Last time I contributed to this blog I said I would bet money there would be a deal which enabled the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill to complete its passage in time for the referendum to take place on 5 May, and that the recent goings-on in the House would not cause the sky…
As soon as recess began yesterday we came down to Italy for a few days change from what has been a depressing few weeks in the Lords. I have a completely different take on what happened in the last stages of the passage of the PVSC bill from Lord Knight. But before I get onto…
This is an article I wrote for another blogsite (labourlist) but thought it may also be of interest here: After around two dozen days of debate and scrutiny, the AV Bill, or Parliamentary Voting Systems and Constituencies Bill to give it its proper title, finally became law late last night. So where does it leave us? And…
Electoral systems are means to an end. The ends can and do differ, so one selects an electoral system appropriate to the end. We have, as others have already mentioned, the Alternative Vote (AV) system for electing a replacement peer when an hereditary peer in the House dies. My objection is to ends rather than the…
I am looking forward immensely to the AV contest on 22nd March. No, not the referendum clash between Margaret Beckett and Lord Prescott (for the “No” campaign) and Helena Bonham-Carter and Colin Firth (for “Yes”) on 5th May. Instead I have in mind the by-election for a Hereditary Peer to replace the veteran Labour Lord Strabolgi,…
For anyone interested in the history of the House of Lords, the History of Parliament has produced a richly illustrated volume on the House following the Restoration in 1660. Entitled Honour, Interest and Power: An Illustrated History of the House of Lords, 1660-1715, and edited by Ruth Paley and Paul Seaward, it is published by…
I was very sorry to read that Lord Pilkington – or the Reverend Canon Lord Pilkington of Oxenford, to give him his full title – died on Monday at the age of 77. He was an active member of the House and was notable for his voice, which enabled him to be heard throughout the…
Today is the day for Parliamentary ping pong on the Parliamentary Voting System & Constituencies Bill. The first issue up was whether or not the referendum result on AV should be binding in all circumstances. Lord Rooker proposed that if the turnout is less than 40% then the result is advisory and Parliament makes the…
I am always impressed by the versatility of some of my colleagues. I have previously mentioned Lord McColl, who spends his summers performing surgery on Mercy Ships off the coast of West Africa, and Lord Forsyth, who has just climbed Mount Vinson. Another peer builds and flies his own aircraft. (Single-seater ones, that is.) Lord MacGregor…
