‘THE FAMILIES WHO CANNOT AFFORD FOOD. Charities try to fill the gap as hungry turn to stealing’ was my local paper’s front page headline last week. The Nottingham Post story continued: ‘Food banks are opening across Nottingham because the number of people who cannot afford to feed their families is increasing. The next day I…
A terrible tragedy occurred when a lovely young woman collapsed and died towards the end of the London Marathon last weekend. She had entered in order to raise funds for the Samaritans. In consequence, about £700,000 has been donated in her memory by members of the public to this good cause. This is a great benefit…
The upper floor in the south-east corner of the Palace comprises what used to be the residence of the Lord Chancellor. It includes a magnificent room, overlooking the Thames, called – not surprisingly – the River Room. Its use is now within the responsibility of the Lord Speaker. She has made it available primarily for charitable and…
To continue along the same vein as my last ‘Charities’ post, another common use of peers’ time is the activities of the various All-Party Parlimentary Groups (APPGs). These range from the very serious (Genocide Prevention) to the social (Beer – ‘to promote the wholesomeness and enjoyment of beer and the unique role of the pub…
There are a number of differences between the House of Lords and the House of Commons. One of those I notice most is the way different parliamentarians prioritise their time. MPs are usually required to spend at least some time raising their profile and so will find the time to attend constituency events, make after-dinner…
