but.. not being at all political... surely the Gov doing U turns every so often is a good thing? It would be worse to continue down a path that has become untenable than doing a U turn no? I mean, if there was uproar every time a U turn was made in a project we'd not deliver anything cause we would be too busy complaining?

Totally agree. Nothing is absolutely certain. Changing course when things are not going as anticipated is common sense.