Readers may remember that I wrote recently of the ludicrous system for replacing my late Liberal Democrat colleague, Robert Methuen, who sadly died this summer. Despite a choice of some thirteen Conservatives and Crossbenchers, the forces of convention did manage to elect a Liberal Democrat. Our new colleague will be Raymond Asquith, otherwise known as…
Hamas began as an off-shoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, when Egypt administered the Gaza Strip after 1948. It has developed in three ways, first as a social service and welfare organization, secondly as a political movement, and thirdly as a form of national resistance against occupation and colonization by Israel. The last role caused…
Government announces Eurostar sell-off So Osborne is selling more of the family silver in seeking to raise £300m from the sale of a 40% stake in Eurostar. This is our only rail link to the continent and the rest of Europe. It is unregulated and can charge what it likes, drastically cut its services, let…
Much of the current spotlight on the UK Parliament is focussed on the Scottish devolution proposals, which were debated fiercely in the Commons, yesterday. This has spearheaded a much needed public discussion about devolution and I welcome these new opportunities. However, as well as being an important issue for Scotland, these debates are equally vital for…
If the TV show Pointless asked contestants to name countries with UN peacekeeping missions then the Central African Republic would almost certainly be a ‘pointless’ answer: one that no-one was able to guess. Yet, in this country with a population smaller than Scotland (4.6 million) thousands were murdered, raped and mutilated at the end of…
It has been widely reported that, when the House of Commons returns, in October the Home Secretary will announce plans to introduce ‘gagging orders’ (perhaps similar to those imposed on members of the IRA in the 1980s) against named individuals and organisations who promote jihad and the radicalisation of British Muslims. As Teresa May takes…
It should be more widely known that 126 Muslim leaders and scholars, on September 9th, sent an Open Letter to Dr Ibrahim Awwad Al-Badri, known as Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the declared Caliph of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL). The authors came from every country in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Nigeria…
In the latest issue of The House, Paul Waugh and Daniel Bond interview William Hague. On the Private Member’s Bill on an EU referendum, introduced last session by James Wharton and introduced in this session by Bob Neill, they ask the Leader of the House of Commons whether the Prime Minister would be ready to use…
Parliament recalled today, to discuss the proposed bombing of Isil in Iraq; I am following the debate with interest. I am always uneasy when all political parties agree and I am uncertain about the wisdom of joining what may turn out to be a half-hearted attempt to rid the world of a murderous organisation. If…
