The House of Commons rose for the summer recess on Tuesday and the House of Lords on Wednesday. By the end of Wednesday, after the House had risen, there was still a good deal of activity. The Despatch Box (the snack bar) in the Atrium in Portcullis House was well patronised. The giveaway that we…
Every other year, wearing my hat as Director of the Centre for Legislative Studies at the University of Hull, I organise a Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians. Co-sponsored by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, it draws academics and parliamentarians from a wide range of countries. It enables scholars to present research findings likely to be of…
Because of the number of new members introduced into the House, we are having a good number of maiden speeches. In a recent debate on women in society, we had no fewer than seven maiden speeches. In yesterday’s debate on the Finance Bill, there were two. I rather enjoyed the opening of the short maiden…
This week’s quiz focuses on major offices that have been held by some members of the House of Lords. As usual, the first two readers to supply the correct answers will be the winners. As before, feel free to guess even if you are not certain you have exhausted the possibilities. The House rises for…
The demonstrators camped in Parliament Square were last night removed by bailiffs. Their continued presence has been highly controversial. On the one hand, the one situation worse than having people demonstrate outside Parliament is not having people demonstrate outside Parliament. On the other hand, no right is absolute unto itself and these protestors were not only causing…
