Went The Day Well? - The Government's Pyrrhic Victory

 

Yesterday's vote on the Paterson case was a Pyrrhic victory for the government.

The government succeeded in overturning the suspension, and set up a new committee dominated by a five-to-four majority of Tory MPs that would draw up new rules on MPs’ standards. However, that victory was turned to ashes by the fact that Labour and the SNP are to boycott the committee, thus making it look utterly pathetic and a sham.

Such is the anger today over this farce, the government is making a monumental U-turn, and abolishing its own proposed changes.

After huge backlash - Jacob Rees Mogg tells Commons Government will look for cross-party reform.

As @bbclaurak reports, plans from last night seem to be ditched https://t.co/PiNUK51Lq9

— Nick Eardley (@nickeardleybbc) November 4, 2021

The apparent shambles of the last 24 hours can be interpreted in a number of ways:

1 It is part of a grand plan, the overall objective of which remains unclear to mere mortals such as myself.

2 It was a monumental misreading of the situation and, in effect, a cock up.

3 The government thought people wouldn't really care, and assumed it would get away with it.