Comments on: The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill must die!

By: Oliver Heald MP

Oliver Heald MP — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 11:43:05 +0000

As currently drafted, the Bill is a danger to democracy and unless the Government meets our demands, Conservatives will vote against it after Easter. Labour MPs are also becoming worried about the Bill and the TUC have voiced their concerns. There is no better time than now for concerned citizens to write to their Member of Parliament, protesting about this Bill.What the Conservatives are putting forward is that the Bill should only allow for de-regulation ? removing outdated and burdensome regulations ? and should prohibit the fast-track Order-making power from being used for controversial or important changes. Since 1994 we have had a law which allows the Government to use a fast-track Order-making procedure for deregulation – to scrap outdated and burdensome red tape. We do need some technical improvements to improve the existing law. But what the Government has come up with goes way too far.At last, we may be making progress. According to a newspaper report, Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords, Lord Grocott is pressing the Prime Minister for the sort of changes we are demanding. Labour MPs have spoken out in Parliament and in the past week, Minister Jim Murphy has been calling in the Opposition Parties to discuss an Amendment to the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill. The idea seems to be for a veto for Select Committees to stop the fast-track Order-making procedure being used for controversial measures. But this does not go far enough. Select Committees do a valuable job, but they always have the majority from the Government Party.We are trying to make major changes to this Bill, so that we do have an effective tool for de-regulation, but ONLY for de-regulation. If the Government does not meet our demands, the Bill must not pass.Oliver Heald MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

By: Comment is free

Comment is free — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 11:14:12 +0000

Money works in mysterious ways

There's as much chance of having our questions about sleaze answered as there is of expecting journalists to ask them.

By: Spy Blog

Spy Blog — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 13:54:03 +0000

No constitutional safeguard amendments allowed during the Commons Committee stage of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill 2006

Unless privacy or security or constitutional safeguards are explicitly written into an “enabling Bill”, such as the dreadful Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill 2006, they are worthless. Judges and Courts can only make Common Law precedent within th…

By: mutterings

mutterings — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:35:12 +0000

law to end all laws

sometimes I start to feel like I’m being a little too hysterical, a bit of a drama queen, worrying about New Labour’s authoritarianism.Can it really be all that bad, is it really so terrible that they want to store all my personal detail…

By: ringverse

ringverse — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 10:56:22 +0000

See the Enabling Act...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act

By: Seamus O'Blimey

Seamus O'Blimey — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 16:58:55 +0000

http://worldwearydetective.blogspot.com/ etc..

By: BigDaddyBlog

BigDaddyBlog — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 12:00:51 +0000

The beginning of the end?

Tim has reminded me to talk about the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill for those who dont know, is a bill which will give legisalitve powers to individuals and departments within Government bypassing all parlimentary debate and objection from el…

By: The Inside Of My Head

The Inside Of My Head — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 10:06:41 +0000

Turn your face to the wall, oh you democrats

Heard the one about the government who want to pass a bill allowing themselves to amend laws without parliamentary approval? Pay close attention to this one; it could mean the end of the British democratic process. And that’s not an exaggeration….