Sometimes when I read the media I am staggered at the level of inanity. For example, this question by the BBC.
Is axing fixed-term parliaments a good idea?
Autumn 2019 taught us that fixed term parliaments come with a cost. For months we had a government constrained by an obstructive parliament and unable to call an election to resolve the matter as no one would call a vote of no confidence and no one would agree to the prime minister calling an early election. The government was paralysed by a hostile opposition acting against the will and interests of the electorate. Fixed term parliaments are a very bad idea.
Polly Mackenzie says the wider upheaval surrounding the Brexit negotiations, not the FTPA, was to blame for the volatile atmosphere.
“They blamed the Fixed-term Parliaments Act because the Conservative Party wanted to have an election,” she says.
“They wanted to have an election whereby they could be confirmed in delivering Brexit because they quite rightly hypothesised that it would play really well for them.
“And they were upset because the Fixed-term Parliaments Act took that power away from them and put it into the hands of the opposition parties.”
The Fixed Term Parliament Act was entirely responsible. Governments should govern. If they cannot command a majority in the house, then they need to go to the electorate to secure one – or the opposition does. Either way, the quagmire that autumn happened precisely because of the act and no amount of weasel words will change that.
I was in favour of fixed-term parliaments as I thought it could help prevent governments from engineering conditions favourable to re-election, which definitely is a temptation that none would resist. However, recent events have convinced me that having the opportunity to fire governments at any time is far more important.
Yup, I was the same. I thought it a good idea until I saw the outcome in 2019.
The Fixed Term Parliaments Act was essentially a necessity of the 2010 – 2015 Coalition Government, to prevent the usual tactic of dumping the junior coalition partner as soon as the electoral climate favoured a new election. So from that perspective it was fair enough, but it should have included a sunset clause that once the coalition was formally ended it ceased to apply.
Polly Mackenzie omits that Corbyn, Starmer, Labour LimpDems were demanding an election every week, but refused to have a no confidence vote for reasons