PMQs will be a flooding farce

HERE is a preview of today’s eminently predictable exchanges at Prime Minister’s Questions – and why the Hansard Society is now recommending sweeping reforms so this weekly Parliamentary occasion becomes more relevant to 
the general public.

It will begin with David Cameron providing an update on the flooding crisis (a friendly Tory MP will have been briefed to ask a suitably sympathetic question) and an attempt by Labour leader Ed Miliband to appear statesmanlike with a generous tribute to the emergency services, volunteers and staff at the much maligned Environment Agency.

And that is the moment when the House of Commons will descend into chaos as backbenchers from both sides roar their approval – and disapproval – for the Environment Agency’s under-fire chairman Lord Smith.

As Speaker John Bercow struggles to retain order amid the din and begins finger-pointing exchanges of his own with hyper-ventilating politicians – Education Secretary Michael Gove was “named and shamed” last week – the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition will both struggle to be heard as they begin to trade statistics, and insults, about the size of the Environment Agency’s budget and whether spending on flood defences has increased or decreased since the last election.

What is unlikely to be given sufficient attention is Britain’s lack of readiness for disasters on this scale; the failure to dredge waterways like the Somerset Levels; the reluctance to call in the military and why so many homes were allowed to be built in flood-hit areas like the Thames Valley – the clue as to why this was a mistake is in the area’s name.

This should not be a party political issue, even though Tory MPs will inevitably call for money to be diverted from the sacrosanct overseas aid budget. Successive governments, this one included, should accept a share of culpability.

But that is the problem if PMQs are switched to an early evening slot, so that they can attract a bigger television audience. An intriguing idea, this will only work if the exchanges are less raucous, more constructive and the Prime Minister actually answers some questions. The challenge is achieving this in an era when the snappy soundbite has replaced the setpiece speech as the modus operandi of so many politicians.

Soldiering on

Making a transition to Civvy Street

DAVID Cameron was being slightly presumptuous when he declared “mission accomplished” during his pre-Christmas visit to Afghanistan to meet those British troops still waging war against the Taliban.

It remains to be seen whether the country will make a full transition to peace once the Nato mission concludes at the end of this year, and the Prime Minister should not forget his obligations to those members of the Armed Forces who have returned home with life-changing injuries – both physical and mental.

This is reiterated by the important report published by Lord Ashcroft in which the controversial Tory donor says that the Ministry of Defence needs to do more to help service personnel make a safe and successful transition back to Civvy Street after they have completed their active service.

Lord Ashcroft’s findings need placing in perspective. He does say that “the great majority find work quickly, and contrary to popular belief, service leavers as a whole are no more likely to have serious problems than the general population”.

Yet he is right when he highlights the need for all service leavers to be given a veterans’ card containing the contact details of those charities who can provide expert help – awareness is key – and looking at how their practical skills can be utilised.

As well as forging a closer relationship between the Armed Forces and industry, this week’s floods have shown that there is a role for the military to play in responding to emergencies and providing the type of organisation and planning that has been demanded by the flood-hit residents of the Somerset Levels and the Thames Valley.

Pilgrim’s progress

Time has come for women bishops

THE fact that the Church of England has agonised for so long over women bishops is indicative of the strongly-held convictions of traditionalists and modernisers.

Yet, while both positions merit respect, the General Synod needs to place its latest soul-searching in the context of the wider drive under way to encourage women to take up more senior roles in business and politics.

Even though it has been suggested that David Cameron has “a problem with women” because a number of female MPs are stepping down unexpectedly at the next election, or have been controversially de-selected in the case of Thirsk and Malton’s Anne McIntosh, at least the Tory leader is committed to encouraging more women to stand for Parliament.

And this is the conundrum now facing the CoE as top clergy, like the Archbishop of York, continue to make the case for reform. The longer that this male-only institution procrastinates over the ordination of female bishops, the more outdated it will look as the rest of society begins – albeit too slowly for some – to put progress before tradition.