The news outlets are reporting that the next Cabinet meeting will take place outside London, most likely in the West Midlands.
The theory goes that by holding the meetings outside the Westminster bubble the government will become closer to the people and more responsive to our needs. In reality it is a political stunt. The current prediction on the Electoral Calculus website has Labour to lose seats in Birmingham, Coventry and Dudley, and a few local news stories would no doubt be appreciated by their beleaguered local candidates.
I am all for politicians being held to account by voters, but barring the unlikely event of the meetings being open to the public, what practical difference does it make whether the meeting is held in an office in London or one in Birmingham. Unless Jack Straw has developed the ability to suck in the opinions of passing locals by some osmotic process, there is no gain.
Ministers and officials will however have to travel down from London, wasting both time and taxpayer's money (and what's the betting they don't come on the megabus) which could be better spent trying to sort out the mess they've made of the country. There is also the question of where the meeting would be held, and at what expense.
If Gordon Brown wishes to try and limit the damage at the next election, he should renounce pointless stunts and concentrate on running the country. Perhaps then he would be held in less contempt.
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