You know when you’ve been Quango’d!  

Last November, I was lucky enough to be drawn third in the Private Members Bill ballot in the House of Commons. In the days that followed, I was bombarded with all kinds of offers for which piece of legislation I should take up as my ‘cause'. The suggestions came from a variety of sources: the public, charities, lobbyists and, of course, the government whips! From the whip, I was handed a piece of paper containing several suggested draft bills, which the government would support if taken up by a willing MP. One of the suggestions to catch my eye was to abolish an organisation which had long become defunct, had ceased to operate, but required legislation to technically close it down. My memory fails me, and I cannot remember the name of the organisation to be abolished, but for the sake of this article we'll call it the National Potato Council (it was something just as riveting...