I have been writing for weeks now, almost every day, about the number of facets of government action, proposals, and legislation that to my mind, are not only counterproductive, but seem more to be a reflex action to stem the tide of criticism. There is no shadow of doubt, that the way in which the Iraq war was engineered, in the face of professional condemnation, has had a tremendous difference to the way in which Parliament is viewed, and the badly managed matter of expenses, has been the last straw. When one looks at the situation with respect to manufacturing, farming, law and order, and our economy, to name but a few, the need for an overview which takes account of all the various aspects of our lives, and their interaction, seems essential, if we’re not to go under. Some people somewhere, with the required expertise must take a total overview, and recommend to the government a new more steady approach.
I feel that possibly there should be an independent committee that has an oversight on government, with more teeth than the House of Lords, comprising a permanent core of cross party, experienced, politicians no longer sitting in the Commons, and able to draw on the expertise of professionals in the fields of the matters under review. I make this statement not only because I disagree profoundly with the stuttering changes constantly being made in practically every field, that not only causes disruption to those professionals having to work in those fields, but is highly expensive in materials and manpower, because it entails changes of many types at many levels. I’ve been there and I know the waste and the disruption. The House of Lords has clearly failed us, and whatever takes its place, if anything ever does, will be long in coming and inevitably have teething troubles. So I believe this committee, which must be totally independent in every respect, is a necessary solution.
Let me offer one vital reason where we need a new approach not only to the problem, but a relationship with the EU. What I say now is part supposition, in part repetition of what I have been told, not something that I have researched in depth, as the research available was inadequate. It is the plight of the dairy farmers in this country who are being paid only a portion of the cost it takes to maintain a farm and produce milk. The supermarkets would seem to be buying some of their produce from abroad, and this could only be at the price it is in the shops if those farmers abroad were being subsidised,. The fact that very few voted in the EU elections is probably not so much due to apathy as to the fact that it seems that the government’s hands are tied when it comes to unfair treatment to various parts of our economy by the interests of other governments within the EU We must either ensure that the milk we buy is British and that we pay a fair price to the producers, or more reasonably, that we still buy British and that the British farmer is subsidise by the British taxpayer, so that those on low income will have the benefits of fresh milk, which is essential. It would therefore be the special committee that would debate the problem, propose a solution, and if need be make a wider presentations to enable it to be successful.
I believe that this or some similar organ should be available to stabilise the processes, the changes if necessary, and the future conduct of the government of the country in a more orderly, reasoned, and logical way, rather than a headlong rush which apparently has little thought, is not universally approved of by the Cabinet, which seems to be wanting to revolt, but is under pressure to remain. Similar comments apply to the backbenches. I don’t believe a change of government is the overall solution, It strikes me that there is insufficient political hand-on experience in any of the front benches and personal considerations are clearly, from recent experience, more important than the needs of the country. We need something that is independent, highly politically experienced, and not likely to be swayed by media extravagance.