Here is the text of a letter I wrote to the Foreign Secretary, and a the response received from the Minister for Europe: 30th September 2011 Turkey, Iraq, Iran: I understand that President Talabani of Iraq has suggested (probably on 26th September) to Mrs Leyla Zana, when she visited him, that Mr Abdullah Ocalan (now…
I’ve spent some batty days in the House of Lords but yesterday’s debate on modernising the House’s procedure in the Chamber has to be the battiest so far. The Leader’s Group on Working Practices of the House (called the Goodlad Report) has made a series of minor recommendations (and some more substantive recommendations that we…
Last Wednesday, as part of ‘Parliament Week’, the Hansard Society organised a panel on ‘Parliament and the public: what difference does the Lords make?’ The picture shows the participants (left to right) Lord Soley, Baroness Scott of Needham Market, Peter Riddell (in the chair), Mark D’Arcy of BBC Parliament, Baroness Young of Hornsey, and me. …
The point that members of the House of Lords bring to the House a substantial body of experience is frequently made. The range of experience, as shown in previous quizzes, is wide. This week the focus is peers who have served the nation overseas in different capacities. I have previously asked about peers who have…
There is something rather poignant about the birthplace of Western democracy putting the world on hold while they work out what they want to do! A bit scary too!!
This exchange in the House on Thursday shows the importance I attach to the union bewteen Scotland and England. I think it is of great benefit to both parties. Asked by Lord Soley To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any proposals to inform the public about the advantages of maintaining the union of…
Yesterday, Lord (Patrick) Cormack – one of those people here who has been one of my political foes so long that he has become a friend – asked the Government to enact emergency legislation to stop people camping out in protest, whether at capitalism or anything else. The Bishop of Bath and Wells ex-communicated him…
So David Cameron insists we won’t be paying anything to directly prop up the Euro – but we will pay into the IMF who will use it to prop up the Euro. Hmmm! Come back George Orwell – we need you!
The Health and Social Care Bill committee stages started last week http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/111025-0002.htm and will continue this afternoon. We haven’t got past clause 1 yet. It was probably the most frustrating debate I’ve ever attended. It is all about whether the Secretary of State for Health should ‘provide’, or ‘promote’ and or ‘secure’ a comprehensive health…
