Some you win, some you lose
As DC hinted might happen yesterday at PMQ's, the government has responded to the objections being raised to their proposals on forests by dropping the idea.
I think there was the germ of a good idea - and one which didn't have to mean loss of public access to forests, let alone chopping them down - in the proposals, but it wasn't getting through, and governments have to listen to what the people are saying.
However, Labour peers have finally abandoned their attempts to sabotage the constituency electorate equalisation and voting referendum bill, which therefore went through at the very last opportunity.
No doubt one or two of those who were trying to talk out this bill thought they were acting in the national interest. But it looked to me like the worst kind of party-political tribalism for unelected peers, most of whom were supporting a party in last year's election which had a similar measure in their manifesto, to attempt to deny the voters a referendum which the elected house thought they should have.
I think there was the germ of a good idea - and one which didn't have to mean loss of public access to forests, let alone chopping them down - in the proposals, but it wasn't getting through, and governments have to listen to what the people are saying.
However, Labour peers have finally abandoned their attempts to sabotage the constituency electorate equalisation and voting referendum bill, which therefore went through at the very last opportunity.
No doubt one or two of those who were trying to talk out this bill thought they were acting in the national interest. But it looked to me like the worst kind of party-political tribalism for unelected peers, most of whom were supporting a party in last year's election which had a similar measure in their manifesto, to attempt to deny the voters a referendum which the elected house thought they should have.
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