Category Archives: Parliament

Anything connected with business in the Houses of Commons or Lords (eg, PMQs).

My favourite Early Day Motions

By Iain Roberts | Sat 7th August 2010 - 2:20 pm

A few days ago I wrote about Early Day Motions – the petitions that only MPs can start and sign.

Here are a few of my favourites from this parliament, starting with one for MPs not too familiar with the Internet.

EDM 629: That this House deplores the easy access children have to pornography by means of satellite and cable television; and calls on Ofcom, the appropriate regulator, to amend its broadcasting code in order to ensure that access to pornographic material is only available via a secure authentication system.

And who could begrudge Harlow its place in …

Tagged early day motions | 2 Comments

Parliamentary privilege doesn’t protect against criminal trial

By Helen Duffett | Fri 30th July 2010 - 8:06 pm

Three former Labour MPs and a Conservative peer lost their appeals this morning, over last month’s ruling that they could not avoid trial for alleged expenses fraud by claiming Parliamentary privilege.

From the BBC:

Elliott Morley, David Chaytor, Jim Devine and Lord Hanningfield had argued at the Court of Appeal that only Parliament could hear their case.

The four all deny charges of false accounting over their expenses.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.

The men had appealed against a ruling in June by Mr Justice Saunders sitting at Southwark Crown Court in central London.

The judge had rejected

…

Also posted in News | Tagged aptronyms, david chaytor, elliot morley, igor judge, jim devine, lord hanningfield and mps expenses | 4 Comments

Six Lib Dem MPs rebel on Coalition’s Academies Bill

By Stephen Tall | Tue 27th July 2010 - 10:20 am

The BBC reports:

MPs have approved legislation which paves the way for a radical overhaul of the school system in England. The Academies Bill, allowing schools to opt out of local council control as early as September, is now due to receive Royal Assent on Tuesday.

However, the Bill sparked a revolt among some Lib Dem MPs, with five defying the whips to back an amendment proposed by Southport MP (and former teacher) John Pugh allowing parents to be balloted if a school governor objected it to becoming an academy.

The five Lib Dems who supported John’s amendment were Annette Brooke …

Also posted in News | Tagged academies, education, john pugh, mike hancock and schools | 10 Comments

Some final reflections on the Second Chamber

By Mark Valladares | Thu 22nd July 2010 - 11:27 pm

I hope that readers of Liberal Democrat Voice have enjoyed today’s series of pieces on the House of Lords – I know that I’ve had a lot of fun writing, editing and commissioning the various postings. However, I’d like to finish with a few serious points.

Firstly, I am of the view that we need to value our Peers more and, whilst that may seem like special pleading, I’m convinced that, by doing so, everyone gets to benefit. For instance, there are parts of the country, my own county of Suffolk for example, where we don’t have an MP, but do …

Tagged diversity, equalities, guest editor and house of lords | Leave a comment

Lord John Shipley’s maiden speech

By John Shipley | Thu 22nd July 2010 - 10:00 pm

In recent weeks, LDV has been bringing its readers copies of our new MPs’ first words in the House of Commons, so that we can read what is being said and respond. You can find all of the speeches in this category with this link. Today’s guest editor Mark Valladares feels that it was only right that the same honour should be offered to new Peers, and here we bring you the words of Lord Shipley.

Lord Shipley: My Lords, it is with a great sense of privilege, tinged with a certain degree of nervousness, that I rise to make my maiden speech in this debate, particularly after so many distinguished contributions and excellent maiden speeches have been made already. I thank all the staff, all my colleagues and my sponsors for the warmth of their welcome and for their willingness to go out of their way to explain the workings of the House to me. There is much to learn. The support that I have received has been exceptional and I am deeply grateful for it.

I am a Yorkshireman by birth, although not from the town whose name I bear. I was born and brought up on the Yorkshire coast, in Whitby, but have been an adopted Geordie for the past 40 years in Newcastle upon Tyne, where I worked for many years for the Open University and where I have been a councillor for more than 30 years. I would like to concentrate on that latter connection in this debate.

Tagged john shipley and maiden | 2 Comments

Baroness Kate Parminter’s maiden speech

By Kathryn Parminter | Thu 22nd July 2010 - 7:40 pm

Baroness Parminter: I add my thanks to the noble Baroness, Lady Verma, for initiating this debate today. As a new girl, …

Tagged acevo, carey oppenheim, equal pay act, equalities, gender balance, godalming, guest editor, house of lords, ippr, jobshare, kathryn parminter, lisa harker and maiden | 3 Comments

An Interview with the Whips Office – comfy chairs will be provided…

By Domininc Addington | Thu 22nd July 2010 - 5:45 pm

The word ‘whip’, in parliamentary terms at least, is associated with accusations of the ‘dark arts’. But whips are people too, particularly in the Lords, so your intrepid guest editor retrieved his Parliamentary spouse pass and made an appointment…

Dominic Bryce Hubbard, the 6th Baron Addington, is one of five hereditary Peers sitting on the Liberal Democrat benches. He inherited his title in 1982, aged eighteen, but was only able to take up his seat in the House of Lords on reaching his twenty-first birthday. He has held a series of positions, as Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Culture, Media and Sport, …

Tagged baron addington, dominic addington, guest editor, hereditary peer, house of lords, nancy seear and whip | Leave a comment

Moving to an elected second chamber – a loss of expertise, or just privilege?

By Alex Runswick | Thu 22nd July 2010 - 4:15 pm

August 2011 is the centenary of the Parliament Act, the supposedly stop gap measure to regulate relations between the two houses of parliament until an elected House of Lords could be created. The fact that we are still fighting for a democratic second chamber means it is all too easy to lose sight of the debates about what we want the second chamber to actually do. Unlock Democracy wants a fully elected second chamber capable of scrutinising and revising legislation as well as delaying it where necessary. It should be a deliberative chamber that builds on the …

Tagged guest editor, house of lords, parliament act, privilege and unlock democracy | 9 Comments

The House of Lords does social media

By Mark Valladares | Thu 22nd July 2010 - 2:57 pm

Much is made of our MPs and their use of social media. Steve Webb and Facebook, Jo Swinson and Duncan Hames announcing their engagement via Twitter (we only had Facebook in my day…), the increasingly sophisticated websites, all of these serve to connect Parliamentarians to the communities they serve. However, on the red benches, the need to reach out is heightened by the relative lack of coverage for their activities in the mainstream media, and there is increasing use of social media to achieve that.

Perhaps the best known source of commentary comes from Lords of the Blog, a collaborative …

Also posted in Online politics | Tagged blogging, guest editor, house of lords and twitter | Leave a comment

Musings from the Front Bench…

By Bill Bradshaw | Thu 22nd July 2010 - 1:20 pm

I have supported the Liberal Party and its successors since the General Election of 1950, although I did not follow a political career. Instead, I was involved in the railway and bus industries before moving into academia at the Universities of Salford and Oxford.

My entry to the House of Lords was a complete surprise. It took place over a two year period, and the process began with an interview with John Harris and Bill Rodgers, the then Chief Whip and Leader in the House respectively. Having been sworn to secrecy, I was asked firstly whether, if appointed, I would promise …

Tagged david steel, guest editor, house of lords, ian hislop, parliamentary reform and transport | Leave a comment

Pay attention, there’s more than one Parliament, you know!

By Mark Valladares | Thu 22nd July 2010 - 7:40 am

One of things that has bothered me for longer than I care to remember is the Party’s fixation on the green benches at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, almost to the total exclusion of anything, and everything, else. As a bureaucrat deep within the Party’s structures, I long for the day when more and better people come forward to be Local, Regional and State Party officers, candidate assessors, returning officers and trainers. But we bureaucrats are not alone in being overlooked in favour of the Commons…

Down the corridor, there are seventy-nine Liberal Democrat Peers (with Richard …

Tagged guest editor, house of lords, liberal democrat peers and mark valladares | 4 Comments

How the Westminster Village media is still struggling with concept of coalition

By Stephen Tall | Wed 21st July 2010 - 6:40 pm

It can be surprisingly easy to excite some journalists. Today is a case in point. Nick Clegg stood in for David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions. During his exchanges with Jack Straw (who was standing in for Labour’s Harriet Harman), the Deputy Prime Minister referred to the invasion of Iraq as “illegal”.

To most people watching this is not a surprise. The Lib Dems’ opposition to the Iraq war, which was supported by both Labour and the Tories, is pretty well-documented, I think it’s fair to say. The fact that the Lib Dems and Conservatives have reached a coalition agreement does not alter the past, nor does it alter politicians’ individual views. Why should it?

And yet the response from some journalists has been to label this a “gaffe” – a term otherwise known as a politician saying something he believes which a journalist hopes to be able to spin into a story.

Indeed, it’s interesting to see how a story like this can develop.

Also posted in Op-eds and PMQs | Tagged featured, iraq, james forsyth, jonathan freedland, journalism, nick clegg and paul waugh | 56 Comments

The last word on the ‘first Liberal leader since the 1920s’ PMQs?

By Stephen Tall | Wed 21st July 2010 - 6:10 pm

Were the Lib Dems right to tweet earlier today that Nick Clegg would taoday become “the first Liberal leader since 1922 to lead PMQs”? That’s the question that’s been raging today.

My LDV Co-Editor Mark Pack believes he has the definitive answer, and has blogged it in his professional capacity here.

His conclusion: “strictly speaking Nick Clegg won’t be the first Liberal (Democrat) leader since 1922 to answer Prime Minster questions.” He is, however, the first Liberal to answer questions in place of the Prime Minister since 1922.

Dr Pack has spoken; surely there can be nothing left to add?

Also posted in PMQs | 3 Comments

PMQs: It’s Sheffield Forgemasters, stupid! Oh yes! Of course it is!

By Paul Walter | Wed 21st July 2010 - 1:32 pm

An energetic Nick Clegg took Prime Minister’s Questions today. Notice how casually I said that. Only the first Liberal/LibDem leader to take questions (acting) as PM since Lloyd George in the 1920s. Pretty blooming historic, that.

If that was not enough, our cup ran well and truly over with yet another first and, perhaps, unique occasion. Jack Straw at the dispatch box pretending to be Labour leader! Clegg stood in for Cameron because the latter was in the USA. Straw stood in for Harman because she was in Peckham.

Jack Straw probably does bellowing quite well when he hasn’t got a sore …

Also posted in PMQs | 43 Comments

Lloyd George and PMQs – Lib Dems defend their history knowledge

By Stephen Tall | Wed 21st July 2010 - 11:28 am

There’s been discussion this morning – sparked by a tweet from Labour blogger Hopi Sen – about whether Lloyd George was indeed the last Liberal to face Prime Minister’s Questions.

Hopi questioned the Lib Dem claim that Nick Clegg, when he stands in for David Cameron today, will be the first Liberal leader since 1922 to lead PMQs – he commented:

Asquith last Liberal _leader_ to take Qs. Also PMQ’s began in ’61 so no-one did em in 22.

The Lib Dem press office have been quick to refute Hopi’s suggestion that the party is ignorant of its own history, …

Also posted in PMQs | 20 Comments

Opinion: Get your facts right Polly

By Baroness Joan Walmsley | Wed 21st July 2010 - 9:20 am

In yesterday’s Guardian Polly Toynbee criticises “casual law-making by arbitrary diktat” in relation to the unseemly haste with which the Academies Bill is being shunted through the Commons. She claims the bill was “catapulted” through the Lords (where, by the way, we debated it for a full 31 hours!) and that there is now “no revising chamber: a redundant House of Lords whipped this Bill through with as little scrutiny as it will get in the Commons”. Wrong!

Far from being redundant, the House of Lords obtained five important amendments and numerous significant statements on the record, one of them …

Also posted in Op-eds | Tagged academies and polly toynbee | 8 Comments

Lord Mike German’s maiden speech

By Mike German | Sun 18th July 2010 - 3:30 pm

In recent weeks, LDV has been bringing its readers copies of our new MPs’ first words in the House of Commons, so that we can read what is being said and respond. You can find all of the speeches in this category with this link. Alert LDV reader and bureaucratic blogger Mark Valladares, himself a husband to a Lib Dem Peer, our party’s president Ros Scott, has drawn to our attention that we have more new parliamentarians in the Other Place, who are also making maiden speeches. Earlier today we brought you the words of Baroness …

Tagged maiden, mike german, prison reform and prisons | Leave a comment

Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece’s maiden speech

By Meral Ece | Sun 18th July 2010 - 10:20 am

In recent weeks, LDV has been bringing its readers copies of our new MPs’ first words in the House of Commons, so that we can read what is being said and respond. You can find all of the speeches in this category with this link. Alert LDV reader and bureaucratic blogger Mark Valladares, himself a husband to a Lib Dem Peer, our party’s president Ros Scott, has drawn to our attention that we have more new parliamentarians in the Other Place, who are also making maiden speeches. So today, Baroness Hussein-Ece’s words are reproduced below.

Baroness Hussein-Ece: My …

Tagged arsenal, cyprus, islington, maiden, meral ece, prison reform, prisons, ros scott and sue garden | 2 Comments

When is a rebellion not a rebellion?

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th July 2010 - 7:30 pm

The Coalition decision to raise VAT was, by some measure, the most controversial aspect of the Government’s first budget. In our recent survey of party members, 42% opposed the move, though 48% endorsed it (however reluctantly) to deal with the deficit.

The party’s MPs have also been wrestling with the issue. The VAT increase was debated on Tuesday night in the Commons – in the end only Colchester’s Bob Russell from the Lib Dems voted against the Government, siding with a Labour amendment.

As Jim Pickard in the FT notes, St Ives MP Andrew George, and four other Lib …

Also posted in News | Tagged andrew george, bob russell, charles kennedy, Ming Campbell and vat | 13 Comments

PMQs: Harman’s Jujitsu hip throw

By Paul Walter | Wed 14th July 2010 - 4:20 pm

Once again, Harriet Harman eluded the predictions of such luminaries as the BBC’s Gary O’Donoghue and alighted on the unexpected subject of cancer waiting times.

This strikes me as an excellent subject for Harman to choose. Labour introduced a “guarantee” for cancer patients to see a specialist within two weeks of seeing their GP. Most of us know someone who has had cancer and know that the first few weeks of doubt and fear are appallingly traumatic. The two week guarantee is a very “real” target which means a great deal to worried patients and their relatives.

David Cameron didn’t …

Also posted in PMQs | 12 Comments

A taxing mystery from yesterday in Parliament

By Mark Pack | Tue 13th July 2010 - 10:29 pm

Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert tweeted yesterday:

In chamber listening to Finance Bill debate. Labour trying to reduce (!) capital gains rate from 28% to 25%. No, I don’t understand why!

Tagged capital gains tax and julian huppert | 8 Comments

Lib Dem MPs nominated to serve on Commons Select Committees

By The Voice | Mon 12th July 2010 - 5:50 pm

The party has today announced the list of Liberal Democrat MPs have been nominated to serve on Select Committees:

…

Also posted in Party policy and internal matters | 5 Comments

MPs’ budget bender (Or: Reckless by name …)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 12th July 2010 - 2:20 pm

Two new Tory MPs have been publicly named and shamed in today’s papers for getting so drunk that – allegedly – one fell to the floor of the House of Commons bar, while another was rude to a Commons official.

Mark Reckless (for it is he) has ‘fessed up to his own drunkenness, including being so paralytic he missed a Budget vote. The Mail reports:

Worst affected was Mark Reckless, who has been Tory MP for Rochester for just two months. The former banker, who has campaigned to save the ‘Great British pub’, fell to the floor of a Commons bar

…

Tagged mark reckless, rochester, sheryll murray and south-east cornwall | 7 Comments

PMQs: Harriett Harman’s patented self-loading googly device

By Paul Walter | Wed 7th July 2010 - 3:00 pm

You never know in which direction Harriett Harman is going to pounce at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Take today. Veteran commentators, such as John Pienaar, prior to the session, were unable to predict the two topics she eventually alighted on. She’s got her own patented self-loading googly device which fires her off in any direction, leaving bystanders gasping.

Today she even did that thing one would never predict in the House of Commons. She started with a topic which brought only warm, mushy agreement with the Prime Minister – on domestic violence and the need to retain short sentences in those cases. …

Also posted in PMQs | 4 Comments

Lib Dems announce MPs and Peers to co-chair backbench policy committees

By The Voice | Tue 6th July 2010 - 7:25 pm

The Lib Dems have today announced the names of the MPs and members of the House of Lords who will act as Co-Chairs of the party’s new backbench policy committees.

These committees are intended to ensure distinctive Lib Dem policy-making continues while the party serves in the Coalition Government, promoting effective linkages between those Lib Dems serving ion government, their colleagues in the Parliamentary Party, and the party’s own democratic policy-making bodies.

The full list is set out below:

Committee:Work & Pensions
Commons Co-Chair: Jenny Willott
Lords Co-Chair(s): TBC

Also posted in Party policy and internal matters | 4 Comments

Should our MPs give Clegg more support in the Commons?

By Stephen Tall | Tue 6th July 2010 - 10:20 am

Yesterday Nick Clegg stood up as Deputy Prime Minister in the House of Commons and announced there would be a referendum to reform the voting system within the next year.

If I’d suggested just a few weeks ago that I would be able to type that sentence with a straight face I imagine most folk would think I’d lost any grasp on reality. Yet it’s what happened.

True, the route to Nick becoming Deputy Prime Minister is not proving easy: coalition with the Tories is forcing uncomfortable compromises on the Lib Dems. And true, the alternative vote is not a proportional …

Also posted in Op-eds | Tagged alternative vote, electoral reform, nicholas watt, nick clegg and simon hughes | 34 Comments

Nick Clegg’s statement on political and constitutional reform

By Helen Duffett | Mon 5th July 2010 - 4:28 pm

Nick Clegg has just made a statement in the House of Commons outlining the Government’s proposals for political and constitutional reform, including plans for a referendum on the use of the Alternative Vote system in the UK.

The statement included the announcement of two important dates: the date for the AV Referendum (in the Bill to be introduced before the Summer recess) is intended for 5 May 2011 and the next General Election on 7 May 2015.

Also posted in News | Tagged av referendum, electoral reform, nick clegg and parliamentary reform | 22 Comments

Tessa Munt MP’s maiden speech

By The Voice | Sat 3rd July 2010 - 8:29 pm

LDV is continuing the tradition started on Cix of re-posting maiden speeches of new Lib Dem MPs for the delectation and comment of our own community. You can catch up on those published to date here. Today is Tessa Munt’s turn …

It is an honour to follow Jim Shannon and to address the House for the first time on behalf of the people of Wells, the most beautiful constituency in the country. Yes it is.

First, I wish to pay tribute to my predecessor, David Heathcoat-Amory, who sat in the House for 27 years, a longer period of

…

Tagged maiden, tessa munt and wells | 3 Comments

Labour’s dinosaur tendency rides again

By Mark Pack | Fri 2nd July 2010 - 8:55 am

Many, many years ago John Gilbert, then a Labour MP, gained widespread respect across the political spectrum for his penetrating questioning of the government over the Westland helicopter crisis. But that was then and now he’s a politician of a rather different type as shown by his contribution to the debate on Lords reform held earlier in the week:

We come to the question of who will be elected to come here . You would get the sort of oik – for Hansard’s benefit, oik is spelt OIK – that could not get into the Commons, Europe, the Scottish Parliament

…

Tagged lord gilbert | 4 Comments

PMQs: Cameron does not butter a single parsnip

By Paul Walter | Wed 30th June 2010 - 6:20 pm

Well I must say, there was some dazzling stuff at Prime Minister’s questions today. But for those who might have expected some light, rather than heat, to emerge; there was disappointment. The score was 5-5 in footballing terms. A dazzling draw.

Harriet Harman’s display of debating skill was particularly stunning today. Her point was very simple and powerful. 1.3 million jobs will be lost as a result of government budget cuts, says a report this morning.

David Cameron didn’t deny this estimate came out of the treasury or say that he would publish what Harman called these “hidden treasury documents”. He did …

Also posted in PMQs | Tagged david cameron | 39 Comments

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Category Archives: Parliament

My favourite Early Day Motions

Parliamentary privilege doesn’t protect against criminal trial

Six Lib Dem MPs rebel on Coalition’s Academies Bill

Some final reflections on the Second Chamber

Lord John Shipley’s maiden speech

Baroness Kate Parminter’s maiden speech

An Interview with the Whips Office – comfy chairs will be provided…

Moving to an elected second chamber – a loss of expertise, or just privilege?

The House of Lords does social media

Musings from the Front Bench…

Pay attention, there’s more than one Parliament, you know!

How the Westminster Village media is still struggling with concept of coalition

The last word on the ‘first Liberal leader since the 1920s’ PMQs?

PMQs: It’s Sheffield Forgemasters, stupid! Oh yes! Of course it is!

Lloyd George and PMQs – Lib Dems defend their history knowledge

Opinion: Get your facts right Polly

Lord Mike German’s maiden speech

Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece’s maiden speech

When is a rebellion not a rebellion?

PMQs: Harman’s Jujitsu hip throw

A taxing mystery from yesterday in Parliament

Lib Dem MPs nominated to serve on Commons Select Committees

MPs’ budget bender (Or: Reckless by name …)

PMQs: Harriett Harman’s patented self-loading googly device

Lib Dems announce MPs and Peers to co-chair backbench policy committees

Should our MPs give Clegg more support in the Commons?

Nick Clegg’s statement on political and constitutional reform

Tessa Munt MP’s maiden speech

Labour’s dinosaur tendency rides again

PMQs: Cameron does not butter a single parsnip

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