I recently asked a former colleague if he would tell me who the genius was that screwed up the vote on family planning so badly. His lips were sealed. But I still can't help wonder how such a gaffe would ever take place.
The process before any vote in a minority situation is pretty basic. You count how many votes you have (A). You count how many votes 'they' have (B). You account for the variables of MPs in your party who wont support your position (X), MPs who wont be present for the vote (Y), and any possible votes coming from the other side of the HoC (Z).
What this means is that A minus Y plus Z must be greater than B+X.
Put another way, you makes sure you have the mother fucking votes to win and if you don't you either don't do it or you find a spin to put on it that makes you look good and your opponent look bad.
This is stuff that you learn from watching the West Wing and doesn't require a whole heck of a lot of experience. The Whip, the Chief of Staff and the Party Leader should all be way ahead of the ball game on this.
But instead it would appear that no one in the party apparatus took the time to actually count if we had the votes to win.
A roll call. That's what it came down to. And whether it was the electronic age of twitter and facebook that stopped a good ol'fashioned roll from taking place, I'm not sure. But what I am sure of is that this speaks volumes about why 'my' party is trailing in the polls.
