Category Archives: Parliament

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

Iain Roberts

Everyone should watch BBC Parliament once

By Iain Roberts | Fri 25th June 2010 - 11:20 am

Most people – the normal folks who aren’t political junkies – probably don’t spend their time watching BBC Parliament. But perhaps they should – just once or twice.

Why? The view most of us get from Parliament are the set pieces like PMQs. Benches packed with braying members and the aim to get one over on the other side, to give your team something to cheer about. The Punch and Judy politics every new leader of every political party has to ritually reject for at least a few hours before falling back into line.

But most of …

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Paul Walter

PMQs: ++POT/KETTLE ALERT!++

By Paul Walter | Wed 23rd June 2010 - 4:50 pm

Prime Minister’s Questions started to get back to normal today. A question is asked and there is a bellow – not an answer – in reply. But sometimes it is a question of “ask a silly question – get a silly answer”. Take Harriet Harman’s opening sally: “Could the Prime Minister tell us how much has been set aside to relink pensions to earnings in 2011?” After Cameron spoke about the “triple lock” (we LibDems thought of that phrase first) on pension rises, Harman replied that the government haven’t set aside a single penny for the promise. What a remarkable …

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Paul Walter

PMQs: Prime Minister’s tennis

By Paul Walter | Wed 16th June 2010 - 5:50 pm
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Stephen Gilbert MP

Stephen Gilbert MP’s maiden speech

By Stephen Gilbert MP | Sat 12th June 2010 - 4:28 pm

The second maiden speech republished here this weekend after Michael Crockart’s, as Lib Dem Voice continues a tradition started on Cix of reposting maiden speeches for the comment of interested parties.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to speak here today for the first time. I am delighted to follow Jonathan Edwards, and I share his determination to secure a Robin Hood tax on international financial transactions. As it happens, I had the pleasure of knowing his predecessor from my time studying in Aberystwyth, and I am sure he will be a worthy successor.

St Austell and Newquay is …

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Michael Crockart MP

Michael Crockart MP’s maiden speech

By Michael Crockart MP | Sat 12th June 2010 - 2:30 pm

LDV is continuing the tradition started on Cix of reposting maiden speeches of new Lib Dem MPs for the delectation and comment of our own community. We’ve been reserving them for the weekend, and amongst the new boys speaking this week past, we will be bringing you Michael Crockart, Ian Swales, Stephen Lloyd and Stephen Gilbert.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to make my maiden speech. I want to pay tribute to Steve Baker for his considerable knowledge of the banking industry. I cannot wait to hear more about that in future debates. It is …

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Stephen Tall

The results of the other Lib Dem Parliamentary contest – Lords Dholakia and Alderdice elected

By Stephen Tall | Thu 10th June 2010 - 12:25 pm

Simon Hughes was not the only Deputy Leader elected last night …

While Simon was elected deputy of the parliamentary party in the House of Commons (though in reality he’ll be known as the deputy leader of the party), Lord (Navnit) Dholakia was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader of the parliamentary party in the House of Lords.

Lord Dholakia, who will continue to support Lord (Tom) McNally in his role as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, commented:

There was an overwhelming turnout in support of the new structure for the Liberal Democrat Paliamentary

…

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Paul Walter

PMQs: Hattie tries to throw a “stinger” in front of voting reform

By Paul Walter | Wed 9th June 2010 - 4:20 pm

Prime Minister’s Questions is definitely becoming more subdued these days. The bellowing and ya-boo atmosphere has reduced by about 80% since the election. The Cumbrian shootings have dominated both sessions so far, which has added to the quietish feeling.

Harriet Harman has suddenly developed an interest in the electoral roll and the fact that “3.5 million people” who could be on it, aren’t. Fascinating. She seems to have suddenly come up with this as a reason to throw a sort of police “stinger” in front of voting reform – or at least constituency boundary re-drawing. She seems to have forgotten that her party was in power for thirteen years. Why didn’t they do something about electoral registration then? And, as David Cameron retorted, the last election was fought on recently redrawn boundaries anyway – which rather kiboshed Hattie’s argument.

Harman then had a go about CCTV. David Cameron went off on one, ending up about rights to enter people’s houses. He did make some good points about civil liberties during which Nick Clegg nodded very strongly. Harman raised an estate on her patch where they want CCTV coverage. Cameron said it was all about proportionality. If only he could say that about voting reform.

Good joke from Cameron:

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Stephen Tall

Clegg makes “impressive” debut at despatch box as DPM, sets out radical political reform plans

By Stephen Tall | Mon 7th June 2010 - 9:25 pm

Nick Clegg debuted in front of the House of Commons today in his new role (yes, it is still new: it’s only a month since the election) as deputy prime minister. And he used the occasion to set out how the new coalition government will make good the political reforms radical political reform plans that languished neglected during Labour’s 13 years in government. The government’s plans include:

    * A referendum on the Alternative Vote
    * The right to recall MPs who break the rules
    * Fewer, more equal-sized constituencies

…

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David Ward MP

David Ward MP’s maiden speech

By David Ward MP | Sun 6th June 2010 - 12:40 pm

Back when Cix was the main way of talking to other Lib Dems online, a tradition emerged of posting Lib Dem MPs’ maiden speeches so that people could read them and respond – a tradition LDV would like to continue. Yesterday, we brought you Duncan Hames and Simon Wright.

I praise the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger) and all those who have made their maiden speeches for their eloquence and endurance. It is customary during a maiden speech to speak in complimentary and glowing terms-indeed, frivolous terms in some cases-about the relevant constituency. However, I hope people …

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Simon Wright MP

Simon Wright MP’s maiden speech

By Simon Wright MP | Sat 5th June 2010 - 12:15 pm

Back when Cix was the main way of talking to other Lib Dems online, a tradition emerged of posting Lib Dem MPs’ maiden speeches so that people could read them and respond – a tradition LDV would like to continue. Scheduled this weekend are Simon Wright, below, Duncan Hames and David Ward.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to make my maiden speech. I am pleased to follow the maiden speeches of the hon. Members for Walsall South (Valerie Vaz) and for Stroud (Neil Carmichael) and of many other Members who have spoken today with great pride …

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Paul Walter

PMQs: Hattie opens up the Coalition’s Grand Canyon

By Paul Walter | Wed 2nd June 2010 - 3:58 pm

I feel as though Norris McWhirter (late of the Guinness Book of Records) ought to have been kneeling at the foot of the Speaker’s Chair with his stopwatch for this momentous Prime Minister’s Questions. There were several records or firsts being set. The first coalition PMQs ever, I would suggest (I doubt whether Winnie or Ramsay or our David held such events). The first with Liberal Democrats on the government benches. The first with a party sporting its second female leader (Margaret Beckett was acting Labour leader after John Smith died). And it’s 13 long years since we had …

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Julian Huppert

Dr Julian Huppert MP’s maiden speech

By Julian Huppert | Sat 29th May 2010 - 2:45 pm

Back when Cix was the main way of talking to other Lib Dems online, a tradition emerged of posting Lib Dem MPs’ maiden speeches so that people could read them and respond – a tradition LDV would like to continue. The first new Lib Dem MP to speak in the 2010 Parliament was Gordon Birtwistle, with Julian Huppert shortly after.

Dr Julian Huppert (Cambridge) (LD): Thank you for giving me this chance to speak so early in this Parliament, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is great to see you in the Chair. There has been a long succession of maiden speeches …

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Gordon Birtwistle MP

Gordon Birtwistle MP’s maiden speech

By Gordon Birtwistle MP | Sat 29th May 2010 - 1:00 pm

Back when Cix was the main way of talking to other Lib Dems online, a tradition emerged of posting Lib Dem MPs’ maiden speeches so that people could read them and respond – a tradition LDV would like to continue. The first new Lib Dem MP to speak in the 2010 Parliament was Gordon Birtwhistle.

Gordon Birtwistle (Burnley) (LD): I am grateful for the opportunity to make my maiden speech so early in the new Parliament. I pay tribute to those who made their maiden speeches before me—the hon. Members for Beckenham (Bob Stewart), for Bolton South East (Yasmin Qureshi), …

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Norman Lamb MP

Norman Lamb: “A Queen’s Speech of which Liberal Democrats can be proud”

By Norman Lamb MP | Tue 25th May 2010 - 8:40 pm

It is worth spending a moment reflecting on just how remarkable today’s Queen’s Speech is from a Liberal Democrat perspective.

We have become conditioned to believe that the policies we develop will never be implemented. A good intellectual exercise but nothing more. Yet here we have a programme for government of which we can be proud. It contains an extraordinary list of Liberal Democrat commitments on which we fought the general election.

Right from the start the speech grabs attention:

My Government’s legislative programme will be based upon the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility.

Who would have dreamt of those words introducing the Queen’s speech just a few weeks ago?

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Mark Pack

New government powers to snoop on your post – forced through by Labour and Tories

By Mark Pack | Mon 12th April 2010 - 12:20 pm

The ramming through of the Digital Economy Bill during Parliament’s ‘wash-up’ period has got the most attention, online at least. However there is another measure that was forced through, and this one without even a proper vote, which should have people up in arms.

A change to Section 106 of the Postal Services Act 2000 might not at first sound that important, but the change means that in future postal operators (such as the Royal Mail) can decide to detain any item of post and send it on to Customs and Excise for inspection.

Previously this could be done, but only if …

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Paul Walter

The last PMQs before the election

By Paul Walter | Wed 7th April 2010 - 1:00 pm

Even before it started, one was expecting a 9-9 score-draw – you know the sort of thing, arguments posited which pass each like ships in the night at a distance of one full nautical mile, angrily blasting their fog-horns at each other but not actually coming close enough for any meaningful interchange via Aldis lamp or semaphore.

Also, before it started, a guess as to the first question from Cameron? Could it just be on National insurance perchance?

A friendly Labour MP spiked the guns of Cameron by asking about the “£6 billion gap” first of all. So Brown could fire off …

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Helen Duffett

Paul Burstow: Liberal Democrats won’t support the Digital Economy Bill

By Helen Duffett | Tue 30th March 2010 - 9:44 pm

The Liberal Democrats have now withdrawn their support for the Digital Economy Bill, in a revision of the original plan to vote against certain elements in the “washup” (the last-minute rush to pass laws without debate or detailed scrutiny at the end of a Parliament).

Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip announced on Twitter earlier today:

I have told the Govt we won’t support the Digital Economy Bill as drafted. There is not enough time for MPs to examine it in detail.

The Guardian takes up the story:

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Helen Duffett

New MPs’ expenses rules published – the end of second homes and first class travel

By Helen Duffett | Mon 29th March 2010 - 3:04 pm

New rules published today by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority mean that MPs will no longer be able to profit from taxpayer-funded second homes, nor claim for gardening, cleaning or first-class travel.*

However, the scheme has stopped short of a ban on MPs employing family members. Instead, no more than one “connected party” (i.e. close family member, spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner) may work for each MP, within approved salary and job description guidelines.

Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, Chair of the IPSA said,

No longer will MPs benefit from a slack allowances system. This system brings MPs’ expenses into line with those in most other areas of life. Expenses will be reimbursed only for legitimate costs, backed up by receipts.

There will be complete transparency, so that members of the public will see, in detail, expenses claimed by MPs. The rules will be backed up with tough new measures and abuse of the system will not be tolerated.

The new system is fair, workable and transparent. It will enable MPs to carry out the job we ask them to do and will provide reassurance and value for money to the tax-paying public.

Key components include:

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Helen Duffett

David Howarth on Parliamentary Reform

By Helen Duffett | Mon 22nd March 2010 - 10:40 pm

In case you missed it, David Howarth MP gave a speech last week, as part of the Hansard Society’s Parliamentary Reform Lecture Series.

The speech includes a discussion of the various systems that need reform: the government, the judiciary, political parties and the media.

David Howarth also covers Lords reform, electoral reform and the loss of trust in our political institutions. He emphasises the need to restore power to local government. He cautions that the General Election will not be enough to end this crisis, which has partly been brought about by MPs’ misuse of expenses.

He ends by saying:

These reforms would not

…

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Mark Pack

Another step forward on modernising Parliament’s YouTube rules

By Mark Pack | Mon 22nd March 2010 - 9:30 pm

The Guardian reports:

A ban on broadcasting video clips of the proceedings of the House of Commons on YouTube could come to an end in the coming weeks after months of delicate negotiations between the Palace of Westminster and broadcasters led by the BBC.

Existing rules forbid YouTube or any other website, such as a newspaper’s, from embedding any clips of parliamentary proceedings – meaning that the only way to watch parliament online is via the news clips from the major broadcasters, live on the BBC’s Parliament channel or the Westminster website…

Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Dumbarton East, has long

…

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Mark Pack

Thinking the unthinkable

By Mark Pack | Fri 19th March 2010 - 2:50 pm

Imagine the following scenario.

Labour (or the Conservatives) lose the general election.

Gordon Brown (or David Cameron) resigns as party leader.

With much of the rest of their frontbench team also discredited, the party elects a non-MP – the (ex) Mayor of London – as its leader.

A sitting MP then resigns so the new party leader can stand in a by-election for Parliament.

With me so far?

Now imagine that in the by-election the other main parties do not put up candidates but rather give the new party leader a free pass into Parliament.

Pretty unthinkable, isn’t it?

Yet curiously that’s just what political tradition in Canada …

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Mark Pack

Why should an MP be allowed to veto a piece of legislation in secret?

By Mark Pack | Mon 15th March 2010 - 10:08 pm

Some bad old secrecy habits clearly still linger on in parts of the Conservative Party.

Step forward: Christopher Chope MP and his veto of a Bill to aid developing countries.

The Bill was at a stage where any one MP objecting to it would kill it off, and that’s what he did. In itself, of course it’s perfectly fair for an MP to view a Bill as being wrong. Myself, I’d change the weird way Parliamentary rules work to produce this power of veto,  but given it’s there I don’t hold it too much against an MP for using it.

But that doesn’t cover Christopher …

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Mark Pack

What happens to MPs’ websites when Parliament is dissolved?

By Mark Pack | Fri 12th March 2010 - 2:50 pm

There was a little flurry of interest last year as to whether MPs with “MP” in their Twitter name would face a problem after Parliament is officially dissolved for the general election. That’s because after that point technically no-one is an MP and you’re not allowed to call yourself an MP if you aren’t one. That story was rather over-played though it did spur me to dig out quite what the sanctions would be, which in turns out isn’t that simple a question to answer.

But what about MPs’ websites and text on them saying they are an MP? That is potentially …

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Mark Pack

MPs vote to reform Parliament – and reject Tory/Labour plan to water down plans

By Mark Pack | Fri 5th March 2010 - 11:10 am

From the BBC:

MPs have backed a series of reforms aimed at beefing up the ability of backbenchers to create new laws and hold the government to account.

Proposals backed include a creating a backbench committee to set a timetable for Commons business.

A bid by the Labour and Tory front benches to restrict the committee to setting a timetable for just 15 days per session was rejected by MPs…

The reforms were drawn up by Labour MP and chairman of the public administration committee Tony Wright in the wake of last year’s expenses scandal…

MPs also agreed to back proposals ensuring the chairman

…

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Ben Lyons

The Independent View: Parliamentary interns deserve better

By Ben Lyons | Fri 26th February 2010 - 11:50 am

What do Lib Dem MPs have in common with the Tories and Labour? Hardly any of them pay their interns – along with almost all politicians and media groups. With an increasingly competitive employment market, getting a job today often relies less on your interview skills than your ability to intern for free. An article in the New Statesman highlights this problem, but even they fail to pay those interns who are working for them.

To support yourself in London for three months costs around £2000. The division between those who can afford to do internships, and those who cannot, …

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Mark Pack

Carmichael moves to end MP-MSP dual mandates

By Mark Pack | Wed 24th February 2010 - 3:20 pm

Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Shadow Scotland Secretary, has tabled amendments to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill aimed at bringing an end to MSPs and MPs holding both jobs at the same time.

The amendments follow legislation backed by both the Government and the Conservatives which seeks to end ‘double jobbing’ by Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLAs) who are also MPs. They offer two options:

  • a measure which would end the ability of MPs who are also MSPs to receive salaries from both jobs, along the same lines as the Government and Conservative-backed legislation on MLAs and intended to act as

…

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Mark Pack

And the winners in the Power 2010 poll on political reform are…

By Mark Pack | Wed 24th February 2010 - 8:50 am

The polls have closed and over 100,000 votes been counted in the Power 2010  online consultation on political reform (which we’ve previously covered here).

The most popular proposals, with people able to pick more than one from a list, were a proportional voting system, the end of ID cards and government data hoarding, an elected House of Lords, English votes on English laws and a commitment to drawing up a written constitution.

The next stage in Power 2010’s campaign will involve candidates being challenged to back this set of proposals. The campaign’s director, Pam Giddy, says, “The vote shows that voters can make difficult choices …

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Mark Pack

Hear David Howarth give lecture on Parliamentary reform

By Mark Pack | Thu 18th February 2010 - 3:50 pm

As party of the Parliamentary Reform Lecture Series organised by the Hansard Society, David Howarth MP (Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Solicitor General) will give a talk examining the Liberal Democrat’s priorities for reform of Parliament.

It’s at 6pm on March 15th. It’s being held at the Houses of Parliament and is open to the public. Please email [email protected] to register.

The talk is one of a series the Hansard Society is running (one each from each of the main parties) to draw attention to the fact that there is still much progress to be made in the area …

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Mark Pack

How is Parliament doing at catching up with the existence of YouTube?

By Mark Pack | Fri 12th February 2010 - 10:20 am

We’ve covered before the campaign by Jo Swinson and others to change the antiquated Parliamentary rules which ban MPs (and in theory other people too) from placing footage from Parliament on YouTube.

Here’s the latest from Jo Swinson about the campaign (via an update sent to fans of the campaign on Facebook):

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The Voice

Wide backing for radical reform of Parliamentary scrutiny function

By The Voice | Thu 11th February 2010 - 2:20 pm

So reports a news release from Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris:

An amendment to the Government’s resolutions on reform of parliament following the report of the Wright Committee due to be debated on the 22nd of February, which calls for the establishment of a House Business Committee has attracted widespread support, including that of Sir George Young, its backers announced today.

The Select Committee on Reform of Parliament (the Wright Committee) was set up in July 2009 as a response to the expenses scandal to bring forward recommendations on how Parliament could be reformed to carry out its functions better. The Government …

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