After much deliberation the Intergovernmental Organisations Select Committee has produced its first (and possibly last!) report. Its title is: Diseases Know No Frontiers: How effective are Intergovernmental Organisations in controlling their spread? You can access it from the following link:http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldintergov.htm The report received wide coverage in the media with the front page of the Independent…
I am not sure why being at the House of Lords is so exhausting but it is! I had thought of making a private note of my daily tasks if only to convince myself that I was actually achieving something. It would be dead boring to recount all the innumerable events in any one day…
Lord (Philip) Norton is my friend and my colleague. He deserves a medal (or two) for his assiduous blogging. It seems this is not just another work assignment for him but a genuine desire to share both information and knowledge. What has surprised me is his willingness to answer almost any query – even if somewhat…
In 1994, in conjunction with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, I organised a Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians, designed to enable academics to present research findings likely to be of practical interest to parliamentarians. Held at the Berlin Science Centre, it drew scholars and members of parliaments from around the globe. It was extremely productive and so has become…
Hansard Society eDemocracy Programme As Lord Norton mentioned yesterday, the House has now risen for summer recess. We’re expecting to see posts continue over the summer (although at a more sedate pace!), certainly a number of our contributors have already promised to write! Lords of the Blog has been live since March and we’re about…
The Palace of Westminster is a mock gothic building completed in the 1850s. It was regarded as an architectural masterpiece of its day and its remains an awe-inspiring building. It is difficult for anyone working in it not to be impressed by it. Buildings tend to shape how an institution operates. Parliament would not be the…
Both Houses rose yesterday for the summer recess. The Lords finished its main business shortly before two o’clock and then adjourned until 6.50 p.m. when the Lord Speaker announced Royal Assent to two measures (the Housing and Regeneration Act and the Crossrail Act). There were eighteen peers in the chamber to hear the announcement. The…
Lord Tyler makes some interesting points but none that undermines the points advanced against electing the second chamber – though he does at least avoid some of the cliches advanced by proponents of election. There are two particular points I would make. First, the House is variously characterised as a House of experience and expertise. …
I’ve been meaning to respond to some of the comments on our mini-debate about the merits, in principle, of reforming the House of Lords. I’ve recently been caught up in the Joint Committee on Constitutional Renewal, doing some detailed work on the role of the Attorney General. That’s all still confidential at the moment but…
