Westminster Bubble
Encyclopedia
The Westminster Bubble is a term used to describe United Kingdom
Members of Parliament
, Peers
, lobbyists, researchers, secretaries, civil servants, lobby correspondents and leader writer
s for newspapers who appear to live their life isolated from life outside Parliament
and is so named because Parliament is located in Westminster
, London
. the alternative term Westminster village had gained much popularity.
Similar terms apply in the United States
, where the governmental culture in and around Washington DC is sometimes known as the Washington Bubble or more often Inside the Beltway
. However, as the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) is a is a 64-mile (103 km) loop, its geographical area is a far larger than the borough of Westminster.
More recently, in Scotland
, there has been a development of a "Holyrood bubble", as the Scottish Parliament
is in the Holyrood
district of Edinburgh
.
Although the term has been used for many years, recent examples of its use include Peter Hain
speaking in the House on 29 January 2004:
In July the previous year he had described it in a newspaper article as:
In November 2003 Conservative Party
Leader Michael Howard
indicated on the day of his appointment that he wished to be a 'Leader outside the Westminster Bubble'.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Peers
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, lobbyists, researchers, secretaries, civil servants, lobby correspondents and leader writer
Leader writer
A Leader Writer is a senior journalist in a British newspaper who is charged with writing the paper's editorial either in the absence of the editor or in cases where the editor chooses not to write editorials because their editorial skills may rest more in management of the company than in writing...
s for newspapers who appear to live their life isolated from life outside Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
and is so named because Parliament is located in Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. the alternative term Westminster village had gained much popularity.
Similar terms apply in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where the governmental culture in and around Washington DC is sometimes known as the Washington Bubble or more often Inside the Beltway
Inside the Beltway
"Inside the Beltway" is a phrase used to characterize parts of the real or imagined American political system. The name refers to the Capital Beltway , a circumferential highway , completed in 1964, that encircles Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.The phrase is commonly used to...
. However, as the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) is a is a 64-mile (103 km) loop, its geographical area is a far larger than the borough of Westminster.
More recently, in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, there has been a development of a "Holyrood bubble", as the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
is in the Holyrood
Holyrood, Edinburgh
Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Lying east of the city centre, at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood was once in the separate burgh of Canongate before the expansion of Edinburgh in 1856...
district of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Although the term has been used for many years, recent examples of its use include Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
speaking in the House on 29 January 2004:
"All broadcasters, the whole coverage of politics, the Westminster bubble that we as politicians of the Government and Opposition occupy together with the Westminster lobby; together we are all conducting politics in a way that is turning off voters, listeners, readers and watchers by the million."
In July the previous year he had described it in a newspaper article as:
"That politically incestuous world occupied by politicians, government and opposition, together with the media. Politicians, news broadcasters and journalists now form a ‘political class’ which is in a frenzied world of its own, divorced from the people, and which is turning off viewers, listeners and readers from politics by the million.".
In November 2003 Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Leader Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
indicated on the day of his appointment that he wished to be a 'Leader outside the Westminster Bubble'.
External links
- Full July 2003 Peter Hain article
- Straight talking on Westminster village, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, December 21, 2004