Is the Commons about to get off its knees?  

I fear that if the Commons were to get off its knees it'd merely fall flat on its face since it has no backbone. But today a series of reforms will be voted on at Westminster that seek to give the Commons some spine. Specifically proposed in The Plan (steps 3 and 5), and now put forward by the Wright Committee, these changes boil down to something simple; first, the Commons, rather than government whips, deciding who holds all the key Commons posts – from Speaker to select committee chairmen. Second, they'll allow those you voted to be MPs to determine their own Commons timetable. Hardly revolutionary, it might however mean MPs start actually holding government to account. Which is precisely why the dark side in SW1 oppose it, and decided to hold it on a day when few will be in Westminster. Today's choice...