Category Archives: Lord Soley

The EU and the Euro crisis

Lord Soley 14/05/2012 – 7:54 pm

In the Queen's speech there was an interesting contribution by Lord Owen. He warned of a growing crisis that will pose a major challenge to the UK. If the Euro does disintegrate then we will be badly affected but if it continues it will only do so as part of an ever closer union. In other speeches outside the House Lord Mandelson and Ed Balls MP have made similar points. The UK will finally have […]

Written at 7:54 pm on 14/05/2012, by Lord Soley

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Queen’s speech and the constitution

Lord Soley 14/05/2012 – 7:38 pm

I spoke on House of Lords reform (again!) in the Queens speech and like a growing number of members indicated that the way forward should be to set up a constituional convention as recommended in the alternative report on the draft Bill. This would allow us to look at the need for reform of the Commons as well as the Lords. Electing the Lords begs the question of who will do good scrutiny of leg […]

Written at 7:38 pm on 14/05/2012, by Lord Soley

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Lords Reform – Part Four

Lord Soley 30/04/2012 – 5:00 am

This completes my current entry following the other three posts below. So where do we go from here. Saying ‘no’ to the present Bill is common sense but what is the alternative. Both Houses need reform but if we are not to re write our constitution then it needs to be gradualist. Tony Blair took a key step in restricting the number of hereditary Peers and although many of them do a good job, […]

Written at 5:00 am on 30/04/2012, by Lord Soley

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Rupert Murdoch and Alex Salmond

Lord Soley 27/04/2012 – 4:59 pm

It should come as no surprise that Rupert Murdoch wants to back Alex Salmond's independence policy. It's the same policy that leads him to oppose EU membership. Anything that protects his power and diminishes the power of the regulator is his idea of good governance. Breaking up the United Kingdom weakens all the constituent parts. It has been by far the most successful political and economic unio […]

Written at 4:59 pm on 27/04/2012, by Lord Soley

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Lords reform – Part three

Lord Soley 26/04/2012 – 11:02 pm

This is the third part of my article on Lords reform and follows from the two below. Read this and then prepare yourself in body and soul for the last terrifying instalment! This brings me to the critically important issue of the scrutiny of legislation. Select Committees in the Commons do a good job on ministerial departments but on Bills, which become the final laws, the Commons scrutiny is s […]

Written at 11:02 pm on 26/04/2012, by Lord Soley

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