Last Thursday in the Lords I led a debate on the the Impact of Government policy on Family Budgets. It was a good debate although it would have been nice to hear from some other benches than the Labour ones, but second debates on a Thursday afternoon are often not popular. When I was winding…
The recall of Parliament today went better than I expected. In the Lords I think the questions on public disorder were measured and appropriate, and the tone continued that set in the Commons by David Cameron and Ed Miliband in avoiding political rancour. Today was the day for standing shoulder to shoulder against criminality, for…
This week sees the beginning of the long summer recess for both the Lords and Commons, but with the Lords working an extra day. This ought not be remarkable as long as events are proceeding in a normal way. But they are not. The Commons finish on Tuesday. For a small group of backbenchers who…
I rushed away to another event this evening after the vote on the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill. That means I missed the debate after this extraordinary vote but have now read the Hansard record and have a feel for the chaos that ensued. The defeat was significant because it was a Liberal Democrat…
Today is polling day for national elections in Wales & Scotland, council elections in much of England, the Leicester South by-election, and the Referendum on a new electoral system for the House of Commons. As all the political commentators are saying, it is the first major electoral test of the coalition; and all the parties…
