Attending a very successful cycling conference in Church House, Westminster, I was surprised to be told, along with the 300 odd other delegates, that it was not allowed to cycle round the quadrangle of DeansYard. Given the large number of cars parked in Deans Yard who presumably have to be driven round it to get…
It is good to welcome Baroness Murphy back to the blog after her extended period of leave! I am going to follow her example and take an extended break. I have been posting fewer entries recently partly because I am focussing on a couple of other projects. I started blogging as an MP around 2002/3.…
I took one look at the explanatory notes to Local Government Finance Bill currently traversing the House and thought ‘oh dear, not one for me’…its complexities are clearly designed for the numerous experts in the House who have a grasp of the inner workings of local authority finance. But yesterday, as it nears the final…
Asylum Seeker’s Fears Gathering storms of uncertainty frighten them as they assemble at the border of prolonged wait for frequently fast unjust decisions. At the frozen glacier of complex asylum system, they breathe flickering fire. Their immigration status causes constant panic and fear. Minute by minute they are petrified by their predicament. Night is naught…
The House of Lords by its nature is not a young House, either in terms of longevity or membership. Members tend to be appointed because of their expertise or experience, so usually join the House when they have established themselves in a particular field. Membership is for life. Nonetheless, some members come in at a relatively young…
We are just nearing the end of a six week long stage managed series of party political broadcasts:
Green Party of England and Wales – 7 to 10 September, in Bristol
Trades Union Congress- 9 to 12 September, in Brighton
Plaid Cymru – 13 to 15 September, in Brecon
UKIP- 21 to 22 September, in Birmingham
Liberal Democrats – 22 to 26 September, in Brighton
Labour- 30 September to 4 October, in Manchester
Conservatives – 8 to 11 October, in Birmingham
Scottish National Party – 18 to 21 October, in Perth
What useful role do these gatherings play in the modern political process? Do they turn people on to politics or turn them off?
The first Conservative Party Conference was held in 1867 at the Freemasons Tavern in London under the initiative of the new Leader of the Conservative Party, Benjamin Disraeli of whom we have heard much over the past few weeks. The idea of a conference and the formation of the National Union and a couple of years later Conservative Central Office were all part of the modernising of political parties in response to the Second Reform Act of 1867 which had extended the franchise to 1.5 million working men.
I have just attended a fascinating breakfast briefing meeting at the Imperial War Museum learning about the plans to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 2014. Now that the last survivors have died, we are left with cold shocking facts – 350,000 servicemen left permanently disabled; for every one…
Do you know there will be elections for Commissioners to oversee policing across England? If you know, please tell someone else. A low vote will mean that Commissioners will have no mandate or legitimacy. This is vital at a time when there will be heavy cuts to police budgets. Candidates backed by political parties can…
I cam back last week from Kosovo, after my third visit since 2010. In 1999 there was much fighting between the Kosova Liberation Army and Serbian forces. NATO air support enabled the KLA (Albanians) to win. In 2004 there was renewed violence between hostile local communities. As a result NATO troops have been guarding two…
