More troops go to Afghanistan

Yesterday the Ministry of Defence said that troop levels in Afghanistan will increase by 100 by the end of the year and will be boosted by a troop of Viking armoured vehicles.

There is still no sign of the transport aircraft or the helicopters that are needed. You would think that if you increase the number of soldiers there would also be an increase in aircraft to help them complete the job or just to help them get in and out of war zones. The government don’t see it that way though and they have probably forgot that Blair promised the troops whatever they need to complete the job.

Government to cave in to Lords demands

Yesterday the Corporate Manslaughter Bill was back in the Commons. Yesterday I said that the Lords will win this showdown and it seems as though I am correct. Jack Straw said that the government wished to table "significant amendments" which could mean that they are going to do what the Lords have been saying.

Again, this is a fine example of why we need the House of Lords. They keep the government in check. The government is bad now. Can you just think how bad they would be if there was no resistance?

Parliament plays political tennis

The House of Commons and House of Lords are going up against each other once again. The Lords are showing that they are holding the government to account which the House of Commons is failing to do.

The Lords want a "lifeboat fund" for the 125,000 affected ex-employees who lost out when their final salary schemes went bust. Unfortunately in the House of Commons voting was 303 to 253 against the measure which means it now goes back to the Lords.

It seems as though Parliament is playing a game of political tennis. The latest legislation to show that is the Corporate Manslaughter Bill which the Lords want to include state institutions but the government don’t. Yesterday it was back in the Lords and they voted 186 to 157 for it to include state institutions so it once again will go back to the Commons for them to decide. It seems likely that the Lords will win this. If both houses hold their ground then the legislation dies at a certain date meaning that the government don’t get their legislation through. If they want to get it through they will have to change the legislation for it to include state institutions thereby making the Lords win.

This is a fine example of why we need the Lords. An elected lords would never behave like this which is why they should remain unelected.

Government get it wrong

The House of Lords have again voted against the Corporate Manslaughter Bill because it does not include the public sector. Justice Minister Maria Eagle said the government accepted the principle of including deaths in custody and the scope of the legislation could be extended in the future to cover deaths in custody or on specified premises.

While Gordon Brown announced that he wants 3 million new homes by 2020 he seemed to be making it hard for himself to achieve that goal seeing as has said that he is considering making developers who build on flood plains liable for insurance cover for 20 years. To me that just sounds like developers will either stop building so many houses (which will hamper his goals) or they will charge even more for houses in a market which is already overpriced which will mean that the price of houses will not go down no matter how many are built making it even more difficult for first time buyers to get on the property ladder.