No More of Tony’s Cronies

Nowadays, Tony Blair seems to be very busy making his mark as a world leader. In fact, his intense personal attention to globetrotting diplomacy has led the British Foreign Minister to go on record as feeling left out. Dartboard is concerned by Blair’s use of his larger-than-life persona to push his personal agenda, especially when it comes to Parliament. We all know that his overwhelming majority in the House of Commons has given him wide latitude with his legislative agenda, but apparently that is not enough for the good PM: Now he is on to the ‘Other Place.’

The House of Lords is feeling an intense squeeze from Blair’s influence, and surprisingly, the people and the press are coming to the aid of this archaic and arcane institution. Britain’s second chamber of Parliament has, under Blair’s tenure, undergone great changes, not that they did not see it coming: Blair campaigned back in 1997 on making the House of Lords more representative. To that end, in 1999 this sleepy and purely advisory body had all but 92 of its 750 hereditary members dismissed from service, ending the automatic right of hereditary peers to participate in the country’s government. Additionally, a special Royal Commission was established to explore restructuring the body.

The problem arose this month, when the Blair government released a White Paper that proposed reconstituting the House of Lords so that it would have 600 members: 120 elected by the people of Britain, 120 selected by a special cross-party Appointments Commission for “merit” and not for political ties, and the remainder appointed by the political parties in proportion to their representation in the House of Commons, the preeminent body of Parliament.

Resounding criticism has come from all sides for this blatant effort on the part of Blair and New Labour to pack the Chamber with their supporters. There is also a question as to how accurately the new picks will accurately reflect England’s population: when the government set to the task of naming 15 “people’s peers” they sure looked to be inclusive—selecting seven people who had already been knighted and varied corporate executives.

Most argue that instead of taking this auspicious occasion to open the body to be more representative and make it more effective, the Prime Minister’s plan simply serves to remove the Conservative majority of the old House, and replace it with a Labour majority in the new one.

By maintaining a defunct and anachronistic institution, when there was the opportunity to make substantive changes—such as separating the Law Lords from the body to create an independent Supreme Court or removing the Bishops to instill the separation of Church and State—Blair instead packed the House with new Lords who will be sympathetic to his ideologies, some of whom would serve lengthy 15-year terms. Now that the Chamber has gathered support nationally, and is continuing to stand up to the powerful and popular Labour government, it is determined to disrupt Blair’s proposed reforms.

Dartboard is deeply disappointed at the lack of vision in Blair’s proposal and looks forward to solid changes in the plan before its legislation next year. Replacing defunct governmental bodies with others that are equally as ineffective does not set an example that would inspire confidence in Britain’s efforts to build a new democracy in Afghanistan.

But then again, what can one expect from a country that lacks a constitution and knights Elton John?

—RONALDO RAUSEO-RICUPERO

O Secretary, Where Art Thou?

On Monday, the National Bureau of Economic Research officially declared that the economy was in recession. This troubling news does not come as a surprise to most people, who since Sept. 11 have seen the decline pretty clearly. But at this time, we are all wondering what you have been doing, Secretary of the Treasury Paul H. O’Neill.

Dartboard would think that when there is an economic crisis you, as treasury secretary, would be talking to us and showing us that you are working hard to fix the situation. Sure, we saw you on “Meet the Press” recently, but where were you for the last four months?

After Sept. 11, we saw the president, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld all working with other nations, with the military and with intelligence to help us get through our current international crisis.

Yet in this economic crisis, which began months ago with an “economic downturn,” you have not said anything or done anything.

Over the last few months, this country has needed leadership in many realms, and luckily we have gotten that in the political realm. But economically we are hurting, and there’s nobody leading us to a cure. In fact, over the summer, it seemed like the former treasury secretary, Robert E. Rubin ’60, spoke with Congress more times than you did, Mr. Secretary.

Dartboard thinks that “Meet the Press” was a good start to getting to work, but you’re going to have to do more to win us over.

—GANESH N. SITARAMAN