Cicero Policy Briefer

Issue 18, November 2007

Queen’s Speech 2007: Cicero Analysis

By Iain Anderson

Since Gordon Brown broke with tradition in the summer and announced a package of around 23 measures to be introduced in the Queen’s Speech—much of the sense of excitement was inevitably going to be drawn away from the Gracious Speech and the 29 Bill package that finally emerged.

I am wary of using the expression ‘damp squib’ the night after Bonfire Night but, because of the pre-announcement of so much of the detail of the speech, for sheer political spectacle this was never going to set policy watchers alight.

However, it seems that this is part of No 10’s thinking; Brown maybe setting himself up as the antithesis of Blair and Cameron—not drawing on spectacle but focusing commentators on the detail of the measures. We have already seen a number of Labour watchers suggest that Brown must play to his policy strengths and regain the agenda and avoid taking the recent policy bait on immigration and tax from the Conservatives.

However best laid plans, the ‘events, dear boy, events’ factor was bound to intervene over the summer. Both the Northern Rock crisis, which continues to have ramifications on the wider economy, and the impact of Lord Ashcroft’s support for Tory candidates in key marginals changed the tempo on key political issues. The Bills on banking reform and measures on party political funding were two of the few bills in the Queen’s Speech not to have been in the Government’s draft legislative agenda published in the summer.

There appears to be no consensus on the likely party funding measures and an increasing lack of consensus on the much anticipated Pensions Bill focused on delivering Personal Accounts.

There is no doubt that the coming year will pretty much set the tenor for the next General Election and will set in train the likely public attitudes towards the main parties and their leaders. To have a speech which, as the Sovereign put it, would “respond to the rising aspirations of the British people” is set to become the central mantra for Brown in the coming 18 months as we do—finally—reach that elusive election date.

Read the full Cicero Analysis of the 2007 Queen’s Speech.

Iain Anderson can be contacted on +44 (0)20 7665 9532 or click here to email.

Back to main policy briefer