Last Bank Holiday weekend we walked down the Wye Valley Way. Many of the fields through which we passed were just wet grass, soaking through our boots. Occasionally, though, we came to a meadow full of wild flowers – buttercups, red clover, daisies, and other species that I could not name, but they all lifted…
The House of Lords will today debate one of the most pressing and important issues facing Europe, namely the chronic rates of youth unemployment in the EU. It will discuss the recent report from the European Union Committee, of which I am a member of sub-committee B, regarding the sizable numbers of young people out…
Today, February 6th, is the internationally recognised day against female genital cutting (FGC). Today, fourteen communities, representing over 60,000 people, are declaring their abandonment of female genital cutting in Mali. Approximately 2.8 million women and girls have undergone FGC in Mali, around 85%. This makes the declaration an important milestone, not least because the Government…
The UK is one of the most centralised countries in world. While Scotland, Wales and London have a measure of devolution, the rest of the country remains highly centralised. And most of the funding for the devolved governments comes from central government grant, who raise only a poultry sum themselves from tax collected. In London…
I am extremely honoured to have been made a fellow of Birkbeck University recently. Birkbeck makes an important contribution by providing evening study which enables people to run a home or do a job at the same time as taking a degree. Birkbeck also encourages people without traditional qualifications to get involved. Here are four relevant…
