We have a government intent on destroying democracy that is going to strangle it by the encouragement of growing indifference to its fate

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It is very hard to explain how bad the Queen's Speech was.

The general presumption is that the government is competent. As a result anyone marking its efforts has a starting expectation that they will give a mark a bit above average, rather as I have an expectation that any student will get a mark of 62 until I have read the first sentence or two of what they put in front of me. Only yesterday that myth was shattered.

The speech opened with a lie. It was said that the cost of living crisis was at the epicentre of the government's concerns. But despite the fact that a recession was coming, growth (without any consideration of the environment) was promised, as were tax cuts and reduced debt. The impossible was promised without explanation. Rarely does anyone set themselves up to fail so badly.

As for the rest, the question to be asked is why the Tories are so keen on power if there is so little that they want to do with it?  Levelling up is about the ability to rename streets. There was nothing on the environment. Many bills were so weak, or limited in scope it will be hard to find five MPs willing to debate them.

But that, I have to keep reminding myself, is the point. The Tories do, in reality, have a number of unspoken goals.

They want  to make parliament irrelevant.

They want to alienate people from elected power.

They wish to detract people from their real agenda.

Their real agenda is to exercise unaccountable power for the benefit of their friends. Running an irrelevant parliament provides the cover for that.

If we assume this to be the goal and that the legislative programme is to be seen as nothing but a distraction then yesterday's speech makes complete sense.

We have a government intent on destroying democracy that is going to strangle it by the encouragement of growing indifference to its fate. In that context this was a perfect Queen's Speech.


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