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Cor, look at Gordon, our great nation’s flag resplendent behind him as he looks towards the broad horizons of the future.

The flag in these instances, is the ultimate rhetorical weapon. For Gordon, the flag is like the only sand-free and dry towel on the beach. He’s ripped it from the hands of that thick-necked gentleman with the disturbing tattoos and he’s wrapping himself in it so nobody else can have it. To keep it safe and him warm.

As he begins this new chapter in ‘British’ liberty (as opposed that filthy foreign liberty) in the broad, non-specific strokes of a truly great leader, let us see what a newly liberated Britain holds in store for us. Fifty-six days detention without trial. ID cards. Four and a half million people on the DNA database. What could be more British than that?

Of course, part of the point of Gordon writing a new chapter in ‘British’ liberty is so that all these ideas can be incorporated into our way of life. Soon, saying ‘as British as being fined for leaving the house without your ID card’ will be as much a cliche as ‘as British as fish and chips’. Occam’s Razor, experience and weary cynicism all suggest that those with the clearest views of what constitutes liberty will be kept the furthest away from the debate.

For a process that claims to be seeking a reinvigoration of British politics, it seems remarkably exclusive. Take, for instance, the green paper ‘The Governance of Britain’, the consultation document that outlines the government’s position. It’s available online in a 63 page PDF document or in print from the parliamentary stationery office at a charge of £13.50 (‘This publication is printed to order in black and white – colour diagrams may not be reproduced well.’).

How many people do you think – if they even have the resources to do so – will print it off and read it let alone go out and buy the thing? Or are even aware the thing exists. The cynic in me says that this could very well be the plan. Where will be the more diverse voices that might otherwise dilute vested interest and decisions that may or may not have been already made on this issue by the government? What about the pensioner with decades of experience, the teenager with those years ahead, and the thousands in between who know that something needs fixing and are looking for a way to express that?

We’re attempting to usher in a new age of British politics using the old, failed methods. Trying to engage by using the unengaging. Newly fangled citizen juries already have the smell of New Labour orchestration about them and they seems to be the only new tool in the box. Is it beyond a television production company to package this in an interactive prime time television series? It can be done in a serious manner away from talent shows. This is vital stuff and should be reaching as many people as possible. You’ll have to forgive me if I sense a fix in the making.