The Clerk of the Parliaments, David Beamish, recently gave an Open Lecture – the second organised by the Parliament Outreach Service – on the House of Lords, providing an overview of the House from the perspective of someone who has been in the service of the House since the 1970s and is now the most senior…
I gave written evidence to the Levison Inquiry last January and was asked to give additional evidence last month. I have now done that and it will be published by the Inquiry. My evidence is mainly about the type and form of any future regulation but it also contains my views about the way politics…
Over the weekend we have had the steady drip of stories spun out of the Department for Education on the outcome of Michael Gove’s curriculum review. Sadly the Secretary of State is no longer listening to his instincts not to dictate from Whitehall, instead he is dictating times tables, compulsory languages and poetry recitals. This…
I fear that for the past month I have been engaged in a constant process of marking, so had little time to contribute to the blog as often as I would wish. I thought I would catch up with a quiz that focuses on the relationship or links between the Crown and Parliament. As usual, the…
As one of the hundreds of thousands enjoying the Jubilee weekend festivities in London I wanted to offer three resounding cheers to those who made it possible: Cheer 1: The stewards who were firm, fair, friendly and helpful in suggesting alternate vantage points when sections were too crowded; Cheer 2: The technical crews who provided…
The House of Lords has introduced an electronic newsletter for those who would like to be kept informed of forthcoming business. It is organised not so much on an institutional basis as on subject areas, so you can follow what is happening in, say, environment or education. You can find more details here.
99 days to go! and the whole profligate show will be over; we will be able to get back to work and move around somewhat more freely than at present. And ask ourselves where the legacy is.
As can be seen from the following replies to my Questions , our Government continues to make correct statements and complaints, but Israel goes on acting illegally and provocatively. This is true of East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, while severe restrictions still affect Gaza. In Turkey there is little change is the arbitrary…
