Monthly Archives: October 2012
Speaking to legislators in Mexico
I spoke yesterday to a conference, La Conferencia Permanente De Congresos Locales, in Mexico. It was attended by about 500 members drawn from local legislatures. The lecture was delivered from Westminster via video link. There were initial technical problems establishing the link: it took … Continue reading
Foreign travels
In autumn of last year, I spoke at two conferences, one in Bern and the other at the French National Assembly in Paris. This autumn, I shall also be travelling twice to the continent to speak. As regular readers will … Continue reading
And the winner is….
There were some excellent entries to the competition to find the most appropriate caption for this picture. They were notable for their quantity and their quality. I was spoilt for choice and narrowed it down to two or three before selecting … Continue reading
A good week for publications
It has not been a bad week for publications. As readers know, Eminent Parliamentarians was published on Monday. However, it is only one of four. I penned a chapter ‘Opt-Out: Britain’s Unsplendid Isolation’, which has been published in J. Hayward … Continue reading
A special offer
Eminent Parliamentarians: The Speaker’s Lectures was published yesterday. It is in hardback and runs to 295 pages. I am very pleased with how it has come out: it has attracted very positive comments from those who have already seen or … Continue reading
Welcome – caption competition
Today was taken up with a University Open Day. There was a good turnout of potential applicants and my colleagues and I were kept busy explaining what we had to offer. Here’s a picture of me, looking keen and ready for … Continue reading
Civil servants and Parliament
The fiasco over the franchise for the West Coast mainline reminds us that civil servants are far from infallible. One area of concern has always been their attitude towards Parliament. Some appreciate the role of the institution, but others have … Continue reading
The Norton View 