Goldilocks looked at Tony Blair’s Queen’s Speeches, with 30+ bills announced each time, and pronounced, ‘that’s far too much legislation’. Then Goldilocks looked at the Coalition’s final Queen’s Speech and lamented, ‘this is far too little legislation.’ She looked at a perfect, fantasy government of the future and said, ‘that legislative programme will be just…
Everyone seems to think we are in for quite a light legislative session after Easter. We will not know for sure until after the Queen’s Speech in June, but what are blogs for if not to speculate! One big issue which will plainly pre-occupy quite a lot of MPs’ time is the labyrinthine ‘hybrid Bill’…
I spoke on House of Lords reform (again!) in the Queens speech and like a growing number of members indicated that the way forward should be to set up a constituional convention as recommended in the alternative report on the draft Bill. This would allow us to look at the need for reform of the…
In 2007 Parliament passed the Legal Services Act, which might – or might not – revolutionise the way lawyers work, especially barristers. The law allows for, but does not insist on, barristers being able to enter partnership with solicitors, or with each other, instead of carrying on in the time honoured fashion as self employed. I chair…
The House has begun five days of debate on the Queen’s Speech. I have been sat in the chamber listening to today’s debate, which focuses on foreign and European affairs, international development and defence. Though different topics are allocated to each day, the five days of debate are deemed to constitute one debate on the…
