‘Bully-boy’ Cameron stands accused of abusing power

[Tintinnabulate]

David Cameron has been accused of trying to bully his MPs and press-gang a ‘patsy’ in to lead a powerful backbench committee.

The prime minister ‘ambushed’ the 1922 Committee ahead of a meeting on Wednesday night, saying he wanted major changes to how it operated.

Key among them would be allowing frontbenchers to join the committee, which would shift power from the rank-and-file MPs.

It would mean Mr Cameron’s frontbenchers would be able to vote in the election of the 1922’s new chairman on May 26 – possibly installing a stooge who would not rock the boat.

Storming out of the meeting, one backbench MP told Metro: ‘There is a lot of anger in there tonight.

‘Being under the rule of David Cameron is like being in an abusive relationship: one minute it’s all kisses and cuddles and the next you are cowering in the corner.’

Another, Douglas Carswell, ignoring a party whip within earshot, said: ‘This is wrong, wrong, wrong and I don’t care who knows I said that. This is not new politics, it is taking power away. We all want this new government to work but this effectively destroys the 1922 Committee and with it the safety valve which allows us to speak out against the government.’

The 1922 Committee, which takes its name from the year it was founded, is separate from the Tory leadership, and keeps it informed about the mood on the backbenches. The committee meets each week to discuss parliamentary business and take grievances to the party leadership.

A ballot on the proposed changes runs until 11am today. It is a secret vote, so party whips have no way of knowing which way MPs voted and no power to punish dissenters.

MP Bill Cash told the BBC: ‘There’s going to be a ballot but there was no discussion, no previous consultation. I heard about it, candidates for the chairman of the committee only heard about it ten minutes before the meeting.’

He said the move, along with a ‘tsunami of changes taking place’ – a reference to concessions to the Liberal Democrats in the coalition deal – could ‘create a great deal of uncertainty and tension’.

Those tensions surfaced as Lib Dem leader and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg used his first major speech to warn off trying to water down Britain’s commitment to the Human Rights Act.

The Tory manifesto pledged to replace it with a Bill of Rights. But Mr Clegg insisted backbenchers tampered with the act ‘at their peril’.

He said the coalition would ‘ask you which laws you think should go’. But, when pressed if that meant the Human Rights Act would be scrapped if the public wanted it, he ducked the question.

Mr Clegg defended the new plan for a 55 per cent majority of MPs to agree to an early dissolution of parliament, insisting it was necessary to ensure stable government.

[Dan2nd]

He's also scrapping HIPS (Home Information Packs) which will cause hundreds if not thousands of job losses as loads of businesses have been set up to sell them.. there is a whole division dedicated to hips at my dads work and he is having to make loads of people redundant because of Cameron's poor decision

[Nixt]

He's also scrapping HIPS (Home Information Packs) which will cause hundreds if not thousands of job losses as loads of businesses have been set up to sell them.. there is a whole division dedicated to hips at my dads work and he is having to make loads of people redundant because of Cameron's poor decision

That's an excellent policy. The HIPs are a total waste of time and money and it is an unfair cost to people who want to sell their home. Most estate agents are celebrating the decision.

[GommeInc]

That's an excellent policy. The HIPs are a total waste of time and money and it is an unfair cost to people who want to sell their home. Most estate agents are celebrating the decision.

What he said ^ Heck, the fact alot of people will be losing their jobs because of a poor decision makes the matter a whole lot worse. All that time and effort into creating the stupid packs. Like building a house on top of poor foundations.

[Stephen]

Can't wait until 2012. I believe the end of the world will happen now

[Dan2nd]

That's an excellent policy. The HIPs are a total waste of time and money and it is an unfair cost to people who want to sell their home. Most estate agents are celebrating the decision.

that may be the case but what about all those people who will be unfairly losing their jobs/closing down their business because of it?

The company my dad is working for is losing £2 million because they're having to scrap a whole department. A close friend of my dad who has a family to support with young children is now losing his job as he isn't needed anymore. As his wife has already been made redundant because of the resession they are going to really struggle providing for their kids

I'm not saying HIPS were amazingly useful as to be honest I don't know enough about them but my dad came home last night totally naffed off because he just had to tell a whole department of people (most with young families) they're no longer needed because of a decision made by David Cameron..

[Jordy]

He's also scrapping HIPS (Home Information Packs) which will cause hundreds if not thousands of job losses as loads of businesses have been set up to sell them.. there is a whole division dedicated to hips at my dads work and he is having to make loads of people redundant because of Cameron's poor decision

Good, they're total rubbish and will save us all a lot of money. There's no point running a crappy industry which benefits no one but the workers.

I don't really like this move to be honest, along with Cameron's move for the 55% rule, he just seems very power hungry and I can't see how that'll be a good thing. The way he happily surrendered so many policies to the Liberal Democrats is further evidence he'd do anything to get power, even if it involves sharing it with Clegg & the EU.

[-:Undertaker:-]

He's also scrapping HIPS (Home Information Packs) which will cause hundreds if not thousands of job losses as loads of businesses have been set up to sell them.. there is a whole division dedicated to hips at my dads work and he is having to make loads of people redundant because of Cameron's poor decision

The Home Information Packs were and are a total waste of time which only keep 'non-jobs' going which they are - these jobs are not real jobs, they were created as part of the massive client state that Labour had set up that generates and provides sod all for this country - merely draining both the taxpayer and the state which in turn is funded by the taxpayer.

This story anyway is predictable, Cameron has been purging the Conservative Party of anything conservative since he was elected as leader and why anyone thought he'd somehow be anything different when elected is beyond me - I guess it was a bit of hope that he would turn out to be a conservative leader because we do need a conservative in power with the state the country is in. Where is Maggie when you need her?

[Tintinnabulate]

he just seems very power hungry and I can't see how that'll be a good thing. The way he happily surrendered so many policies to the Liberal Democrats is further evidence he'd do anything to get power, even if it involves sharing it with Clegg & the EU.

It just shows he doesn't give a crap about what he promised if he is willing to change so much to get in power. He just wanted to be PM hence he is changing all the stuff.

[jam666]

Where is Maggie when you need her?

Hopefully shes hiding around the corner waiting to give cameron a good slap. Its absolutely disgraceful what cameron is doing and thats coming from a conservative supporter. The party is called the CONSERVATIVE PARTY not the CENTRE LIBERAL ABANDON CORE CONSERVATIVE POLICYS PARTY.

Sooner cameron is out, the better. BRING ON A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE! (go go go tory backbenchers!)