Will Parliament speak for the people?
Already in retreat over his proposals to reform MPs' expenses, Gordon Brown now also faces defeat over his government's treatment of Gurkha veterans.
Last week the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Office issued new guidelines supposedly to make it easier for former Gurkhas to settle in Britain. But the Gurkhas and their campaigners (elegantly led by Joanna Lumley) said the new rules were so complex and restrictive that only a handful of the 36,000 Gurkhas who retired before 1997 and are still alive would qualify. It looks as if MPs on both sides of the house agree with the Gurkhas.
The for the Gurkhas in Parliament, the Tories are onside and now dozens of Labour MPs have signed a motion condemning the government's position.
The Commons will now have a chance to vote against the government today in an emergency debate prompted by the Lib Dems. The powerful all-party ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Affairs committee of MPs has already described official policy as "horrifying".
So the government is in trouble (again) and the anger in Parliament reflects a wider anger among the public that the government -- and therefore Britain -- should be more generous towards those who risked their lives in the service of the country. It often happens that governments who've been in power for a long time lose touch with public opinion and this seems to be a good example.
Ministers claim to have eased the rules so that those who served in the Gurkha regiment for 20 years would be eligible for residency. But most ordinary Gurkha soldiers are only allowed to serve for 15 years before compulsory retirement.
Ministers say those who've shown courage in action would also qualify. Those who know the regiment's traditions might think that covers them all. But ministers have restricted it only to those who have won the most exclusive of medals for exceptional bravery, such as the VC (a rule made by a Cabinet none of whose members have ever faced an enemy bullet in their lives).
Finally ministers said those who could show they were suffering from injuries incurred in the line of battle could also stay. But for aging veterans that could be a hard thing to prove.
There is a touch of the "Sir Humphrey" about these very Whitehall rules. Gurkha campaigners go further and say they show a callous disregard for people who have fought valiantly for this country. The public is in a mood to agree.
Today we'll find out if Parliament will speak for the people -- or do as the government whips tell it.
Comments
or to comment.