Thanks to kiwiblog, as well as roarprawn and Alf Grumble, we have attracted a fair amount of traffic from New Zealand as well as apparently generating a little internal debate there. I hope our New Zealand readers will become regular followers, adding to our international readership.
After the House has been sitting for several hours discussing legislation, it is the usual practice to break at a convenient point around 7.30 p.m. for what is known as dinner-break business. This gives those peers who have been heavily engaged in discussing the legislation, especially front-benchers, an opportunity to have a break and get…
It appears we are not alone. There is another blog by parliamentarians. In this case, though, it is confined to one party. Labour MPs in New Zealand contribute to a blog. We can claim to retain our unique status in that we are cross-party. We also differ from the New Zealand blog in that we…
I thought I would pick up on Lord Soley’s post on the Bonfire of the Vanities. As he says, it is 175 years since the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire. The House of Lords went up in flames first, followed by the Commons. Westminster Hall was saved. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord…
In recent decades, both Houses have become more specialised through the use of investigative select committees. These are highly active and productive bodies. They are a formal part of the parliamentary process. They meet in public to take evidence: their membership is a matter of public record, as is the attendance of the members. Attendance…
