Lamenting Purnell’s Departure. Can Radical Ideas Still Flourish Within Parliament?
February 24th, 2010 | This post was written by David SkeltonJames Purnell’s announcement last week that he is stepping down from Parliament is a great shame to anybody who wants politics to achieve progressive ends. I have written before about how Purnell underestimates the ideas put forward as part of the ‘progressive Conservative’ umbrella. Having said that, his contributions, particularly since leaving the Cabinet, have been genuinely thought provoking and pretty compelling. Read last week’s speech at the LSE as an example and compare it with Miliband’s particularly substance light Demos speech yesterday.
Despite the protestations of the likes of Liberal Conspiracy (and quite a few left wing friends of mine) who still seem to detest Purnell, we should all be sad that people who are radicals and thought leaders think it is better off for them to be outside of Parliament rather than inside. What does that say about the health of our politics and our political process? Witness, as well, the announcement by Tony Benn before the last election that he was resigning from Parliament “to devote more time to politics.” Or the fact that, love him or hate him, Daniel Hannan prefers to be outside rather than within Parliament. Or even the resignation of the likes of the highly talented Bryan Gould a few years ago.
It is worth reading Kenneth Morgan’s excellent life of Keir Hardie, or looking at the causes of Chartism and the other great radical movements to understand the emphasis placed on gaining working class and radical representation inside the House of Commons. Indeed, that is one of the many things that sets British radicalism aside from continental radicalism. What does it say about the modern House of Commons that so many people of radical views feel that the best place for them is outside of Parliament?
Of course, there are many potential reasons for this. The growth of unelected institutions, at a national, European and international level has, undoubtedly weakened the power of Parliament. The judiciary, rather than elected decision makers, plays an increasingly activist role. The power of the 24 hour media has probably diminished the capacity for ‘thinkers’ to gain breathing space whilst under the media spotlight. The power of the party hierarchy and the whips has undoubtedly grown, to the detriment of a healthy democracy. The rise of the blogosphere and think tanks means that radical ideas can potentially gain as much emphasis when expressed outside of Parliament than outside.
There is little doubt that political reform is urgent and overdue. The role of Parliament undoubtedly needs to be strengthened. It is, surely, tragic that some of the best thinkers and most talented politicians no longer see being in the House of Commons as being the pinnacle of political life.
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