A doctor of politics watches the weekly clash with a pot of tea, a pencil and a firm belief that nobody listens to the answers
Wednesday, The Weekly Clash
I watch Prime Minister’s Questions from a sofa in London with a pot of tea and a notebook, and I described this week’s session in Prime Minister's Questions from a London sofa, with tea. I hold a doctorate in politics, which means that I have read a great deal about Parliament and still cannot predict what will happen in the next ten minutes.
The weekly session lasts about half an hour. The leader of the opposition asks several questions, backbenchers ask others and the prime minister answers, or at least speaks in the direction of the question. Supporters of the format say that it holds the government to account in public. Critics say that it rewards noise over substance, and some members of Parliament have said they find the atmosphere unhelpful. Both views have scholars on their side, and I keep a notebook for each.
How to Watch Properly
My method for watching the session has three parts. First, count the questions that are answered. Second, count the questions that are answered with another question or an attack on the questioner. Third, note which facts are offered and check them afterwards. The total is rarely flattering to either side, which is perhaps the point of the exercise.
I also keep an eye on the benches. The faces of the members behind a speaker are a more reliable guide to the mood of a party than the speech itself. A sudden stillness means trouble. A burst of cheering means the line has been rehearsed.
Thursday, The Farm Shelf
To clear my head from the shouting, I read the farm pages. The dairy site is dairyherd.org. The beef site is ranchbeefcattle.org. The tractors are at tractorequipment.org, and the planting calendar is at cropcalendar.org.
The money pages are farmmoney.org and smallfarminfo.org. The jobs are at agjobscareers.org. The shows are at fairandrodeo.org. The overview is ruralfarm.org, and safety is at farmssafety.org. Farmers, I find, answer the question they are asked, which makes them rare in my line of study.
Friday, A Boiler
The London Prat made a housing joke with First-Time Buyers Swap Rent for Boiler Repairs. Housing is one of the great political questions in London. Those who favour building more point to supply and prices. Those who favour stronger tenant protection point to security and rents. Both argue that the other approach has been tried and has failed, and a researcher can find evidence for each claim.
Saturday, Homework
On Saturday I marked a stack of student essays on the powers of the Mayor of London. The mayor has responsibilities for transport, policing and planning but depends on the boroughs and central government for much else. Several students concluded that the post has more influence than power, an elegant sentence which I have decided to steal.
I gave the essays good marks, wrote a polite comment on each and ate a biscuit. A day of marking is not complete without one.
Sunday, A Short History of the Despatch Box
The despatch box is the wooden box on the table between the two front benches, from which ministers and shadow ministers speak. It is said to be the place where members rest their notes and, on occasion, their tempers. The tradition of speaking from a fixed spot reflects an old idea that debate should be orderly even when the temperature is not.
The House of Commons chamber is small compared with many parliaments, and the benches are close together. Historians have argued that the shape of the chamber affects the style of debate: the proximity encourages heckling, and the lack of desks encourages the waving of papers. A visitor in the gallery can feel the closeness at once.
Monday, Marking the Week
At the end of the week I give the political week a mark, as if it were an essay. Clarity of argument: six out of ten. Use of evidence: five. Style: seven, owing to a memorable phrase about a sofa. Overall: a respectable pass with room for improvement. The government and the opposition would each give themselves higher marks, and each would be generous.
I have found that students enjoy this exercise, because it makes politics feel less like a mystery and more like a piece of work that can be read, judged and improved. The same may be true of voters.
Tuesday, The Speaker
The Speaker of the House keeps order during the weekly session, and the role calls for the patience of a nursery teacher and the voice of a ship’s captain. The Speaker is elected by members and is expected to serve all sides impartially. When a debate grows loud, a call for order is heard, and members generally comply, with a certain amount of grumbling.
The position has a long history and a distinctive set of customs, including a ceremonial procession and a wig in some periods. I have never envied the person in the chair, and I always admire the way a good Speaker can end a shouting match with a single sentence.
Where to read next
The rest of the shelf lives at prat.uk, bohiney.com and farm.fm. For a second opinion on the week, The Daily Mash keeps its own counsel and its own hours.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/