One consequence of devolution is that Scots are more aware than ever before that the election is about choosing members for an English Parliament. Even the mounting criticism of the House of Commons drives home, in one respect at least, this particular message. Even the English public are nowadays to be found complaining that Parliament doesn’t matter any more. Politics are purely for the party bosses and officials, in a day-to-day alliance with the Civil Service — the Treasury especially. These worthies are of one mind in their indifference to the attempts of rank-and-file MPs and party activists to achieve any significant control over the plans of their betters.

There’s nothing new in all of this. It may surprise English and, sadly, Scottish citizens, bombarded from schooldays with praise of England’s parliamentary traditions, tales of the great and famous figures who dominated Westminster politics through several centuries. Certainly the House of Commons has had its moments, but there is another tradition which may nowadays be re-appearing. When the English state was governed by a king, that monarch’s aim was to keep power in his own individual hands as far as possible. Sometimes he relaxed his grip through carelessness or incompetence; and sometimes he had his grip broken by some short-lived insubordination. But even when he had to at least appear to share power, and allow a few others to participate, he tried to ensure that they should be few in number and that he should select them if he possibly could. Thus it was that when the Council Chamber became a bit crowded the king selected a chosen few to join him in a more selective decision-stamping Privy Council. When that too became rather over-manned, a further retreat took the members of the inner circle into the Wardrobe (true!) and in due course into the Cabinet.

That brings us to more or less the present; and Cabinet government is something that we all are taught to believe we have enjoyed for generations. But times are indeed a-changing. Before our eyes the importance of back-bench MPs has diminished to vanishing point. The Cabinet, like Thatcher’s famous vegetables, show little sign of having the power to influence let alone control the Prime Minister. Even Thatcher was broken in the end by first Howe and then Heseltine, but they may prove to be the last of their kind. Who matters today apart from Blair? His Cabinet members cannot be imagined frustrating the wishes of the Prime Minister’s structure of state and party functionaries. Prescott was needed to remove the last disobedient pups before New Labour replaced Labour. Straw is well-named, and Blunkett no likely rival. Only one man could compete with Blair, and therefore only one man needs to be placated. Unfortunately that one man is Gordon Brown, and if he were to become Prime Minister we would soon by yearning for the dear, dead remembered days of Mr Blair.