I just heard the PM say that 40% of schools are open in spite of the strike and there is a video clip on BBC news of passport control moving at a pace at Heathrow I haven’t seen it for years. No doubt tomorrow we’ll get a better picture but possibly the strike will not…
We are about half way through the committee stages of the Health and Social Care Bill; yesterday afternoon and evening we ploughed through the 7th day of amendments, missing our target as usual by several groups of amendments because so many people want to speak. I spoke in the debate on amendment 103, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/111122-0002.htm#11112299000096…
I’m writing this in the half hour break we’ve been given for lunch on the 5th day of committee on the Health and Social Care Bill. We’ve been discussing the role of GP Clinical Commissioning groups and then Public Health. There is broad unaniminity around the House about the objectives and very little disagreement about the…
I’m watching events in Italy with some trepidation and on Thursday I’m going to see for myself how matters are unfolding in our little corner of it. The general rejoicing at Berlusconi’s departure won’t of course automatically bring in a government able to tackle the grievous structural problems and zero growth. Even putting in Mario…
I’ve spent some batty days in the House of Lords but yesterday’s debate on modernising the House’s procedure in the Chamber has to be the battiest so far. The Leader’s Group on Working Practices of the House (called the Goodlad Report) has made a series of minor recommendations (and some more substantive recommendations that we…
