As a Liberal Democrat party member, I have had this nice letter from Alistair Carmichael, MP, inviting me to help choose the subject for debate in the House of Commons next Tuesday. The Liberal Democrats have one of their rare allocated sessions when the parliamentary party picks the subject. Unfortunately, the choice has to be from a restricted list, rather like those BBC-run "your favourite TV presenter" polls when there is a menu of only a dozen or so names which does not include Kevin McCloud.
we want to hear what you think MPs should be debating on Tuesday. The three options are:
• A final vote on the Brexit deal
• Sustainability of the NHS into the future
• Donald Trump's visit to the UK
It seems to me that two of these subjects have been done to death recently, and the third, sustainability of the NHS, is an England-only subject. Trump may generate some good one-liners from Vince which will make it to the popular media, but otherwise I cannot see any of those subjects being productive.
What about listening to renegade voices from the back-benches opposite? At Business questions yesterday, Cheryl Gillan MP pointed out that the rules for referendums are out-dated leading to the continuing disputes and legal actions as a result of the 2016 Brexit referendum; and the otherwise illiberal Peter Bone continues to harry the government over their cavalier treatment of Private Members Bills. If the puppet Leader of the House is unwilling to grant time to discuss these democratic deficits, then I believe one of the opposition parties should do so.
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