The Observer has an interesting piece on John Reid’s decision to block migration from the two new EU accession states Romania and Bulgaria.
Talking of John Reid, he clearly still has a high opinion of his popularity – the Sunday Mirror reports that he has demanded the position of Foreign Secretary in return for not challenging Brown for the leadership. Sad to watch it really.
The fall out from Blunkett’s diaries also continues. The Observer reports that Chris Woodhead has called Blunkett’s recollection of the row over teacher pay, “[a] rewriting of history”; while the Telegraph reports that cabinet ministers were kept in the dark over the diary’s publication. (The Daily has been sent notes in a brown envelope – which we hope to publish this week – which would call Blunkett’s relationship with the truth into question.)
It’s horrible to watch, but the collapse of Clare Short’s decorum continues apace in the Independent.
The Sunday Times has a very interesting piece on House of Lords reform. Everyone seems very excited about some new proposals, despite the fact that they would leave half of the peers unelected, and the size of the House at a whopping 450.
The Daily 
Nice review but you imply disapproval of the second chamber retaining some appointed members. Do you really want us to be ruled exclusively by people willing, able and egotistical enough to worm their way through their party’s selection process?! If I understand Straw’s proposals, these new appointees would be ‘full time’ and not, as now, free to wander in only when the fancy takes them or they feel the need for the attendance allowance and/or a decent lunch.
And it strikes me that about half our MPs are appointed – the ones who sit in safe seats…
“And it strikes me that about half our MPs are appointed – the ones who sit in safe seats…”
The current electoral system for the UK national parliament,, which disregards the majority opinion in many seats, is simply undemocratic. When will we get a parliament that reflects peoples votes?
to be fair, voters in safe seats can always vote for someone else if they want…there’s no-one holding a gun at Kensington voters to force them in voting for Rifkind or to Bootle voters to vote for Benton
Re the Reid story in the Mirror…at one point it mentions that Beckett is expected to leave “frontline politics at the next’ election”….do they mean just the frontbench or also the Commons?
With Beckett, you never know…I can almost picture UK political scene in 2020 and seeing Beckett still around! 😉
“And it strikes me that about half our MPs are appointed – the ones who sit in safe seats…”
Try telling that to Neil Hamilton.