Monthly Archives: September 2011
Lull before the storm
Westminster is proving to be notably quiet in the period between the September sitting and the two Houses resuming next month. The atrium in Portcullis House is less busy than during the main summer recess. In part, this may be because … Continue reading
Unusual visitors?
From today’s Daily Telegraph: “Police officers at the Houses of Parliament have confiscated magic wands, broomsticks, snow boots and even a giant tennis ball from visitors. Figures released yesterday showed hundreds of items, including three balloons, a boomerang, an egg, … Continue reading
Reforming committees
I have just done a post on Lords of the Blog about reforming committees in the Lords. When I chaired the Commission to Strengthen Parliament, which reported in 2000, we recommended that each Bill in the Lords should normally be … Continue reading
Knowing your age….
I was having lunch today when someone at the next table started using his mobile to ‘phone an Internet company. He was quite loud, so it was difficult to ignore what he was saying. (I am usually so engrossed in … Continue reading
Trust in MPs
I have been looking at the data in the latest survey of public attitudes towards conduct in public life, carried out for the Committee on Standards in Public Life. One interesting contrast continues to persist in public attitudes towards Members … Continue reading
Conflicting pressures
There is something of a tension between what electors expect MPs to do and their acceptance of the need to provide the resources necessary to carry out their jobs. This to some extent is at the back of the expenses’ … Continue reading
Disappearing seats
Anthony Wells (a Hull BPLS graduate) works for YouGov and is a leading analyst of UK voting. He runs the UK Polling website. He has been busy at work on the Boundary Commission recommendations. He has drawn up a list of seats that, on his … Continue reading
Committee work
In recent decades, the House of Lords has become a more specialised body, making far greater use of committees. Much of my time is taken up with commiteee work, which absorbs more of my energy on a regular basis than the … Continue reading
Boundary changes
I did an interview early this morning for BBC Radio Humberside on the Boundary Commission’s recommendations. Within the old Humberside area, the nine constituencies are reduced to eight. The one that is dismembered is Brigg and Goole, with parts going to … Continue reading
Lords’ reform
There is a very good article by Conor Burns, MP for Bournemouth West, in the latest issue of Total Politics. You can read the article here. He makes the point that the current debate is about who should sit in … Continue reading
The Norton View 