Seven Minutes of Pure Hot Air and Waffle

Seven minutes to deliver the Queen’s Speech. What in Heavens name is Glorious Gordon doing? Has he developed the art of speed speaking, or is it just that he has nothing worth saying?

I suspect the latter when I learnt that there are only 13 full bills and two draft pieces of legislation (much of which is unlikely to make it into the law before polling day!)

There was NO mention of any bills to sort out the disgraceful mess within parliament over the MP’s expenses. It seems that the much heralded inquiry was just another government smoke screen.

So what were the bills alluded to in the Queen’s Speech?

BRIBERY BILL – making it an offence to bribe foreign officials, and for businesses to fail to prevent bribery.

CHILD POVERTY BILL –This will end child poverty by 2020. The government will make annual reports to parliament on progress.

If this one ever gets on the statute books I seriously doubt that it will work by 2020, and what use are annual reports to parliament? What is required is URGENT ACTION RIGHT NOW!

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES BILL. This offers parent and pupils guarantees for standards of Education. Schools will be given “report cards”, and children will receive at least one year of sex and relationship education.

Guarantees for standards in education? I’m sure this sort of thing has been bandied about from time immemorial! Sex and relationship education should be the job of any responsible parent. Sort out the irresponsible parents first! They cause more problems with their offspring!

CLUSTER MUNITIONS (PROHIBITION) BILL. This makes it an offence to use, produce, acquire, develop, stockpile, retain or transfer cluster munitions.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM AND GOVERNMENT BILL. This gives a basis in law for parliaments to scrutinise treaties and provides for the disqualification of peers convicted of serious offences or subject to a bankruptcy order.

What good is it being able to scrutinise a treaty if the government hasn’t got the guts to throw it out if it doesn’t approve of it? I would have thought that the disqualification of peers convicted of serious offences or subject to a bankruptcy order would have been automatic. Why not widen it to cover MP’s too? Maybe we would have a lot of MP’s rapidly leaving if this were the case!!!! Just think how many of them have been caught up in the expenses scandal They would qualify under the serious offences if someone in authority had the guts to see them all charged with the crimes they have undoubtedly committed.

CRIME & SECURITY BILL. This gives the police powers to bar suspect domestic violence offenders from their homes, and makes possession of a mobile phone in a prison, without authorisation a criminal offence.

Surely it is common sense to bar a persistent domestic violence offender from their home? Why is it only now that this has been decided to be put forward as a bill? If you are imprisoned this takes away your freedoms. What right does a prisoner have to expect to have access to a mobile phone? Taking away your freedom by imprisonment should automatically bar you from having access to a mobile phone. Full Stop.

DIGITAL ECONOMY BILL. This gives OFCOM the duty to assess the UK’s communication infrastructure every two years, and makes age ratings compulsory on all video games for children aged twelve and over.

What good is it legislating for age ratings on video games when they can not be “Policed”

ENERGY BILL. This supports the construction of up to four carbon capture and storage schemes to cut pollution.

EQUALITY BILL. This bans age discrimination outside the workplace and strengthens the powers of employment tribunals.

Being an (almost) OAP I’m all for this one – but it won’t make me vote Labour though!

FINANCIAL SERVICE BILL. This strengthens the FSA powers and allows consumers to bring court actions against financial institutions.

What have previous governments been doing? Was it not possible for consumers to bring court actions against financial institutions before this proposed bill?

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY BILL. This provides a firm and binding statutory basis for the governments promise to halve the budget deficit within four years.

Oh Dear! Gordon got us into this mess, but I’m pretty certain that he won’t be around to have to comply with this halving of the budget deficit within four years! On the face of it this sounds like a sensible thing to legislate for but how on earth will the next government manage it?

FLOOD AND WATER MANAGEMENT BILL. This will enable sustainable systems to be considered for new building development. Water companies will be given more power to control customers usage.

Sustainable systems for all new building developments should have been in force years ago. Once again, I ask What have previous governments been doing to have to legislate for this now? I’m not very happy about giving the water companies more power to control customers usage. If I pay for my water, I should be able to use it how I wish (as long as I am not breaking any laws or flooding my neighbours property!)

PERSONAL CARE AT HOME BILL. This will guarantee personal care for 280,000 people with the highest needs.

A wonderful thought but where is the money coming from to provide this personal care?

So to sum it all up, I perceive this Queen's Speech as a load of hot air and waffle, with little or no substance, delivered by a man who knows that there is little chance of much of the content ever getting on the statute books.

I am pretty certain that Glorious Gordon will not be around in government anyway!