Mick Hartley

A touch of hyperbole from Labour MP Emily Thornberry in the Guardian, on the government's proposed changes to constituency boundaries:

Look beyond the Tory soundbites and it's clear these boundary changes destroy what is left of representative democracy….

Without localism and a sense of identity, what will be left of representative democracy? When it comes to real people and real communities, it's clear that this government still believes there is no such thing as society.

Oh dear. Imagine what it must be like listening to a speech by this woman.

Under the new proposals (pdf) Emily Thornberry's constituency of Islington South and Finsbury is to be renamed The City of London and Islington South:

In Islington, we noted that the electorate was too small for two constituencies and we decided to expand the existing Islington North constituency to include one ward (Holloway) from the existing Islington South and Finsbury constituency. To replace the Holloway ward, we propose to include the City of London and two Camden wards (Holborn and Covent Garden, and King’s Cross). Although the City of London has had a longstanding constituency link with wards from the City of Westminster, we noted that there are also close communication links between the City of London and the south of the Borough of Islington. We decided that the constituency should be renamed The City of London and Islington South. 

Clearly the end of democracy as we know it. Or at least – we can hope – the end of Emily Thornberry, whose election majorities are markedly slimmer than those enjoyed by predecessor Chris Smith, and may disappear altogether if her new constituents in the City, Holborn, and King's Cross areas decide they don't like the sound of her. Which, judging by this absurd special pleading, they may well not.