Peter Kenyon

In the public interest? Straw vetos publication of more Cabinet minutes

Labour's Justice Secretary Jack Straw has been reported by the BBC as having vetoed the publication of yet another set of Cabinet ministers. I have already blogged about the contrast between Cabinet minutes and those of the Bank of England monetary policy committee here. Can anyone explain what conceivable justification there is for this convention other than to cover up contributions (or not) to Cabinet debate and resulting votes that are embarrassing to particular members of the Cabinet?

Not good on a day when there are further suspicions about the reluctance of MPs to publish full details of their expense claims, and a Labour minister Quentin Davies, and former Tory, features prominently for claims allegedly to pay for bell-tower repairs!

Party funding - Straw's collective blind-spot

Jack Straw is not going to improve Labour's electoral prospects by attempting to break the link between the Labour Party and the trade unions. Today, the Guardian reports his latest ideas for publication in a White Paper on party funding as a follow through to the Hayden Phillips' Inquiry. It is badly thought through, like the abolition of the 10p tax band and the extention of detention without charge to 42-days. This particular article headlines union opposition. The affiliated trades unions are not alone in opposing the state interfering in the constitutional affairs of political parties. There are large numbers of individual party members who are opposed to that, along with the parallel idea of increased state-funding of political parties to keep career politicians in office.

Just because there are elections going on does not mean collective organisation is alseep, dormant or dead. Labour has to revive itself as a collective voluntary organisation from its grassroots up both in terms of membership and money. Even if good governance were restored who would want to let Labour Party HO have exclusive control of the Party's finances? Collectivism has to be restored to its rightful place in our political culture. Career politicians need be held to account. If Labour in government doesn't get its collective head round this pdq, it will be dealt with severely by the electorate, and deservedly so.