ladytizzy asked about dining in the Lords. There are various restaurants, cafes and bars in the Palace of Westminster. I won’t try and cover them all in a single post, but rather comment on particular dining outlets in different posts. When I am in Westminster, I try to get in early and have breakfast in…
For those interested in pursuing my point about an elected second chamber not necessarily being the ‘democratic’ option, you can access the text of the talk I gave last December at a seminar on Lords reform organised by the Leader of the House, Baroness Ashton, on: http://www.lordsleader.gov.uk/files/pdf/Dec_07_PN_Leaders_Seminar.pdf My starting point is the form of constitution I…
Although we should not use lordsoftheblog to be excessively controversial, I think you should know that Lord Norton’s views on the legitimacy of the House of Lords are not shared by everyone else, either here or in the House of Commons. Those who object to the Government’s attempt to find a consensus on Lords reform…
The White Paper on Lords reform appears to have been received with indifference, buried away on the inside pages of the broadsheets and treated as a second-order item by BBC News Online. Even ministers apparently had lost interest before it had even been published. It is not difficult to see why. As I anticipated, it…
Bismarck said, according to Susanna Kalitowski from the Hansard Society, that “Laws are like sausages; it’s better not to see them being made”. Kalitowski, whose report will be launched tomorrow afternoon and ‘previewed’ in the House Magazine yesterday, has studied the role of parliamentary scrutiny of legislation, interviewing over 80 interviews with Ministers, MPs, peers,…
The Government White Paper on Lords reform is expected to be published tomorrow (Monday). I and others will have the opportunity to comment further once it is published, but here are a few questions to bear in mind when you see the details: To what extent does the White Paper actually provide an intellectually coherent case for change as opposed…
Adrian Kidney and Handj have asked for my comments on the new Supreme Court. In October 2009, the law lords (pictured) are scheduled to move out of the Palace of Westminster and take up residence in the old Middlesex Guildhall, where they will form the Supreme Court. I opposed the creation of the new Court. The…
I haven’t blogged for 10days or so, largely because I’ve been so busy with responsibilities outside parliament, both work and domestic. It’s a constant juggle to arrange the various strands of my life so that they dovetail into each other seamlessly. I know my ‘busyness’ is of my own making and I have lots of…
A milestone for the blog. As of this evening, we have had 60,000 views since we went live. We appear to have built up a regular readership as well as some who visit once or occasionally, sometimes referred by other sites. On a normal weekday, we appear to get anywhere between 200 and 500 visitors,…
