Lord Falconer: would you buy a right-to-die bill from this man?
Falconer has a long history of good intentions – but the consequences have not always been pretty
LORD 'CHARLIE' FALCONER is today bringing forward a 'right-to-die' bill in the House of Lords. In a lawyerly piece of pedantry, he will tell peers that the bill will not allow 'assisted suicide' but 'assisted dying'.
It will be couched in all sorts of protective flannel and legal assurances to prevent abuses, limiting its provisions to those due to die within six months. The lethal drugs will be held under strict controls to prevent old folks' homes becoming death hotels.
All of which would be fine, except the Mole would never wish to be assisted in shuffling off this mortal coil by Charlie Falconer.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The trouble is not Falconer's good intentions. Anyone who has met him can testify that he is a cheery chap who always has the best of intentions. It is the unintended consequences of his actions that would worry the Mole.
- Briefing: six key questions about Lord Falconer's bill
Charlie is the luvviest of New Labour luvvies, an Edinburgh lawyer who spent more than a decade in high office because he was a personal pal of Tony Blair.
He passionately wanted to become an elected MP but was dropped from a shortlist for a Labour seat because he had sent his three boys to the fee-paying Westminster School and St Paul's. Instead, Blair made him Solicitor General, promoting him to the Lords with a life peerage, within 24 hours of winning office in 1997.
Falconer was at Blair's side throughout his time in office and, as a leading player in the New Labour project, was intimately associated with a long list of unintended consequences of the Blair government.
There were the measures to allow limited net immigration which soared to two million in ten years (oops); signing up to the Human Rights Act which has been abused to the frustration of successive Home Secretaries ever since (oops); the Iraq war (he now says it undermined democracy - oops); and the light touch legal regulation of the City that allowed the casino bankers to wreck the economy (double oops).
Charlie's CV includes direct responsibility for the Millennium Dome fiasco, which he took over from Peter Mandelson after Mandy resigned from the Cabinet. In his modernising zeal, he also carried out a botched attempt to scrap the 800-year-old title of Lord Chancellor which he held, before discovering it could not be done – a move he now says he regrets (oops again).
Former New Labour ministers like Good-Time Charlie have become pretty adept at saying sorry for past unintended consequences. The only problem with “assisted dying” is that you don't get a second chance.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US says Israel must up Gaza aid or risk arms halt
Speed Read The Biden administration has provided a 30-day ultimatum to the country
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
On Leadership: why Tony Blair's new book has divided critics
Talking Point The former Labour leader has created a 'practical guide to good governance' but should Keir Starmer take note?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published