Tag Archives: MPs

Reducing the number of ministers

Lord Norton 29/10/2010 – 6:02 pm

In an earlier post, Lord Tyler referred to the Deputy PM indicating his sympathy for the proposal for reducing the number of ministers in the event of the reduction in the number of MPs.  This sympathy did not translate into Government action.  On Monday, Charles Walker, the Conservative MP for Broxbourne, moved a new clause to the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill to provide t […]

Written at 6:02 pm on 29/10/2010, by Lord Norton


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Protecting privacy

Lord Norton 04/08/2009 – 4:03 pm

Protecting individual privacy is, to my mind, fundamental to a free society.  Without privacy and the opportunity to have personal possessions, the state is all powerful.  Too often, we allow the public sphere to expand, eroding personal privacy and hence freedom. There is a balance to be drawn between the public and private, between the state's right to interfere and the individual's right to […]

Written at 4:03 pm on 04/08/2009, by Lord Norton


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A political aristocracy?

Lord Norton 04/11/2008 – 6:43 pm

Son of a President, grandson of a SenatorMy quiz question on the US Presidency attracted attention not only from readers in this country but also in the USA.  One US blog raised the question of whether the dominance of the names of Nixon and Bush on presidential tickets meant that the US was acquiring a political aristocracy.  As one contributor to that blog pointed out, there was only one Nixon […]

Written at 6:43 pm on 04/11/2008, by Lord Norton


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Plain English

Lord Norton 21/10/2008 – 3:38 pm

Iain Dale has drawn attention to the Plain English Campaign which, as it says on its website, has invited "all MPs and their staff to send us their nominations for the best (clearest) and worst (most ridden with gobbledygook) documents that they have seen this year in Parliament."   Why, one wonders, have they not written to peers?  We see some splendid examples of poorly written official do […]

Written at 3:38 pm on 21/10/2008, by Lord Norton


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The safest place

Lord Norton 14/09/2008 – 4:43 pm

I continue to be fascinated by some of the search-engine terms that result in people being directed to this site.  Among recent terms are 'puzzling questions in the bible' and 'men's massage parlour + cochin'!   Other terms are more straightforward and raise queries that are clearly relevant to the Lords and, more generally, Parliament. One recent one was 'Are MPs' salaries taxable?'  (The an […]

Written at 4:43 pm on 14/09/2008, by Lord Norton


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