Neither Left Nor Right? The Liberal Democrats and the Electorate: The Electoral Politics of the Liberal Democrats
Left Foot Forward (Free subscription) | 26/11/2009
A written answer to a parliamentary question shows the regressive nature of the Conservative party's plans to provide a tax break for married couples. The chart below reproduced from the answer given to Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay shows the distributional impact of the Tory policy. The policy is expected to ...
Railway Eye (Free subscription) | 25/11/2009
This from railway peer Lord Bradshaw in yesterday's debate on the Queen's speech ... I should say to the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, that this is also a challenge to the Conservatives. We do not buy very easily into the idea that they were first in the field with high-speed rail. I remember working for the railway when a Conservative Government sent a member to the British Railways Board with a remit...
The Northumberland Naturalist (Free subscription) | 25/11/2009
A small selection of Fungi pictures taken in Coquetdale and Redesdale. Hypholoma capnoides Stag's Horn Granny's Bonnet Sulphur Tip Below, Dr. Gordon Beakes, of Newcastle University, describing Granny's Bonnet fungi on a decaying branch in Rupert's Wood, Redesdale during a visit to the wood by members of the Redesdale Society. Rupert's Wood is a large ancient woodland which forms part of Lord Redesdale's...
Gorillas Guides (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
A conference is being held in Iraq examining how NI peace principles might be applied to the city of Kirkuk. Kirkuk is the centre of the northern Iraqi oil fields and is an ethnically mixed city populated by Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmen and Arabs. A delegation including Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey, the Independent Monitoring Commission’s Lord Alderdice [...]
Love Undefiled (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
27 November 2009 - 7.15pm (doors open 6.45pm) - Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, Westminster, SW1P 3DW Speaker: Baroness Williams of Crosby Chair: Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP In the midst of the global economic crisis Baroness Williams explores the relationship between capitalism, Catholicism and community. Financial markets have been seriously shaken and its effects are being felt around the globe. Baroness...
Washminster (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
A written question was submitted by Lord Lester of Herne Hill To ask Her Majesty's Government why their Final Report on the Review of the Executive Royal Prerogative Powers does not propose placing all executive prerogative powers identified in the report under parliamentary authority. [HL6204] The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The Government believe that...
ProLifeBlogs (Free subscription) | 17/11/2009
A group of leading lawyers, peers and former judges including Baroness Butler-Sloss, the former head of the family division of the High Court, are warning that the plans pose "serious dangers for public safety". In a significant intervention, they are warning the proposed changes go against the will of Parliament and risk reducing the Director of Public Prosecutions from an enforcer of the...
Peter Black AM (Free subscription) | 15/11/2009
The Prime Minister faces some major challenges on the foreign policy front if this poll reported in the Independent on Sunday is anything to go by. They say that seven out of 10 Britons believe that there should be a phased withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. They tell us that a report by Oxfam reveals how women and children in Afghanistan are bearing the brunt of the ongoing conflict, undermining...
Lancaster Unity (Free subscription) | 15/11/2009
Hungarian neo-fascist MEP Krisztina Morvai blocked from speaking at pro-Palestinian event A close ally of Nick Griffin, leader of the British National party, has been forced to withdraw from speaking at a London conference in support of Palestine amid mounting fury from anti-fascist groups. Several politicians due to speak at the conference, organised by the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), were alarmed...
The Devil's Kitchen (Free subscription) | 14/11/2009
I think that most reasonable people think that the goverment being allowed to hold inconvenient inquests in secret is a very bad thing indeed. Inquests into some deaths could be held in secret in future after Parliament approved the controversial proposal. It went through the Commons on Thursday after a series of concessions led to Tory peers dropping their opposition in the House of Lords on Wednesday....
Liberal Bureaucracy (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009
The week closed with further debate on the Coroners and Justice Bill, where Lord Lester of Herne Hill moved Amendment 19; in clause 154, page 101, line 17, at end to insert: “( ) it is a heinous offence, and” in an attempt to tidy up the Government's flawed attempt to prevent those guilty of the most serious crimes from benefitting from publication of the details of those crimes. As he...
Carl Minns - Thoughts from Hull (Free subscription) | 11/11/2009
Lord Tyler has an interesting (and not too geeky!) posting at Lords of the blog regarding parliamentary ping pong and porogation. Prorogation brings to an end nearly all parliamentary business until the next session starts with the Queens speech. Although Bills may be carried over from one session to the next, subject to agreement this effectively means any contentions bills left un-voted on will not...
Creeting St Peter Blog (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
Alright, the River Gipping will probably never be spoken of in the same breath as the Amazon, the Nile or the Yangtze, but last week it was mentioned in a debate in the House of Lords. Baroness Scott of Needham Market commented during a discussion on water management; "Across East Anglia there are small local organisations, such as the East Anglian Waterways Association, which work tirelessly...
Liberal Bureaucracy (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
It was, of course, too good to last. The three-game unbeaten streak for the Liberal Democrats in the Lords had to come to an end eventually, and last week saw the Empire strike back with a vengeance. Baroness Garden of Frognal attempted to improve the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill with Amendment 27; in clause 40, page 20, line 37, at end to insert: “( ) a documented discussion...
Liberal Bureaucracy (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
The last week of October saw more Government defeats in the Lords. On 26 October, Baroness Fookes moved Amendment 44; in Schedule 8, page 139, line 30, at end to insert “( ) One Deputy Chief Coroner shall be appointed with specific responsibilities for the oversight of military inquests and for the specialist training of all coroners undertaking military inquests.” Whilst it would be nice...
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