Last week I listened to Law in Action on BBC Radio 4, discussing the new "Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill" about to go through parliament. The bill, designed to end red tape and speed up governmental business appears in fact to be the most significant shift in power from legeslature to executive in UK law for centuries. Presently, reform of bills already passed by parliament, can only be done by parliament. This new act would allow the government to reform bills passed by parliament in order to free parliamentary time, the goverment says. However, as well as doing so, the executive would gather to itself unprecedented and uncontrolable powers to change bills voted for by our elected representatives. The bill, naturally, has many safety features built ito it to prevent this new power being abused - but critics point out that this bill also contains within it, the mechanism for the unilateral abolition of these very safety features!
"Commentator Daniel Finkelstein ... thinks it is a nightmarish prospect that keeps him awake at night. And Cambridge Law Professor John Spencer QC says the bill would significantly weaken the power of parliament and allow the creation of an "elective dictatorship."" (from the BBC site)
My MP hasn't heard from me for a while, I think I can feel a new letter coming on. Watch this space......
2 comments:
Our Campaign is starting to get a dribble of concerned mails back.
Its worth a go.
My MP, Pete Wishart has replied to my e-mail (this makes a change, my first few e-mails to him received no reply!).
He confirms my fears about this legislation and is opposing it. However he also said that for its implementation in Scotland MSP's would have also to agree to it, and there is more resistance here than in Westminster.
He describes the act as "wiping out of parliamentary procedure" and is pushing for amendments to be made.
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