Crackling excitement in the Common

Brown's new broom

There will be crackling excitement in Parliament this week in anticipation of Gordon Brown's new broom speech.

Already he has proved that the Government has metamorphosed. There was a real cabinet discussion of two hours replacing the past monologues received in awed silence by the nodding donkeys. If only cabinet members of the past ten years had asserted themselves. Open cabinet discussions would have avoided the dreadful decisions on the Dome and our involvement in the Iraq war. Both decisions were taken by Tony Blair before the cabinet knew of them.

More power to parliament, less to the executive will improve government. The Select Committees are underachieving and need new powers. Can we have a full blooded Lords Reform?  The staged changes have been as sensible (in Lloyd George's phrase) as 'trying to traverse a ravine with two leaps'.

Constitutional change sounds dull but it's the stuff of profound long lasting reforms

Gales of publicity
In the past seven days 63 people were killed in road deaths in British road accidents. There were no terrorist casualties. In the past seven years 29,936 people were killed in British road accidents: 52 were killed by terrorists.

Today 500,000 Britons were subjected to hours of the additional  misery of new safety checks at airports and road blocks. The present terrorist threat appears to be from a cell of Olympic incompetence. They even left their mobile phones in their cars  and prepared at least one bomb that was not viable.

We rightly say that we will not allow them to alter our way of life. But a  probably tiny number of murderous bunglers has been allowed to dominate the news, giving them gales  of the oxygen of publicity for their cause.

Yes we should take all sensible precautions. They may be a truly horrendous new assault in future. But in London this week, I will  be at greater risk crossing the road to catch the Number 88 Clapham Omnibus, as I do every day, than I will be working at the heart of a top terrorist target. The over the top  extensive coverage of three non lethal events will only give satisfaction to the terrorists and encourage imitators. A sense of proportion would help.

Gordon's Welsh shockers

Gordon Brown's promotion and demotion of Welsh MPs was full of surprises.

The sacking of Nick Ainger from the Wales Office  is an inexplicable blow. He laboured long years as bag-carrier to three Secretaries of State for Wales before enjoying ministerial office for a brief two years. His job has been taken by Huw Irranca Davies. His middle name was described as like the noise made clearing your throat. He is an amiable able Government groupie and Blair sycophant.  No surprise there.

Mark Tami was one the Tom Watson's' gang who resigned his bag carrier job last year in the attempted coup that forced Tony Blair to announce his early retirement. He has had a quiet time in parliament and rarely speaks. As a new unpaid whip, his speeches will be even fewer. Wayne David was in the same group and resigned his PPS job. He is now the Welsh whip. He is an active Commons presence  and political career is distinguished as the only Parliamentary Labour Candidate to lose the Rhondda.

A surprise omission is the former Gordon Brown PPS Don Touhig. He was sacked from his defence job by John Reid for, it was alleged, leaking news of the Veterans' day for Gordon to announce before John Reid did. Don is Gordon's foremost Welsh groupie. Can there be some more news coming  or this an example of ingratitude?