The delights of an election year legislative programme are something we as a nation have not experienced in quite some time.
Of course, we’ve had new Westminster legislative programmes introduced in 2016-17 and 2019-21 (and 2019-19 for that matter!), but there’s been very little sense that these were focused on a forthcoming election given that the last two have come as something of an unwelcome surprise.
Electioneering keeps MPs in constituencies in preference to parliament – it prioritises the pretence of statesmanship over making difficult decisions, and offers red meat for the party faithful (and the idealised voter – most of whom will be bored to tears by this longest of long campaigns) rather than the thin gruel of technocracy.
All of which means when King Charles III stands up in the Lords on 7 November (missing, of course, this year’s Festival of Higher Education!) the wishlists of the sector and of commentators will likely be ignored.
