I think that the upper echelons of the Tory party are acting rather like schoolchildren.

The House of Lord didn’t like a piece of legislation and voted against it (sort of) and now Cameron, Osborne and others are throwing a hissy fit.

It might well be the first time in 100 years that the Lords have voted down a piece of financial legislation, but the whole reason we have a second chamber is to act as a moderating influence on the first chamber i.e. the Houses of Parliament.

But they didn’t really vote it down.  They actually wanted more information on the affects of the government legislation. The motion was (my italics):

“this House [the Lords] declines to consider the draft Regulations laid before the House on 7 September until the Government lay a report before the House, detailing their response to the analysis of the draft Regulations by the Institute for Fiscal Studies [IFS], and considering possible mitigating action.”

Apparently Osborne, in the past, said this about the IFS, describing it as one of the most “credible independent voices on the public finances, taxation and public spending”.

What’s changed?

Do you trust Cameron and Osborne?

I certainly don’t! Mind you, I wouldn’t want Corbyn in charge of anything either!