UK Members of the European Parliament were previously entitled to have parliamentary passes so that they could meet with parliamentarians and not have to keep queuing in order to get into the Palace of Westminster. Last year, the Commons decided that this privilege should be withdrawn. As parliamentary passes cover the parliamentary estate, the House…
I have rarely heard such a disgruntled debate as last night on the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill. Lord Norton has already given the background in his blog of 22 March and was on fine form in the chamber. Lady Boothroyd, the former Speaker of the Commons, not normally given to hyperbole except in her…
The issue of Anglican bishops in the House of Lords should not be tackled separately from that of further Parliamentary reform. It is also linked with the issue of whether or not the church of England should be established by law. Humanists should note that an any given day there will usually be more of…
Monday March 15th: Met two Muslims working on full citizenship and inter-community cooperation in Britain Portcullis House: Kurdish New Year celebrations. 1 Parliament Street: Dinner with visiting Parliamentarians from the Kurdistan regional government in Iraq. Tuesday March 16th: Talk, discussion and lunch for Professor Avi Schlaim of Oxford University on the current situation in Israel…
Good news. I have secured time for a debate in the Lords on this Wednesday afternoon from 3.45pm on our report ‘Are the Lords Listening? Creating connections between people and Parliament’. Our report has certainly had some effect. Members of the House of Lords and the Administration are using the internet much more to describe…
