Repeating History

The New Politics is seemingly hovering around the idea of several not-actually-so-very-different-now-they-think-about-it parties coming together to form an anti-Tory super-organism composed of Labour and some phantom limbs. The not-the-Tories party refers to itself as the 'progressive alliance', but since I don't know what 'progressive' means, let's call them the Whigs for short.

Update: phantom limbs indeed... According to this, the Lib. Dems. are saying that 'the Labour Party never took seriously the prospects of forming a progressive, reforming government'. So whoever are the progressive ones?

That Explains a Lot

Until recently rookie lawmakers were left to sink or swim. That all changed after the last election. Officials were on hand to help MPs find their feet - and the loos.

Politicians were seen wandering around Westminster with carrier bags stuffed full of papers and leaflets.

It turned out it was all a bit too much for many of the honourable members.

When House of Commons staff cleared out the Parliamentary lockers after the election was called a few weeks ago they found lots of five-year-old carrier bags full of unread hand-outs.
B.B.C.

So now we know why intellectual standards in the Commons have frequently been unimpressive: fearsome party whips? Exhausting constituency surgeries? No, they're just constitutionally incapable of reading briefings. 'Never attribute to malice', etc.

They Never Learn

The political chatter talked up supposed public support for the Lib. Dems. to gargantuan proportions, and then electoral reality kicked in. Today, if glancing over the BBC's coverage is a guide, the political chatter is talking up supposed public support for the newly hung parliament's devoting its energies to sorting out the financial black hole the psephology of voting system mechanics.

My actual position on what it means to say that one electoral system is in any sense superior to another is too nuanced to cover in this post, but my position on whether it should be a priority is clearly out of step with quite a few political enthusiasts'—although not necessarily (can anyone tell?) with the population's at large.