Don't Take On The Legion, Ken
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
YOU'D think an old political warhorse like Ken Clarke would know better than to pick a fight with the Royal British Legion and grieving war widows.
But incredibly, this 71-year-old veteran of several Cabinet posts did just that.
Perhaps his excuse is that the Ministry of Defence is one of the few Whitehall departments in which he has not served as Secretary of State.
In the 18 months since he returned to the Cabinet as Justice Secretary, however, Ken has acquired serious form for humiliating U-turns, usually under orders from an exasperated Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Teenage knife crime, rape sentences, discounts for guilty pleas... These have been among the most embarrassing about-turns forced upon him so far.
But now, in perhaps the most humiliating and entirely predictable U-turn, he has torn up his policy on scrapping the post of Chief Coroner, after a skilful campaign by the Legion and war widows worried about military inquests.
And... it's just 10 days after the nation mourned on Remembrance Sunday!
The real explanation for the timing of his climbdown, however, is a looming defeat in the House of Lords on an amendment to the Public Bodies Bill proposed by the Crossench peer Baroness Finlay.
Add to that a moving plea to the Prime Minister by war widow Kirianne Curley, in a letter reproduced in the Sun.
"Over recent months I have listened to and reflected on the concerns raised across Parliament, by families and by other groups, including the Royal British Legion, that a single figure needs to be responsible for the coroner system," said Ken, announcing his U-turn.
Hurrah, say the campaigners.
The British Legion, magnanimously, says it's deeply grateful to MPs and peers from all parties for their support.
"How we as a nation support our bereaved families, especially bereaved Armed Forces families, should surely be above party politics," says a spokesman.
Quite.
Ken, you really should have known better.
But incredibly, this 71-year-old veteran of several Cabinet posts did just that.
Perhaps his excuse is that the Ministry of Defence is one of the few Whitehall departments in which he has not served as Secretary of State.
In the 18 months since he returned to the Cabinet as Justice Secretary, however, Ken has acquired serious form for humiliating U-turns, usually under orders from an exasperated Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Teenage knife crime, rape sentences, discounts for guilty pleas... These have been among the most embarrassing about-turns forced upon him so far.
But now, in perhaps the most humiliating and entirely predictable U-turn, he has torn up his policy on scrapping the post of Chief Coroner, after a skilful campaign by the Legion and war widows worried about military inquests.
And... it's just 10 days after the nation mourned on Remembrance Sunday!
The real explanation for the timing of his climbdown, however, is a looming defeat in the House of Lords on an amendment to the Public Bodies Bill proposed by the Crossench peer Baroness Finlay.
Add to that a moving plea to the Prime Minister by war widow Kirianne Curley, in a letter reproduced in the Sun.
"Over recent months I have listened to and reflected on the concerns raised across Parliament, by families and by other groups, including the Royal British Legion, that a single figure needs to be responsible for the coroner system," said Ken, announcing his U-turn.
Hurrah, say the campaigners.
The British Legion, magnanimously, says it's deeply grateful to MPs and peers from all parties for their support.
"How we as a nation support our bereaved families, especially bereaved Armed Forces families, should surely be above party politics," says a spokesman.
Quite.
Ken, you really should have known better.
0 comments:
Post a Comment