Like most peers I try and get out and about to keep in touch with what’s happening in my old field, in my case in mental health services, by speaking about parliament and in return listening to staff concerns. It doesn’t give the full picture. For one thing these visits don’t include patients and their…
What an upside down political world we live in! This evening (Monday), Mark Harper MP, the Conservative Minister who is the detailed designer of the Coalition Government’s proposals for Lords reform, will explain their rationale to a special public meeting of our Joint Committee of MPs and Peers. As one of the brightest and best…
The Second Reading debate on the Health and Social Care Bill begins on Tuesday. I say ‘begins’ because so many peers will be speaking that the debate is now being spread over two days, with the House sitting early on both days. No less than 100 peers are signed up to speak. Anyone wishing to watch…
I was glad to hear that the government is making £300m available to help parents on low incomes who work for less than 16 hours a week. Not nearly enough of course, and arguably those who work for a few hours are less in need of it than those who work full time. This is what…
The Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Bill received its second reading on 5th October in a debate that lasted five hours. The Bill introduces a new version of control orders with broad judicial oversight. It is intended that they will be used in relation to suspects who for various reasons cannot be prosecuted or deported.…
So I finally made the front page of the Sun, somewhat unexpectedly, see http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/3857501/Tory-peer-tells-British-fatties-to-brjust-eat-less.html Lord Crisp’s debate on non-communicable diseases on Thursday which I mentioned in my last post included a contribution from Lord McColl, an old colleague and friend from our days together at Guy’s Hospital, in which he urged people quite rightly to…
Oh dear! What a mess we can get into when reading a bit of a story in the press and then jumping to conclusions. Apparently some wag suggested that the reason the Bolivian student couldn’t be sent back was because his cat wouldn’t know a Bolivian mouse from a llama! Home Secretary – beware simplistic press…
There is a very serious and thoughtful article here which anyone interested in womens rights and Afghanistan should read. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/04/dreams-afghan-women-taliban-rights
Lord Crisp is leading a debate tomorrow on the global impact of the five leading chronic diseases — cancer, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease and mental illness, so called NCDs (non-communicable diseases, to distinguish them from communicable, ie infectious diseases). This follows on from a recent high level meeting of the UN at which the…
