I have enjoyed reading Chris Mullin’s A View from the Foothills, his diaries from 1999 to 2005, covering his two stints as a junior minister. They are very revealing as well as entertaining. I enjoyed his comment when he first became a junior minister: “I am beseiged with invitations to address conferences organised by obscure…
The Parliament website has been re-designed and the home page is now more geared to news and activities in both Houses than it is to the institutional framework of Parliament. It is visually more attractive and I would judge easier to navigate for those who are not that familiar with the institution. The home page also…
Both Houses of Parliament are fairly transparent institutions. They meet in public, transcripts of proceedings are published (and published promptly), and how members vote is a matter of public record. Division lists are published in Hansard. However, working out the party break-down of a vote is another matter. I speak from experience, having analysed over 3,000 Commons’…
The Archbishop of York has suggested that St George’s day should be a holiday. Is this an idea worth pursuing? There are costs associated with creating a new public holiday, but we are notable for how few we have. If there is merit in the idea, should we actually have 23 April as the holiday,…
For this week’s quiz, I thought I would pose questions that are a little different to the type posted in previous weeks. Question 1 What is the relationship between a late distinguished member of the House of Lords and the phrase ‘Bob’s your uncle’? Question 2 When the two Houses of Parliament acquired a settled meeting place,…
Both Houses have risen for the Easter recess. They return on 20 April. When we return, we have various pieces of legislation to get through. Two big Government Bills have made slow progress. The Marine and Coastal Access Bill has still not completed its committee stage – its next day in committee is on 21…
In tune with so much of what has been happening in London this week, I attempted on Tuesday to arouse some politicians from their complacency about the dire reputation of Parliament. My Constitutional Renewal Bill, which received its First Reading then, seeks to put this whole issue back on the agenda. You may recall that,…
One of the other meetings I attended this past week was a Hansard Society seminar. It was the first in a series on ‘Making Better Law’. I gave a paper that examined some of the problems at the heart of the current law-making process. I identified various problems. One is the sheer volume of legislation. …
This week’s quiz questions. Who are these two peers? Peer 1 I did my principal degrees in the field of engineering production. I spent a few years in industry before entering the academic world. I am presently a professor. I am also a scientific advisor to the South African Government. Who am I? Peer 2 I trained…
