What a relief there’s so little in the world to worry about. No great events to distract governments. No wars, no famines, no plagues; no cost of living crises; no housing shortages; no climate emergencies. The UK Government today announced their legislative programme (we call it a “Queen’s Speech” here, although she never writes it and didn’t read it this year).
On the agenda this time round: letting people vote about their neighbours’ extensions and maybe picking a squabble with our neighbours.
There are those who’d say there are important things that do need dealing with, but aren’t there always? Funnily enough there were things the government had in the legislative pipeline for a while (audit reform – think Carillion, Thomas Cook; employment reform – think P&O). Maybe they weren’t interesting enough.
Far be it from me to say, but perhaps they’re out of ideas. After twelve years, and the current comedian’s purge of their senior talent, it would be understandable.
You mightn’t always like a government’s ideas – the first six years of this one’s were awful – but those swings and roundabouts are how society progresses. When they run out of them altogether it must be time to go.