Will Labour MPs put principle over self-interest in today's vote?
It is crunch day for Tony Blair today, with the possibility of him losing a vote in the house for the first time.
It will be interesting to see what happens if it becomes apparent that he is going to lose; by suggesting a compromise earlier in the week and then backing off because of public opinion (or what he thinks is public opinion), he has potentially eliminated the chance of a last minute compromise today.
It will also be interesting what bully-boy tactics the New Labour Whips use to try to force their people into line. I hope all of those who oppose the 90 day policy have the nerve to stand up and be counted – it is too important an issue to do otherwise. It will also be interesting to see what tactics the Brown camp use.
My disappointment over this is the total failure of the spin machine to provide any sort of reasonable case for 90 days, instead choosing the “we must support the police” line. Remember, the police detained Mr Wolfgang during the Labour Party Conference under current terrorism legislation.
This is all about Blair getting in to bed with the Head of the Met, something that became very apparent following the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, when the police response smacked heavily of New Labour interference and advice. In my opinion this is a very unhealthy relationship and is a perfect reason why the say-so of the police should not be the defining factor in today’s vote.
My forecast is that Blair will win, because the majority of back-bench MPS will (wrongly) perceive that opposing Blair will threaten their jobs, once again putting self-interest over principle.
I hope I am wrong.
It will be interesting to see what happens if it becomes apparent that he is going to lose; by suggesting a compromise earlier in the week and then backing off because of public opinion (or what he thinks is public opinion), he has potentially eliminated the chance of a last minute compromise today.
It will also be interesting what bully-boy tactics the New Labour Whips use to try to force their people into line. I hope all of those who oppose the 90 day policy have the nerve to stand up and be counted – it is too important an issue to do otherwise. It will also be interesting to see what tactics the Brown camp use.
My disappointment over this is the total failure of the spin machine to provide any sort of reasonable case for 90 days, instead choosing the “we must support the police” line. Remember, the police detained Mr Wolfgang during the Labour Party Conference under current terrorism legislation.
This is all about Blair getting in to bed with the Head of the Met, something that became very apparent following the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, when the police response smacked heavily of New Labour interference and advice. In my opinion this is a very unhealthy relationship and is a perfect reason why the say-so of the police should not be the defining factor in today’s vote.
My forecast is that Blair will win, because the majority of back-bench MPS will (wrongly) perceive that opposing Blair will threaten their jobs, once again putting self-interest over principle.
I hope I am wrong.
posted by Martin Curtis at 11:33 AM
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