Monthly Archives: October 2011
Sunday already?
It has been one of those weeks. Last week, I got back from the conference in Switzerland in time for Friday’s debate on the Steel Bill which, as previously reported, cleared committee stage. Since then, it has been a case … Continue reading
Voting in both lobbies
There is a valuable analysis of Monday’s EU referendum vote in the House of Commons on the Ballots and Bullets website. One interesting point is that two MPs abstained by voting in both lobbies. This is a means of publicly demonstrating … Continue reading
Talking of parliaments
I returned last night from Switzerland, having given the keynote speech at an international conference on capacity building in parliaments. It was organised by the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) and Monash University and attracted a good number of … Continue reading
A premature end
We had the second evidence-taking session of the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill this evening. We had planned a relatively long session, but it did not quite go as intended. We came to a premature end. I … Continue reading
Returning to Switzerland
Swiss Parliament As regular readers of Lords of the Blog will know, I was in Bern three years ago to take part in a conference to advise on the creation of a second chamber in the Iraq parliament. I am returning … Continue reading
What do you call former Lord Chancellors?
At yesterday’s meeting of the Constitution Committee in the Lords, we took evidence from three former Lord Chancellors – Jack Straw, Lord Mackay of Clashfern and Lord Falconer of Thoroton – as part of our inquiry into judicial appointments. While … Continue reading
Life at Westminster….
It’s Tuesday afternoon. In the chamber, the House is engaged on a marathon debate on the Health and Social Care Bill. Because so many peers signed up to speak – no less than 100 – the House began sitting today … Continue reading
The confusion continues…
The Hull Daily Mail is encouraging people to sign a petition on the Government’s e-petition website calling for action on jobs being lost at the BAE plant in Brough. They report that, if 100,000 people sign the petition, the Government … Continue reading
The Norton View 