Although I think the House of Lords is too large and needs to be reduced in size I don’t think the discussion about reform should start with that particular issue. We can and probably will be reducing the size in the reasonably near future. The bigger question is what do we want our second chamber to…
Further to my post below, there was a statement in the Lords yesterday (or an urgent PQ repeated from the Commons to be precise). http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/110523-0002.htm#11052325000213 A joint committee made up of six members of the Commons and six from the Lords is to look into the state of the law following the recent publicity. A number of…
I think I am going to do some hard thinking about the growing problems relating to privacy. In the past I have resisted a law on privacy because of the way it limits investigative journalism but that is less likely now that we have the counter balance of freedom of speech enshrined in the European Convention. The…
Despite the Government defeat on a key part of the Bill we continued the debate yesterday even though the Bill has had a central part removed. An important debate took place on the relationship between local authorities and the Police. I am concerned that we will drift back to the situation that we had in…
Lord Strathclyde leader of the House, gave a star performance as the Government spokesman supporting this draft Bill which he clearly thinks is crazy! http://www.dpm.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/house-lords-reform-draft-bill Lord Strathclyde has never been a supporter of an elected House and it showed on his face if not in his words! Support from his own backbenchers was completely absent and I…
