Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations
Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Stephen Pound (Ealing North, Labour)
I am very grateful to the Minister for giving way, and I am glad that the opportunity for that extraordinary expression about the Liberal Democrats tailoring their principles to suit local circumstances was given another chance to resonate around the Room. I suspect that we may hear of it again. The Under-Secretary's presentation and preparation of her case and her enthusiasm are so intoxicating that it would seem caddish not to rush in behind her. However, some hon. Members have severe reservations about the issue, and that is in no way a criticism of the principle or the ideal, but a reflection of the bitter experience that many of us have had.
This could be the first time that a mass-membership participatory system has grown from the top down, and I should like to see it. My right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras cited Tawney when he said that, in his opinion, the sharp elbows of the middle classes would propel them to the head of the queue. I think that that was the exact expression used.