Ah - that's because you're talking about standalone FRSs like Devon and Somerset, where the fire authority is separate, and only a small proportion of indirectly selected councillors have a say. I'm talking about county FRSs like Oxfordshire, Northumberland etc, where the FRS is an integral part of the county council, like roads and social care, the precept is part of the county council's tax, and all councillors have a say. Two very different things.
Hi Alison - at the moment county fire authorities are composed of councillors from across their area, and have immediate local accountability. Replacing that with a single PCC, elected across a much wider area, inherently reduces democratic accountability. Moreover, the legal opportunities to question and scrutinise the work of PCCs is more limited. This might not be the case with a stand-alone fire authorities, however.
PCCs taking over fire and rescue services means, in some cases, efficient and integrated county FRS' being taken over by less accountable PCCs. Nope.
CCHQ's customers are 1) MPs and 2) the press and 3) organising campaigning activity / membership. Of those things, only campaigning activity, membership etc, makes sense to move. Moving the research bits would disconnect them from ministers and Spads, which is just silly and recipe for division / being ignored, and moving the press bit would undermine our links with most of the national media. This also feels like something of a kick in the teeth for our staff, who worked hard for the election result.
If we want to be radical, lets look at moving parliament, not messing about with our own, currently successful, team.
The most important question is what will happen if she goes. If it is the same result as now, it is foolish to change. Better to package the disquiet and use the reset a change of leader will eventually provide to recover. We need to set emotion to one side for a second, do what some failed to do previously, count very carefully, work out the full solution, and only then act.
She'd still be a Conservative MP, just someone else would stand in her stead at the next GE.
FFS, even the parliamentary party wouldn't back WTO, let alone parliament. This is nonsense.
May cannot leave without a deal. Parliament won't agree it and anyone who thinks she will prorogue hasn't paid a spot of attention to her.
How do you get parliament to agree it?
This is just nonsense. The commons has already voted to avoid a no-deal. The idea the EU will ride to the rescue is at best extremely unlikely, given the efforts they have put in to overturn Brexit. In the meantime Mr F will keep appearing, florid faced, on the BBC, bellowing about surrender, until all the normal, non-political, people who supported Brexit begin to think they made a mistake. Which is exactly what the Remainers want- and exactly why Mr F gets so much air time. At best this position is a dangerous gamble- perhaps we can get out with a better deal, if we wager against it the risk of never getting out, at worst it is just a refusal to face political facts, where vanity and stubborness are as much a threat to Brexit as the Remainers.
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