Rob Wilson's Westminster Diary

Rob Wilson MP • Published 5 Feb 2009 12:00 0 Comments

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PARLIAMENT can be frustrating at times!

There were two debates this week I wanted to speak in, one about skills in a recession the other child protection.

The first was a three-hour debate and we all had a 10-minute limit on how long we could speak. That's fine, but there is no limit on the main speakers, so if the Secretary of State, Shadow Secretary of State and Liberals' spokesman go on, you can sit there for three hours and end up saying very little indeed.

Unfortunately, there exists a pecking order, which sometimes I think I'm beginning to understand and at others, well, let's say the rationale appears inpenetrable. Longevity in the Commons, the position you hold (for example chairman of a Select Committee), the number of times you've been called to speak in a debate versus others wishing to speak, all count to some degree or other. But even knowing this, it's still impossible to know whether you will get called after sitting there for hours.

It is understandable that it puts some MPs off speaking as often as, perhaps ideally, they would like.

You can do the odd clever deal with the Speaker if you're quick though. I was informed by the Deputy Speaker that I was unlikely to get called in two debates on the same day, so I gave up one debate to ensure I'd get called in another. I sit here writing this as I wait to get called. I know I should be listening to all the other contributions to the debate, but the Chronicle have been on to say I'll miss the deadline if I don't get a move on!

It remains to be seen if my deal comes off, there are never any guarantees.

However, as I have said many times before, I believe that a system worked out over many centuries has much to commend it. So although I'm sitting here pretty frustrated, I also know that the procedures of Parliament get things right many more times then they get them wrong.

Where there is room for improvement we should change things, but I feel in the past decade we have made changes to Parliament merely for the sake of â€˜modernisation'. That's why I am concerned by Jack Straw's knee-jerk proposals for the House of Lords, quickly rolled out this week in response to the knowledge that you can allegedly "buy" amendments to Government legislation from Labour peers.

The Lords is even older than the Commons and I'm not sure quick-fix attempts to paper over political difficulties is the right way to go about reforming it.

I am a lover of Parliamentary democracy and the traditions developed here over hundreds of years. Despite my frustrations it still is the Mother of all Parliaments.

This blog appeared in Reading Chronicle 05 Feb 09

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