At the end of the Earl of Sandwich’s speech last Thursday on the Millennium Development programme, before he gave way to Lord Crisp, the printed Hansard records the following: “I was going to say a word about health targets, but in this environment, it seems very appropriate that a Crisp should replace a Sandwich.” Yes,…
My views on press regulation are encapsulated in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, signed by over eighty parliamentarians. I am one of the signatories. You can see the details here. I am wary of state regulation and very much take the view that the problem at the moment is not so much the absence…
It has been a somewhat frustrating time since the House resumed after the summer recess. Last session, I was busy both with committee work and with legislation before the House. I was on the Constitution Committee, which had a busy – and rewarding – schedule, the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Bill, which…
Like everyone else, I am waiting to see what Sir Brian Leveson recommends in his report on the media, due in a few days’ time. I have no decided views at the moment about press regulation, except that I am very well aware of how difficult it is to regulate what is on the internet,…
I fear that other commitments have meant I have rather neglected the blog recently. I hope to make up for lost time. Congratulations to Dave H and Jonathan, who were the winners of the previous quiz. This week’s quiz relates to the House, or rather the chamber. As many readers will know, the House has…
This week, as the world watched with baited breath the violent clashes in Gaza, Goma and Syria, the harrowing images and stories broadcast on our television screens offer a cold reminder of the human cost of conflict. There is little dispute that conflict, development and peacebuilding are intrinsically linked. Yet the current development framework in…
Lately we have been locked into the Lords from about 10am to 10pm every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Whips – even lowly unpaid Party Whips like me – have to stay to the bitter end. So that’s 3 days gone for shopping. Thursdays are debates from 11am-6pm, and Fridays I’m too tired to do anything. Weekends…
These comments follow on from Lord Tyler’s analysis of the overcrowded House. There was a question from Lord Lee on 12 November about how to encourage more Chinese tourists to visit the UK, and in response difficulties about visas, costs and lack of flights were aired. I would have liked to intervene but there were so…
There is much rumbling amongst their Lordships at the imminent threat of the Prime Minister to appoint more Peers, to achieve a better balance of party representation. He can legitimately claim that he is only reflecting the votes at the last General Election. Labour can hardly complain because – not only did they get the lion’s…
