I promised, in response to a comment from Stuart in an earlier post (‘What’s in a name?’), to reproduce my coat of arms. So here it is. As explained in my response to Stuart’s query on the earlier post, the coat incorporates features to reflect my background (primarily Louth and Lincolnshire) and my particular academic interests…
I promised in response to a comment on an earlier post to discuss post-legislative scrutiny. When I chaired the Constitution Committee of the Lords, we undertook a major inquiry into the legislative process. We looked at the legislative process holistically, examining not only the process when a Bill is before Parliament but also pre-legislative and…
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the passage of the Life Peerages Act 1958. There will be various events to mark the anniversary. Before 1958, the House was comprised primarily, though not exclusively, of hereditary peers. The exceptions were the Lords Spiritual and the law lords. The law lords were (under an Act of…
The House is now back from the Easter recess and busy debating. Peers have a reputation for being extremely polite to one another. Even insults are couched in language that sometimes means it is a few minutes before victims realise they have been criticised. Given that we sometimes hide what we really mean in decorous language,…
From Monday to Thursday, both Houses start business with Question Time. However, there are five ways in which Question Time in the Lords differs from that in the House of Commons. First, Question Time in the Lords lasts for no more than thirty minutes, compared with nearly one hour in the Commons. Second, only a…
