Thursday is the new Wednesday

Wednesday is usually my busiest day at Westminster but this week it was Thursday.

The day started with a meeting of the Campaign for an Effective Second Chamber (we oppose an elected House but favour reform within the House in order to strengthen it); there is a good turnout of peers and MPs. 

I head straight from the meeting to Broadway House in Tothill Street where I am speaking to a seminar, comprising staff from overseas parliaments, on comparing legislatures and establishing the means for assessing their efficacy.   I am just concluding answering questions when I get a text message saying there is a division.  I dash back to the House, but just miss it.  Memo to self: at my age, don’t run.

I have a lunchtime meeting of the Lord Speaker’s Advisory Group on Outreach.  We meet with the Director-General of the BBC, Mark Thompson.   This is the last meeting of the group to be chaired by Baroness Hayman as Lord Speaker.

I am in the chamber for some of the debate on amendments to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.  As I remain in the precincts for the rest of the day, I am able to vote in the remaining three divisions.

I have a meeting wearing my hat as editor of The Journal of Legislative Studies.  My editorial assistant and I meet with the publishers.  The journal is in a very healthy state.  I go from this to my evening engagement: the summer dinner of the Study of Parliament Group, held in the Speaker’s State Apartments.  (The dinner is in the room where I delivered the Speaker’s Lecture on Enoch Powell.)  The guest speaker is the President of the Supreme Court, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers.  At dinner, I am seated next to the Clerk of the Parliaments, David Beamish.  We have plenty to chat about.

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