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[Suedehead2]

I was going to call this topic "The week democracy died" but that would be hyperbole so I went for something more nuanced.

This week has seen two major blows for democracy in the UK. First, the EU (Withdrawal) Bill passed its first stage in the Commons. Whether you agree with leaving ther EU or not, other aspects of this bill are an affront to democracy. It ensures that all EU laws become part of UK law automatically when (if) we leave the EU. That part of the bill makes some sense (leaving aside once again the merits of leaving in the first place). However, it also grants ministers the power to repeal or amend those laws by decree, i.e. without debate or a vote in parliament. Of course, ministers have not given even the slightest hint of what EU laws need to be replied so urgently that the normal rules of democracy can be ignored.

As if that wasn't enough they have now rigged the make-up of parliamentary committees. In the past they have always reflected the make-up of the Commons. Not any more. Thanks to the DUP (whose deal with the government we now learn should have been - but hasn't been - endorsed by parliament), the Tories have changed the rules so that they will have a majority on all committees despite not having a majority in the Commons. This will make it a lot more difficult for the opposition to change legislation and will make the minority government's life easier. It is not hard to imagine how this would be covered in the press if a minority Labour government had tried to do the same thing.