What will the Coalition's first hurdle be?

Since the creation of the coalition government there has been a buzz around; the first buzz was about the coalition agreement itself and what the Conservatives and LibDems would put forward, culminating in the Queens Speech. However the second and newest buzz is now around what the coalitions first hurdle will be.

Labour, large sections of the media, the commentators and the like are all on the look out for the signs of cracks, division and problems ahead.

Could it be the resignation of David Laws? No - that issue, if anything, made the coalition stronger. It was, in some ways, more a human story than a political one.

Could it be the new Deputy LibDem Leader Simon Hughes, a noted leftie and long-time Tory critic? Well, it may be - he's certainly making noises about VAT and the bizarre prospect of LibDem spokespeople outside of government. However so far even he doesn't seem to have the will to shake the government's cage.

So what does that leave? The answer may look more like an A level politics answer.

We always knew that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats could make a legislative agenda between them. There is enough crossover between the manifesto documents to create a programme of lawmaking. There is probably enough areas of compromise to keep this going. By year 3 it may be difficult and that will test the metal of both sides.

However the big problems may arise in the use of the Executive function of govenrment. Much more likely is the fall out from day-to-day management. What happens when a problem arises and a LibDem Minister acts in a way that the Conservatives - or his Conservative Secretary of State - doesn't agree with? Or vica-versa with the Conservatives making decisions that irritate the LibDems? This is much more likely to happen sooner rather than later and will certainly be the test of the govenrment. A European crisis? An immigration problem? A foreign affairs issue?

So, do I think the use of the Executive power could cause the coalition to falter? Maybe, but I rather think not. I trust that the leaderships of both parties have this worked out in advance and a plan for this eventuality is worked through. People say that the strong personal relationship between Clegg and Cameron would stop this from happening. In addition there is a sense from the public that this government deserves a chance.

The thing which I think marks this government out is how grown up it seems to be. I think when the time comes both sides will admit there is an issue and work through it. Be honest, admit there is a disagreement, debate it and stop pretending everyone always agrees (check out the mess Labour are making of disowning the Brown era in their leadership election).

So where is the hurdle? Your guess is as good as mine!

A Great Parliamentary Moment ... and the Queen's Speech

The Queen's Speech is usually one of the highlight's of the parliamentary year - but this year it seemed very slimmed down (and as a small state Tory I have no problem with that) but the relative lack of business does demonstrate a certain lack of focus and direction on the part of the government. However, whatever Brown's last full parliamentary year hailed, it was unlikely to beat the statement by Speaker Martin, which really did give us a marvellous parliamentary occasion.

It wasn't really much to do with what he said - although the revelations about the police not having a warrant may cause problems for the Acting Commissioner - but the tone and manner of the Point-of-Order contributions that followed it. What followed was a general cross party debate, where party advantage wasn't pressed and where the primacy of the Commons was at stake. MPs of all sides showed the dignified and serious response that this situation demands. The contributions from former Tory Leaders Michael Howard and Iain Duncan Smith, former LibDem Leader Sir Ming Campbell, former Minister Denis McShane, former cabinet minister Douglas Hogg and Tory grandee Sir Patrick Cormack delivered well presented, relevant and forensic insights into the current problem - demonstrating why our parliamentary democracy needs former frontbenchers to stay in the House to use their wisdom and experience in such a way. And when Ashford MP Damian Green spoke it was to deliver a perfectly crafted and devasting attack on the whole affair.

This clearly isn't the end of the matter and it will go on; however I think a competent performance by Speaker Martin may guarantee his job for a while yet. However if this gets worse then he could yet be in trouble.

What made me smile was the govenrment mortgage plan; not in the Queen's Speech but announced today, knocking the Green affair off the top media slot. Deliberate? From Brown? Hasn't he given up spin?

Labour government heap £300,000 bill for licensing onto YOU!

The Evening News has been doing some digging and will report fairly soon that the net cost to Norwich City Council taxpayers of the switch to 24-hour licensing laws is around £300,000 - a massive sum of money that outstripped even what the Conservatives predicted. The cost to the council should have been revenue neutral, we were told, but clearly somewhere along the line something has gone very, very wrong. Now councils up and down the land are demanding that central government pass on money to pay for the policy that they forced local government into. I think it is a reasonable demand given the scale of the money involved (what we could do with 300k is beyond belief). However I also think we need to look at the level of the licensing fee for this too. We should neer be trying to make a profit out of this but if applicants fees aren't covering the realistic cost of processing then they should be charged more - it isn't fair on taxpayers to cover this cost.

Central government shovel more and more onto councils and never pass on the money required. Next time council tax goes up, ask who is really to blame - local councils or the Labour government?

Blears should resign

I believe in Ministerial responsibility. I believe in Collective responsibility. If an MP doesn't agree with a government policy or its application then they should resign from that government. So why is Hazel Blears (and, for that matter, a few more besides) still in office whilst campaigning against their own side. I'll say nothing more but leave you with Blears-hunter-in-chief Cllr Iain Lindley here and here.