There are those who are calling for Hazel Blears to resign. WHY, all this woman is doing is representing her constituency. Following party policy blindly and ignoring the people who voted for you is as far from democratic as you can get. It takes guts to rebel against your party in favour of your constituency, I for one would like my MP to represent me in the way we all voted for and deserve. Ms Blears has been of accused of hypocrisy for being a member of the cabinet that formulated the policy she is now opposing, however we know that not all cabinet members agree to every policy they churn out. Ms Blears could have opposed the policy in cabinet just as she is now, how does that make her a hypocrite? I don't want an MP who blindly tows the party line, I want an MP who will put the welfare of their constituents first and foremost.
Please lets stop the dirty tricks (just because you support an opposing party) and not smear someone who is doing the job she was democratically elected to do.
8 comments:
So would it be alright for say the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to propose Post Office closures - but then to campaign against them in their constituency?
Are you saying that sonmeone can come up with a policy which negativelye effects people - but its OK as long as it doesnt effect the people THEY represent?
Blears has the ability to campaign against the policy - but she should do it from outside the Cabinet.
I faced an MP in a General Election who campaigned against something he voted FOR in parliament. It isnt party politics to point out such hypocrisy as what they are trying to do is pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate.
Hazel Blears is not the Health Secretary, she is a "Minister without Portfolio."
I repeat: Ms Blears could have opposed the policy in cabinet just as she is now, how does that make her a hypocrite?
You cannot use the same argument about Ivan Lewis though. His brief includes maternity services and he is campaigning against his own policy in his constituency. This is the Governmental equivalent of NIMBYism.
Tony,
You are totally correct with respect to Ivan Lewis, however that is Ivan Lewis NIMBYism not Governmental NIMBYism.
What about collective responsibilty though? Members of the Cabinet sign up to Cabinet policy and if they disagree they resign. She can oppose at the Cabinet table - but surely if Cabinet collectively backs the policy - she signs up to that to, or resigns. That's what Heseltine did a la Westland.
Jonathan,
Collective responsibility requires that Ministers should be able to express their views frankly in the expectation that they can argue freely in private while maintaining a united front when decisions have been reached.
If Hazel Blears went against policy for her own beliefs then she would be breaking the ministerial code of Collective Responsibility. However should she be asked to resign for representing the wishes of her constituency? Technically? yes possibly, but that decision is down to the Prime Minister. Morally? No.
I err towards your view Mr Green. I felt that the Blears thing was a pretty pathetic line of attack by the media (more so than the Tories) and I said so when it was the lead story on the BBC. That said, Ivan Lewis is a different case.
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