No-one can claim that our politics is on a go-slow right now! Suddenly, arguments on constitutional, parliamentary or electoral reform that have rumbled for decades are being teed up for action within weeks or months. If you believe Nick Clegg, MPs won’t have their holidays this year unless they take instant decisions on matters of huge importance.

The traditional response of those with experience and wisdom is to eschew the panic, sagely affirming that policy made in a hurry is often regretted at leisure. It is often good advice, and may well have been whispered in Speaker Martin’s ear in recent months. But, as recent weeks have proved, events sometimes acquire a momentum of their own. Twenty-four hour news does the rest! The recent Sunningdale Report (See Topic 135) pleads for more time for policy-making, but realistically, this is unlikely. Maybe the best we can hope for is to use the available time better.