Ballots & Bullets

Am a bit late to this – as a result of the day job – but then I’m always less excited about defeats caused by cock-up rather than conspiracy.  And last night’s government defeat on a motion on the economy was a result of a good old-fashioned parliamentary ambush, rather than backbench dissent.  Such defeats have always occurred: even in …

When you’ve just suffered the largest European backbench rebellion since dinosaurs ruled the earth, the last thing you want on the Commons agenda is a take note motion on an increase in the EU’s budget.

So how do you avoid it?

Philip Cowley and Mark Stuart spotted a neat parliamentary manoeuvre yesterday, as they explain here.…

Oh happy days. Just when we think we’re getting a bit tired of doing this rebellions lark, along comes something like Monday’s Euro rebellion.  We knew it would be big, but we were surprised it was quite that big.  Today’s Sun has a Rebelometer, which points to: Utter Disaster.  That’s going a bit far, but not much.

So here’s …

The parties’ contrasting policy shifts over ‘Europe’ during the last 30 years – Labour moving from opposition to support, the Conservative going in the other direction – is well understood.

What is less well appreciated is that the issue is no longer the prime example of party division that it once was. There is still a division within Labour, but the …