And some are more equal than others…

            

This week saw the return of a traditional British convention. One at the very heart of our constitution whose influence has declined at the hands of an egotist for the past decade, Cabinet government. Despite living under a quasi-president for the past 10 years the cabinet is back. The stand that some of the senior members have taken against the Prime Minister,s proposals to appease the Catholic Church (yeah, them again) is welcomed.

It’s been a long time since anyone could make the case that the Prime Minister is simply primus inter pares, but this week perhaps saw the return to it. To be fair to Blair it’s a precedent started by his predecessors, particularly Mrs. Thatcher, but one feels he’s reveled in his dominance. As Walter Bagehot once said, the cabinet is the ‘buckle which fastens’. If so, things are looking distinctively loose for the Prime Minister.