Friday, July 15, 2011

Open to change

It's absolutely for the best that Paul Dewar is planning to reintroduce his bill to ensure a truly independent Parliamentary Budget Office. But what's most significant in determining whether the bill has a chance of passing is that even the Cons haven't dared to entirely shoot down the idea before.

When the previous incarnation of the bill was debated, the Cons' response was to suggest that it should be referred to committee for a full study by MPs, while nit-picking only a tiny bit around the edges. (Which, needless to say, is in stark contrast to the guns-blazing response delivered in reply to most opposition proposals.)

Of course in 2010, that may have been seen as a useful delay tactic. But now that there's ample time for Parliament to thoroughly review the proposal, the Cons' excuse no longer holds - while any difference between the Cons' previous position and their current strategy will surely serve as ideal fodder for a message that the Cons are fighting accountability more and more as a majority government.

So having already signalled that an independent Parliamentary Budget Office was indeed an idea deserving of serious consideration, the Cons may be hard-pressed to move against it now.

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