Bogdanor

I was reading this Guardian article about which of the Miliband brothers is least obnoxious when I got bored and scrolled down to the comments. And the comments alerted me to a very interesting fact: Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University is responsible for much of our failed political class.

You could hold a Labour leadership election from people with PPE degrees from Oxford.

David Miliband (PPE, Oxford)
Ed Miliband (PPE, Oxford)
James Purnell (PPE, Oxford)
Ed Balls (PPE, Oxford)
Jacqui Smith (PPE, Oxford)
Yvette Cooper (PPE, Oxford)
Ruth Kelly (PPE, Oxford)

You could put together a mini shadow cabinet.

Alan Duncan (PPE, Oxford)
Ann Widdecombe (PPE, Oxford)
Damian Green (PPE, Oxford)
David Cameron (PPE, Oxford)
David Willetts (PPE, Oxford)
George Young (PPE, Oxford)
William Hague (PPE, Oxford)

And you could interview the whole sodding lot using journalists with PPEs from Oxford.

Christopher Hitchens (PPE, Oxford)
David Dimbleby (PPE, Oxford)
Evan Davis (PPE, Oxford)
Jackie Ashley (PPE, Oxford)
John Sergeant (PPE, Oxford)
Lance Price (PPE, Oxford)
Michael Crick (PPE, Oxford)
Nick Robinson (PPE, Oxford)
Zeinab Badawi (PPE, Oxford)

And to think people complain about Eton.

The Times Higher Education Supplement carries a review of Vernon Bogdanor's new book 'The New British Constitution'.

Bogdanor is at his best on the subject of "English votes for English laws", one of the pet schemes of many in today's overwhelmingly English Conservative Party. He clearly regards the whole idea as batty. Few in England want an English parliament. Elected by more than 80 per cent of the UK's population, such a parliament would inevitably rival - and perhaps overwhelm - the UK Parliament. Prohibiting non-English MPs from voting on laws intended to apply only to England could easily mean UK ministers being in government on some issues but in opposition (possibly on the same day) on others. Not least, England forms such a large part of the union that much, probably most, of seemingly "English" legislation has, potentially at least, enormous spill-over consequences for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Conservatives need to make up their minds whether they are still in favour of the union or not. It should give them pause that the Scottish National Party (SNP) thinks English votes for English laws is a splendid idea.

Bogdanor is not alone amongst constitutional experts in expressing the view that the English are not interested in an English Parliament. Prof Robert Hazell has said that "Opinion polls show that an English parliament commands almost no support amongst the English people"; Lord Howarth says "as we know, there is no demand for an English Parliament"; Lord Falconer tells us that "there is no demand at all for devolution to England or the English MPs only being able to vote on English issues", and; IPPR's Guy Lodge informs us that "an English Parliament lacks popular support".

Opinion polls, however, appear to tell a different story to the one the experts would have us believe.