WE are moving into a pre-election period; how do I know this? The Government is getting a bit more nervous than usual about winning votes in the House of Lords. A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to talk to the assembled Government Front Bench and happily did so. However, what emerged was a very definite perception…
It’s only when I get a spare moment and log on to the blog that I realise what a lot has happened. Days pass with frantic rushes to get to the next meeting more or less on time (meetings do nearly always begin on time in this place – rooms are usually booked for an…
This Sunday (30 November) BBC Parliament will be showing an evening of programmes to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passage of the Life Peerages Act. It will include a feature on one of the first women peers, Baroness Wootton of Abinger. The 1958 Act has been the basis for the transformation of the second…
There were a great many answers to written questions appearing in Hansard yesterday, the last day of the session. Among them was the answer to the question I tabled on the issue of Government Department websites. It shows some welcome development in terms of ensuring consistency and user-friendly sites. As Departments have control of their own…
There was an interesting exchange yesterday on the question of language tuition in schools. I can remember when people argued that Latin was a ‘dead’ language. Now the balance of the argument seems to be going into reverse! The thrust of the questions was in favour of more Latin tuition. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldhansrd/text/81125-0001.htm#08112566000009 I am notoriously bad…
The long–suffering Doorkeepers who look after us so well, and manage so much of the activity in the Lords, have the invidious task of making sure that anyone who walks through the Prince’s Chamber (the lobby to the Chamber itself) is properly dressed. I know, because I tabled a question to the Chairman of Committees…
I have now received answers to the questions I tabled about government consultation exercises. I thought I would reproduce the two fullest and most constructive responses: on making available a co-ordinated list of consultation exercises and on making consultation documents available in machine-readable form. _______________ Cabinet Office: Website Lord Norton of Louth asked Her Majesty’s Government:…
The recent death of Conservative peer Lord Cuckney has meant that the Conservative strength in the House of Lords has now dipped below 200, leaving it with seven less seats than the cross-benchers. According to the latest issue of The House Magazine, the composition of the House is now: Labour 214 Cross-benchers 206 Conservatives 199…
Lord Tyler’s post reminds me of the occasion when I gave a talk on Parliament to politics students at St Peter’s School in York. At the end of the talk, I was presented with a framed portrait of the school’s most famous old boy – Guido Fawkes! I spoke again at the school earlier this year. …
