NBY VINDICATED TWO YEARS ON.
WHO WILL THROW OUT NONSENSE LIKE THIS AFTER THE LORDS ARE ABOLISHED?

The baton of Alan Johnson’s disastrous Aged Care plan was picked up by the PM. He has dropped it.

In June 2008, The Slog’s mother-site ran a piece annihilating the cynicism and muddle of then Health Secretary Alan Johnson’s ‘new dawn’ of Aged Care.

Yesterday, the Lords did everyone of every age a huge favour by chucking it out.

Would a House of Cronies have done such a thing? The Slogger doubts this very much. I predict that if the Straw Plan for a new second chamber is ever introduced, the public indifference to the subject will be almost 100%. And every last apathetic observer will be hopelessly wrong – but feel they have the right to moan when it’s a done deal.

We almost certainly don’t need a bunch of sidelined deadbeats and decrepit Judges as the occupants of a new Chamber. But we do need to establish what it’s job and powers will be (beyond the Executive’s preference for ticking ‘none’); and I personally will fight tooth and nail against it being dominated by the existing Party line-up.