The doubts of a Labour MP

Henry Porter (London, Vanity Fair): I met a Labour MP last night. He said, more or less: I feel that we'll get something from Brown on Parliament and the Constitution, but it will be cosmetic - the limiting, even the end, of the Royal Prerogative; a Parliamentary convention to approve military action but not legislation; something small on Select Committees, but nothing that will actually shift the balance between Parliament and the Executive. No ceding of control over Parliament's Business to a Business Committee; no powers of subpoena granted to Select Committees; no election of Select Committee members or, more important, their Chairs; no reduction of patronage; no giving up control of the Modernisation Committee. Just a few crumbs. Both Brown and Straw are pragmatic Stalinists. They'll keep control.