Binyam Mohammed is a UK resident recently released, due to the UK Government’s insistence, from Guantanamo Bay. He alleges that he was tortured in Morocco with the knowledge, if not the permission, of UK Authorities. The evidence that Mr Mohammed suffered severe torture while held in Morocco to where he was flown by US Authorities is strong.…
The Northern Ireland Bill, designed to assist the devolution process in the province, completed its remaining stages in the Lords yesterday. There were two noteworthy features. The first was that the Government was keen to see it passed as quickly as possible, hence its expedited passage. The Govermment argued that it was necessary to get…
Next week will mark the first birthday of Lords of the Blog. Yesterday, we also reached another milestone: we passed the figure of 150,000 visitors since we started blogging. They are not unique visitors and the figure is modest relative to the sites that attract high traffic, such as Iain Dale and Guido Fawkes. However,…
There is a big difference between the way the business is planned in the Commons and in the Lords. I used to be a minor channel (a drain rather than a canal, perhaps) when I was Chief Whip and then Shadow Leader of the Commons for the Liberal Democrats. There, so long as the Government…
This Bill received its second reading yesterday. It was moved by Peter Mandelson and a ‘fatal’ amendment was put down by Lord Clarke of Hampstead. Tony Clarke was a post worker throughout his life and feels very passionately against the Bill as he sees it as privatisation. He did not push his amendment to a…
I am one of many independent (Crossbench) Peers and would like to introduce you to my background in my first guest blog. In the late 1960s I visited Northern Ireland as the civil rights protests began to turn into armed conflicts. In 1971 I began to take part in the work of the House of…
I have just become a member of this Committee and attended my first meeting last week. The title makes it sound very dry and boring. In fact it isn’t and it performs an important Parliamentary function. Acts of Parliament are primary legislation. Ministers are given delegated powers by Parliament to avoid every detail being spelt…
There is something deep in the British psyche that has given a long history to custard throwing and most of us in politics have experienced it in some form at one time or another. Sometimes our families are in the firing line. Many years ago my partner was hit by an egg when she answered…
The general outrage about this payment and the decisions that led up to it are well described in this Parliamentary Question last Thursday. The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners) is answering a question about bonus payments. His reply is well worth reading and very informative. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldhansrd/text/90305-0001.htm#09030545001028 I find the acceptance of the…
