The condition of Parliament Square is of interest to a number of Lords. Lord Norton has blogged on this site about the departure of the squatters and Lady Trumpington recently asked a question about it. I have tried twice to question the government about it. On the first occasion earlier this year the issue was sub judice, that…
It has been reported in the papers today that tomorrow will see the announcement of 50 new peers, chosen to give the Coalition a majority in the Lords. By the time you read this, the names may have been announced. I hope they will not all be donors to the major parties. Reflecting on Baroness…
I have just returned, much refreshed and calmed, from a performance of Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor. Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. It was a special performance for Remembrance Day, in the splendid setting of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. It was performed by our local world class…
Yesterday the House spent 8 hours debating the Public Bodies (Reform) Bill. This is a Bill that, in short, gives Ministers the power to abolish, merge and reform quangos (quasi-autonomous non-departmental organisations) without much further consultation, simply by statutory instrument. The Bill lists 192 of those organisations that we love to hate (the Charity Commission, the…
Last night the All Party Parliamentary Group on Family Law held its first meeting, open to the public and parliamentarians. Its purpose is to discuss areas of concern in family law and child law, and think about reform. Despite the tube strike (no sympathy here for the underground employees) there was a good turnout, and…
