In just 196 days, the 20th Commonwealth Games will kick off in Glasgow, the first time the city has hosted the second largest multi-sport event in the world. 12 years on from the original ‘we can do this’ moment in Manchester, 4500 sportsmen and women from 70 teams will compete in front of over 1…
The UK is one of the most centralised countries in world. While Scotland, Wales and London have a measure of devolution, the rest of the country remains highly centralised. And most of the funding for the devolved governments comes from central government grant, who raise only a poultry sum themselves from tax collected. In London…
Sitting in the brand new terminal building at Land’s End Airport, Gateway to the Scilly Isles, on 28 December makes one reflect on the poor service provided by the monopoly air and sea transport company, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. There is no passenger sea ferry at this time of year, except for the…
There has been a great deal of comment recently about freedom of expression – in the press (shortly to be under a new system of regulation); on the airwaves, where an extremist was allowed to give his views on the Today programme following the conviction of the murderers of Lee Rigby; on campus, as I described in my…
Having spent decades of my life teaching at universities, I was dismayed to read that UniversitiesUK (the body of heads of universities) had been minded to find that segregated seating at a lecture or event was OK. It isn’t, and I have lectured at Gresham College about how supine UUK is in the face of…
This course is an example of Restorative Justice, which works to restore the damaged relationship between offenders and victims of crime. It was developed by Prison Fellowship, a worldwide charity, and is available in prisons in Britain and many other countries, and also when offenders are released from prison. I give below three testimonies about…
Said El Khadouri, Rapporteur for the governance section of the 4th Railways Package, had this to say to the Community of European Railways, the association of the incumbents, who are still opposing any liberalisation or completion: ‘Dear Libor, Thanks for your kind message. However, so far it’s up to the elected Members, the political Groups…
Today we celebrate the life, the struggle and the message of Nelson Mandela. His struggle for a better world helped shape the second half of the 20th Century, but Mandela’s legacy should both inspire and empower us to take action to address the global challenges of the 21st century. “Overcoming poverty is not a task…
We never got to the Committee Stage of my Private Members Bill today, since the discussion on previous bills got the House to its finishing time of 1500 on Fridays. (Rights of the Sovereign and the Duchy of Cornwall Bill) A pity, but I’ll chase for another day to debate, particularly the Clause about the…
