If you can’t guarantee at least denting the government’s majority a bit, why waste your time trying to annul legislation that is about to be enacted?
Mark Oaten has made the solemn prediction that the Licensing Act will lead to a “Christmas crisis” (it must be so, ‘cos it alliterates), with Theresa May saying much the same thing. No one is denying it will lead to an increase in consumption in the short term, but a full scale crisis? This sort of alarmist nonsense devalues politics.
This is disappointing. I often defend Mark against some of the rather crude attacks on him from some ‘radicals’ – largely because he has sounder libertarian instincts on social issues than a lot of other MPs who are more popular on the ‘left’ of the party. (Also he is an old Watford lag.)
Mark ought to know better. I like to think he does and has been railroaded into this stance by colleagues in the parliamentary party.