Pictures of Parliament are normally confined to the Palace of Westminster. However, the parliamentary estate stretches well beyond the Palace to the north and to the south-west. Just as the Palace shapes behaviour, so too does the way the estate is configured. The building of Portcullis House – modern, with a floor of dedicated committee rooms…
In Question Time on Thursday, there was a question about taking steps to ensure that people over 60 are able to access the Internet. Towards the end, there was an interesting exchange: “Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate: My Lords, is my noble friend aware that, as a person over 60, I am continually bombarded with spam…
This weekend’s quiz questions: 1. The chamber of the House of Commons was destroyed by enemy bombing on 10 May 1941. Until the chamber was rebuilt, the Commons sat in the chamber of the House of Lords. Where did the House of Lords sit? 2. Who was the last Leader of the House of Lords…
Tomorrow morning I have a main debate in the Chamber on the new National Dementia Strategy http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_094058 I’ve been finishing off my speech today…I will only get 15 minutes. It’s a truism that when you stop worrying about the kids, you start worrying about your parents and what you worry about is their minds failing.…
In the wake of the worst recession for over 100 years, it seems a logical necessity to bail out indebted banks in order to prevent financial chaos. After all, the UK has always been able to rely on complex fiscal and monetary policies to stabilise its debt. However, are we not forgetting that the government…
I wonder whether anybody else has examined the contrast between the two electoral systems used to produce Speakers, in the two Houses of Parliament. In the Lords, in 2007, we used an Alternative Vote (AV) system to elect our excellent Lord Speaker, Helene Hayman. In the Commons last night, they employed the “exhaustive” (and exhausting)…
Yesterday, The Sunday Times carried an article by Jack Straw (‘Out with the Lords, in with the Senate’) explaining why he now supports an elected second chamber. Most of the article is taken up discussing the cross-party group he convened to discuss reform. Only in the last third does he offer arguments for an elected second chamber. His…
On 11 June, the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) in the Commons held a seminar, drawing on former diplomats, those who had chaired inquiries, and MPs and peers, in order to discuss how an inquiry into the Iraq war could and should be conducted. I was one of the participants. It was an extremely productive gathering.…
This weekend’s quiz questions. The Work of the House of Lords 2007-08 can be read here. On page 31, there is a picture of a judicial sitting of the House. 1. Who is the law lord presiding on the woolsack? 2. Who is the law lord delivering the judgement? A commendation to any reader who can identify…
