David Cameron has produced a substantial reform agenda for Parliament. It appeared in The Guardian this morning and was delivered in a speech today at the Open University. His recommendations cover three basic relationships: those of Government to Parliament, Parliament to the people, and the centre to the locality. There is a lot in his speech,…
I have just returned from a lightning visit to Afghanistan to see the school I have been supporting for almost 10 years. I will write more about it in time but this is a quick note to record a (to me extraordinary) co-incidence. I have blogged about the setting up of this school which has 50%…
This week’s quiz questions. 1. Baroness Ashton of Upholland is serving as a European Commissioner. Which other members of the House of Lords have preceded her as members of the Commission? 2. Who was the first female convenor of the cross-bench peers?
Last Wednesday a small group of us went in the early morning to the Whitechapel Gallery to see some paintings and sculpture of artists who had been supported by the British Council and whose work now formed part of the BC’s collection. Very sensibly, we focussed on just a few, for example an early Henry Moore sculpture and…
“The wars of mankind are like children’s fights – all meaningless, pithless and contemptible. All their fights are fought with wooden swords, all their purposes are centred in futility.” – Jalaleddin Rumi This quotation comes from a 13th Century Islamic mystic, one of the great men of the Sufi tradition. He was born in modern Afghanistan,…
I have visited Turkey at intervals since 1994, as an informal observer of elections and other sensitive events. This spring I was present at the local elections in south-east Turkey. The nationwide results got much more media coverage than local elections here. Since 1984, despite various ceasefires, there has been a prolonged, armed uprising by…
Travelling back to Hull on the train last night, I was sat opposite a businessman who was using his mobile ‘phone. He was speaking loudly. I was sufficiently engrossed in my work not to pay much attention to what he was saying. However, at one point I did hear: “No, no, don’t call it a bonus. …
The announcement of an end to the self regulating gentleman’s club that has characterised Parliament was welcome news to my ears! I have been arguing for an independent body to set pay and expenses for MP’s and Pees for some years and we have taken a significant step towards that. I have a history on…
The House this evening agreed to suspend two peers, Lords Truscott and Taylor of Blackburn. After a very good debate, the House agreed, without a vote, to accept the first report of the Privileges Committee (thus agreeing that we had the power to suspend members) as well as the second (with its findings in respect of…
