It was in vain that I explained that it was the duty of backbenchers to put any government 'on trial' and to provide a forum for the justification of policies.

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When I asked them why that was the case, one man explained it like this.

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"We got wind that John had spoken to Woking, " explained Curtis, "but he denied it and I was tempted to dismiss it as just another rumour".

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In that case, as I explained in my last post, I think the panel has always worked better when it was three judges than four, and I could see Jackson, Minaj, and Urban working out long term.

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