Rational Geekery

I was meaning to take issue with Telegraph commentator Simon Heffer over the weekend, but such was my loaded itinerary, I somewhat neglected this blog.

What irked me Saturday morning was reading the opinionated Heffer, mull over the Tory complicity in the passing of Blair’s flagship education bill last week. There is little doubt, that without the Cameron’s Conservatives, Blair would have faced a humiliating defeat, as his rebellious backbenchers revolted, hoping to deliver the knockout blow to his leadership.

There were two reasons Cameron supported the bill. The first is strategic politicking. Cameron knew that Blair is in conflict with his party, and that supporting him was a fast track to proving the labour rebels right that “Blair is a Tory Boy.” The second reason he supported Blair, was ideology. More choice, and a weakening of centralised education, is Tory policy and this bill, even in watered down state, is a move towards this goal. It would be ideologically hypocritical to defeat a bill that, even slightly, sends the country in the right direction.

This is why Heffer, in his column (and later on the Telegraph podcast), really got my goat when he said: “I don’t want to be a bore, but it is the opposition’s job to make life hell for governments.” No, I don’t agree, not at all. Simon, you forget one very important factor, it is not the Conservative Party or their followers who pay the salaries of the members of parliament (even the Tory ones), it is the people of the UK, who elect them to be lawmakers, not as Heffer suggests, obstructionists.

If the bill is for the benefit of the UK, and the Conservatives view it as a move in the right direction, they should forget party politics and do what they are bloody well paid to do.

Oh, I’m glad I got that off my chest.