So today I have started my new job. It is, as readers of Liberal Democrat Voice will be aware, as Internet Campaigns Officer for the Liberal Democrats.

What I post on politics from now on will be tempered by being a member of party staff (and I have ceased to be an editor on Liberal Democrat Voice for the same reason), but we’ll worry about that as and when. If anything, I’ll post more about work than in the past: previously I avoided doing so almost completely whereas now there will hopefully be interesting online projects to plug from time to time.

I’m working in a third floor office and have already been up and down the stairs several times. At this rate, I will be my target weight by February.

The Labour Government want us to trust them. They made that very clear during the passage of the Abolition of Parliament Bill. The trouble with introducing regressive and authoritarian laws, though, is that while perhaps we can trust the current government (this is hypothetical; obviously we can’t trust this government), what about the next one? Labour’s only concern is that legislation should suit their current needs and why would they expect to leave power anyway?

This story from Time (via) demonstrates how that attitude can backfire:

Come January, however, the man that the liberal Nation magazine once called the “Eliot Ness of the Democrats” can do even more, thanks to the two words that strike fear in the heart of every government official: subpoena power. As the new chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, [Henry] Waxman will have free rein to investigate, as he puts it, “everything that the government is involved with.” And the funny thing is, Waxman can thank the Republicans for the unique set of levers he will hold. Under a rules change they put through in the days when they used the panel to make Bill Clinton’s life miserable, the leader of Government Reform is the only chairman who can issue subpoenas without a committee vote.

So, Dr Reid, why are ID cards necessary?

Without them, the terrorists will be able to sneak past any security and kill us all in our beds.

Can you justify the closure of accident and emergency units around the country?

It’s our way or the highway. We need to enhance A&E. If we don’t, we will all die.

Why does the Government insist on allowing religious organisations to run its new academics?

It is the right solution for education. If we didn’t allow it, education wouldn’t work, young people would turn into terrorists and cut us down where we stand.

Finally, Dr Reid, why shouldn’t Scotland become independent from the rest of the UK?

Scotland we be defenceless against al-Qaeda. Terrorists, death, etc.

I am, of course, completely taking the mick. Well, maybe not completely.

Completely unrelated, but here’s a quote from Francis Wheen’s How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World:

“Non-medical ‘doctors’ who insist on drawing attention to their postgraduate qualification – Henry Kissinger in the US, Ian Paisley in Northern Ireland – always bring disaster in their wake: it’s tantamount to having the warning ‘This Man is Dangerous’ tattooed on one’s forehead.”

Some assorted politics for a Monday.

Congratulations to Martin Tod on being selected as the new Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Winchester. He’ll be a hard-working campaigner and would make an excellent MP.

Liberal Democrat Voice highlights David Cameron’s record as he marks his first year as Tory leader, and directs me to these articles in the Daily Mirror which highlight some amusing volte-face:

CAPITALISM
Dec 2005: Supports it. “In short, we need to campaign for capitalism. To promote profit. To fight for free trade. To remind, indeed educate our citizens about the facts of economic life.”
Jan 1 2006: Er, opposes it. “I don’t believe in ‘isms’. Words like communism, socialism, capitalism and republicanism all conjure up one image in my mind: ‘extremism.'”

CHILD TRUST FUNDS
May 4 2001: Against. “The more I thought about it, the more I realised it was an election gimmick, with drawbacks.”
Dec 15 2003: He’s for them. “The Government have been accused of promoting child trust funds as a gimmick. I think that that is a bit unfair.”

PATIENTS’ PASSPORTS
June 29 2004: He likes these. “We will say to people languishing on waiting lists that if they do go private they can take with them one half of what the operation would cost on the NHS.”
Oct 21 2005: You’ve guessed it. “I think the patients’ passport is not right, because it takes money out of the Health Service.”

Not quite politics, but I recommend this BBC News article about agnosticism (my neck of the woods).

Finally, I have signed some more petitions on the Downing Street petition engine all of which are worthy of support.