With Westminster in mourning, has politics been put on hold?

Latest episode of Inside the Lords out now

The ceremony surrounding preparations for the Queen’s funeral has made Westminster the centre of attention once more. It is no exaggeration to say that the whole of British political life is now saturated with the funeral and succession.

Even for avowed republicans such as myself, this is a reminder that democracy is a complex thing, rooted in tradition and culture. I was able to attend the declarations to the late Queen in Westminster Hall, and I was struck how this site was the same place that held the trials of everyone from Thomas Moore to even Charles I (!), leading to his execution. Yet the monarchy, albeit a limited, constitutional monarchy, endured.

Whilst it is obviously important to treat the current moment with the respect it deserves, I do worry that politics has effectively been put on hold. Democracy must go on. We have been in the habit recently, whether for lockdowns or for droughts, of putting public life on hold. We must make sure that the proper business of politics goes on no matter the challenges.

It is also true that too much is getting cancelled - both literally and metaphorically. Even if I find it a bit crass that the anti-monarchists have waited until now to opportunistically make their case, it is still an outrage that the police seem all too eager to shut down those making the case against the monarchy. The police have taken the woke idea of ‘being offended’ and apply it to whatever issue happens to be remotely controversial.

You can catch up on all this and more - including my official Lords’ seal, on real vellum, that was recently delivered to me - in the video below.

But one more thing before you watch - a plug for my good friend Andrew Doyle’s new book The New Puritans. I have been reading it with fascination. It is a great overview of how a highly moralistic and stuffy atmosphere of selective outrage has taken over politics. We’re really excited because Andrew will be joining us at the Battle of Ideas festival for both an in-depth discussion, and debate, about his book and also to record an episode of his brilliant GB News show Free Speech Nation. Make sure you get your tickets.

Watch the whole episode of Inside the Lords here: