Throughout the holidays the British media, perhaps for lack of other emotive news, have been focusing on British military casualties in Afghanistan in an almost morbid way. In previous major wars such case by case accounts would not have been possible, or even allowed. It seems to me that editors and the public generally should…
In the Palace of Westminster, the committee corridor (pictured) has been at the hub of committee activity, though it now has competition. The corridor is remarkable for being a long, unbroken corridor running the length of much of the Palace. It has sixteen committee rooms overlooking the Thames. Committee Room 14 is the largest and…
This week there are again three questions. The first two readers to submit the correct answers to all three will be declared the winners. 1. The Lords Spiritual comprise the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishops of Durham, London and Winchester ex officio. The remaining 21 Bishops sit by virtue of their seniority. …
I recently received two invitations for celebratory events. The first marks the “40th Anniversary of the Great Al-Fatch Revolution” which brought Col. Gaddafi to power. The second rejoices in the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and H E Ambassador Fu Ying and Professor Hao Shiyuan request the pleasure of…
In a comment on the previous post, ladytizzy refers to the restoration work undertaken to the statue of Richard I that stands in Old Palace Yard in front of the Peers’ Entrance to the House of Lords. The work, to return the statute to its original glory, is now complete. I watched a workman remove the remaining boards round it…
A former MP who I know, and who served in the Commons for more than thirty years, has just written to me. He saw my letter in The Times last week and was writing to support what I said. He also used the opportunity for some recollections. He recalled that when he became an MP almost fifty…
The BBC has picked up on a written answer from Baroness Royall on the cost of Parliament, showing that the cost of the Lords this past year was down on the previous year. As the figures also show, the cost of running the Lords is almost a quarter of the cost of running the Commons. We tend…
Harriet Harman MP caused controversy again, with her comments about women in leadership. She said she does “not agree with all-male leaderships” because men “cannot be left to run things on their own.” The problem with these statements and the sentiment behind them, is that Harman is both right and wrong. Traditionally, women earn less…
When Parliament returns there may be a new spotlight on the pay and expenses arrangements for Peers. And quite right too – they are just as messy as those for MPs. Unjustifiably, the present rules mean Peers claim tax-free “allowances” for attendance, and as recent media stories have confirmed, that encourages people to just ‘pop…
