The New Economic Council, which is to meet twice a week from Monday, is described by our Leader as:
" a new way of governing that is based on the uniqueness of the circumstances,...
these are new times,... The global economy will never be the same again. Huge changes are taking place. We have to deal with it in a new way."
The model followed is 'The Stalinist' where the Party Leader appoints politburo members from both the Party and those who, while holding no official Party office, are supporters and contributors to the Party. Some members of 'The Stalinist' politburo model are also elected members of the legislature, as is the case with the New Economic Council.
The usual practice in the United Kingdom of inviting members of the Parliament from other parties to assist in a National Government has been substituted. Indeed it is reported that when the Conservative Opposition leader telephoned to the Prime Minister to offer co-operation in dealing with the financial crisis, it was only with the greatest difficulty that Brown was persuaded to take the call at all.
The fury at the loss of the Metropolitan Police Chief, whose duties include effectively being the national police chief, is understandable when considering the role a police chief as New Labour as the man required to resign by the Conservative Mayor of London, might have been designated in the politburo.
By removing the effective governance of the country wholly into the hands of the Executive, draining the power of the great offices of state into the New Economic Council and reducing to a minimum any parliamentary review of its actions when so many members are not answerable to parliament at all, the country enters an only too familiar next stage in the installation of a permanent, authoritarian regime.
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4 comments:
Privy Council?
It was interesting that the first list of the new cabinet gave each member their Rt Hon., as well as their parliamentary status - which last the new minister for Business does not have of course - as did the New Economic Council list. I can't find it again on the BBC website, the new cabinet list just gives names and post. And the membership of the New Economic Council is not given in full at all. I'm sure it had the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge on it when I read it last night, which surprised me. I wonder if in the rush to get this out there were names that had not been agreed by their owners.
The Privy Council is made up of people of all parties and past administrations isn't it S?. A kind of National Executive Government in reserve and a means of discreet interparty support when it's in the national interest. Not Brown's cup of tea at all. He can't do informal, or courteous, or co-operative etc.
Another important role was to advise the Head of State - but she appears to have been trashed as it is Brown who is announcing peerages and membership of the Upper House.
I just suspect that the PC is a potential escape tunnel into autocratic rule. Surely Privy Councillors won't all turn up to meetings, so who gets invited, and by whom?
I must ask William Hill what odds they are giving on the Civil Contingencies Act being invoked before the next election. Could pay for our flight...
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