This week’s quiz covers cross-bench peers. As usual, the first two readers to supply the correct answers will be the winners. 1. There are presently 182 cross-bench peers. How many are former party leaders? 2. Unionist peers are no longer included in the figures for cross-bench peers. Who are the three Democratic Unionist peers sitting in…
Last Tuesday evening there were two amendments to the Equality Bill giving the right to “conscientious objections” to gay equality measures. They were tabled by Baroness Butler-Sloss, who supported Lord Alli’s later amendment to allow religious faiths the right to hold civil partnership ceremonies and has in the past been a strong advocate of gay…
I have had 30, almost 40, years’ experience of conflict and peace-building in Northern Ireland, and in the wider context of the island of Ireland. Despite the Belfast Agreement and the much more recent agreement about Criminal Justice and Policing, Northern Ireland remains a deeply divided society. Some of its people have a British identity…
Are we making parents unnecessarily fearful about the safety of their children? I think we are. Mega headlines about horrific child murders or brutality obviously worry people and if it does happen to your child it must be the most awful experience imaginable. But what is the real risk? A fascinating study by Professor Pritchard…
We’re really keen to hear what you think about Lords of the Blog and what would improve your experience of the blog. We’re still looking for people to take part in this research so please do get involved. If you’re interested in giving us your opinions and suggestions about how to improve the blog email…
Sometimes the temptation to indulge is almost irresistible. At our Questions today the problem of mice in the Lords refreshment areas was raised by Baroness Finlay and both she and the Chairman of Committees, who replied, referred to the “Mice Helpline”. With a couple of minutes to go I was so very tempted to ask…
In commenting on the attendance and voting behaviour of the Lords Spiritual, I sometimes half-jokingly say that if two Bishops are present and there is a vote, one will usually go into Content lobby and the other into the Not Content lobby. Last night provided some evidence for my observation. Lord Alli introduced an amendment to…
Last Wednesday in Grand Committee we had a debate on a report from the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee. The report was on post-implementation reviews of secondary legislation. It may sound a dry and complex topic, but it is extremely important. A large volume of law each year takes the form of secondary, rather than…
Every day in the Lords starts with four oral questions, and it can be difficult to secure a slot (three a week are saved for last minute topical questions). Many peers want to ask questions in order to hold the government to account and to find out more about plans and actions taken, and this…
