When England win at cricket or a Briton wins at Wimbledon, are we surprised by the prominence given to these stories by the editors of our national media? Is this evidence of ‘pack mentality’ and a lack of diversity in the media? The answer may be that this is a flippant example. Nonetheless, the broader…
Bills have to go through the same stages in both Houses. However, procedures differ considerably. In the Lords, for example, there are no guillotine or programme motions and no selection of amendments for debate: all amendments tabled by peers are considered. One other major difference is when the Bill reaches Third Reading. In the Commons,…
I worry about marine pollution. That it is less obvious to us than air pollution – the much talked about carbon problem, but that water is at least as important to life and we don’t know what harm we’re causing thousands of metres below the surface. Think of that hundreds of miles-wide Great Pacific garbage…
Here is an edited extract from a speech I gave on 11 July in response to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation paper Transforming Legal Aid, ie reducing provision. Note – I regulate the Bar, I do not represent them, and I base what I say on the statutory regulatory objectives for the legal profession. “Our…
Our event this week in Bujumbura (introduced in my previous blog) is split into two parts. Special UN Envoy Mary Robinson’s consultation and mobilisation in support of the Framework of Hope will be followed by a Great Lakes Regional Conference on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 –…
I have no way of knowing whether today’s report in the Independent – about English MPs’ role in the House of Commons – is accurate, since it is evidently a leak from those in the Conservative Party who are clearly seeking to demote those who represent Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland constituencies. What I do…
The apparently never ending cycles of violence in and around the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been followed (always ‘followed’ unfortunately) by cycles of international interest that have failed to deliver change and build a permanent peace. Can the latest international effort really be different? Can we dare to hope for…
The government has made a number of changes to benefits and the welfare system recently but the change that gives me the greatest cause for concern by far is the “under-occupancy charge”, more commonly known as the “bedroom tax”. This tax came into force in April this year and according to the National Housing Federation…
By Lord Clement-Jones After last year’s success with getting the Live Music Bill through Parliament and the deregulation of entertainment licensing, I am promoting another Bill to free grassroots arts from burdensome red tape. My Cultural and Community Distribution Deregulation Bill – which will have its second reading in the Lords on Friday – would…
