There are plans to remove passports, with their accompanying entitlements, from those Britons who have gone abroad for jihadist purposes or return here after such exploits. Although it has been widely reported that this cannot be done under international law, there appears to be no international treaty that the UK has signed that would prevent…
There was much that was shocking about recent reports of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. Although I have to admit I’ve not read Professor Jay’s report, one point from it jumped out at me from the press accounts. This was that the police treated the victims ‘with contempt’ and as ‘undesirables’ not worthy of protection. …
Thought for the day: how come powerful vacuum cleaners have to be restricted by agreement of Europe’s Governments – not, of course, just by the European Commission – while powerful cars have no such constriction? Could it be that those Governments are male dominated, and cars are “boys’ toys”, while those same politicians don’t…
As a relatively new member of the House of Lords I was delighted to be appointed to the Lords Select Committee on Digital Skills. Unlike select committees in the House of Commons, which are generally responsible for overseeing the work of government departments and agencies, those of the Lords look at general issues. They can…
Since I first came to Italy 45 years ago, there has been a dramatic shift in Italian society. The collapse of the Roman Catholic Church as a forceful power in people’s lives has been dramatic. The loss of belief among younger generations is most notable among young women and now only about 5-7% of the…
When Baroness Warsi suddenly resigned last week from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) it was patently clear that her reasons were not as advertised by herself. Ministerial resignations like this, with no warning and no previously expressed public concern about policy, are nearly always a symptom of bad relationships between ministers or a quiet…
Over the weekend, a number of Conservative and Labour parliamentarians, from both ends of the building, were moaning and groaning about the arrival of 22 new Peers. Some were complaining that Conservative Party donors were included; some were querying whether Liberal Democrat activists were sufficiently august; some were griping that there were insufficient numbers of…
