The Phoenix bird of Egyptian mythology rose many times with youthful freshness from the ashes of its own self-destruction . Do you think that Parliament might also achieve this emblem of resurrection? If not, it won’t be for want of trying. Certainly, never has Parliament reached such levels of disrepute but neither have there ever been so…
The State has core functions which overall allow citizens to flourish individually, socially and economically. These functions include ensuring the rule of law, managing public finance and assets, developing social policies, upholding human rights, maintaining administrative control and the legitimate use of violence. It is ONLY the State that can carry out these duties and therefore one could…
Some of you will know that the House of Lords Code of Conduct was recently scrutinised in great detail and a clearer code is emerging. Very simply put if you are a paid advocate for a particular enterprise – whether that be, for example, a commercial company of some sort of public relations firm –…
The Prime Minister considers it ‘completely inappropriate’ for Muslims to demonstrate in Wootton Bassett to remind the wider world of civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. No harm in considering something inappropriate but there would be great harm to my mind if the planned demonstration were to be censored. The protest march would offend the…
When you were at school, now is the time that lessons begin to get less serious and holiday events more numerous. Not so here in the House of Lords, we are still in very serious mode (even mood!). Today we had the Second Reading of the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) bill, a rare bit of good news; the…
