Author Archives: Lord Norton

Embracing the new technology – or not….

Lord Norton 23/05/2012 – 8:56 am

It is now not unsual to see peers in the chamber checking their smartphones.  Some now also make use of iPads.  Baroness Butler-Sloss used hers instead of paper when delivering a speech recently.  During the Second Reading debate yesterday of the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill, Lord Knight of Weymouth was sat on the Opposition Front [...]

Written at 8:56 am on 23/05/2012, by Lord Norton

Topic: , |

Comments (0)

The formidable Baroness….

Lord Norton 15/05/2012 – 10:23 pm

The Guardian on Saturday carried an article on women peers and included an interview with the formidable Baroness Trumpington (she of YouTube fame).   Part of the interview read: “So what does she think about the government’s plan to reform the Lords? Straight-backed in her chair, she rolls her eyes. The coalition is, she says, a [...]

Written at 10:23 pm on 15/05/2012, by Lord Norton

Topic: |

Comments (12)

State Opening

Lord Norton 11/05/2012 – 9:06 am

There was the usual pageantry for the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday.  Given that it was a two-year session, some new peers were attending the ceremony for the first time.  The chamber was packed.  (One year, there were empty benches at the back, the result apparently of a shortage of robes. )  The timetable doesn’t change, so everyone knows the [...]

Written at 9:06 am on 11/05/2012, by Lord Norton

Topic: |
Tagged: , |

Comments (9)

Recess quiz

Lord Norton 04/05/2012 – 4:44 pm

The Lords has had some members who have not enhanced the reputation of the House – occasionally quite the reverse, as we know from recent history – but the membership is marked far more by those who have achieved notable distinctions, not only before but also during their time in the House.  This quiz focuses [...]

Written at 4:44 pm on 04/05/2012, by Lord Norton

Topic: |
Tagged: |

Comments (12)

Not reaching agreement

Lord Norton 02/05/2012 – 6:41 pm

Blimey, I must have been a member of a different Joint Committee to that on which Lord Tyler served.  A 26-member committee (in practice 25, as one member never attended)  is too large a body for sustained scrutiny.  It facilitates disparate questioning and may actually militate against a good attendance (once or twice we were inquorate [...]

Written at 6:41 pm on 02/05/2012, by Lord Norton

Topic: |
Tagged: , |

Comments (28)