A LAST throw of the the dice. With at most seven months to a general election which must be held by June 3rd, it was inevitable that Queen Elizabeth’s formal unveiling of her government’s legislative programme yesterday would be more manifesto than anything else. There is little possibility that the 15 new Bills she announced will see the statute book in the estimated 70 working days of this parliament.
An ICM poll for the Guardianthis week shows Labour's support up by two points to 29 per cent, but still some 13 points behind the Tories whose return to office after a 13-year absence seems irresistible. So the queen's speech was all branding and blue water – the message was about a caring, fiscally-responsible Labour Party, sensitive to community issues like anti-social behaviour and care of the aged, up against ruthless Old Tories who would cut the budget deficit too hard and fast, jeopardising hopes of recovery.
The central theme of the campaign is likely to be that budget deficit, and so a Bill is promised that ties the hands of the government by forcing it to reduce the deficit year on year, or to answer to the Commons – to halve it from 11.9 to 5.5 per cent of GNP within four years, and balance the books by 2018. This was supposedly the government’s intention anyway, as the Tories point out, and so the Bill they say, with some justice, is all electoral optics. More detail will come in the chancellor’s pre-budget report on December 9th.
There were promises to enable the Financial Services Authority to cap bankers’ bonuses, to provide guarantees of speedier treatment for NHS patients, and to enhance parents’ rights in schools. Impressive plans to help the elderly have already received broad support from campaign groups. The Bill would guarantee free personal care at home for up to 280,000 elderly and disabled with greatest needs, although 166,000 do already receive free care. A further 130,000 will also benefit for the first time from measures, including home adaptations, such as the installation of electronic pill dispensers, so they can carry on living at home for as long as possible. Labour contrasts the measures to Tory plans for an insurance scheme to cover the costs of residential care in return for a one-off payment of £8,000 on reaching retirement age.
And, Brian Lenihan please note, a Bill is promised legally to enshrine the British government’s commitment to meeting its UN development aid target of 0.7 per cent of national income by 2013.