Chris Huhne is asking the police to investigate claims of “cash for amendments” in the House of Lords. (BBC)
Ken Clarke has barely got his feet under the table back in the Conservative Shadow Cabinet and he’s rubbishing the Osborne/Cameron line on the economy: “Clarke rejects party leader’s warning over loan from IMF.” (The Guardian)
Nick Clegg says the Conservatives will not offer the radical change we need. (BBC)
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6 Comments
The ban on ‘Extreme Pornography’, which the Lib Dems shamefully supported, comes into force…
Now you’ve done it. Google will detect the words Extreme Pornography and all heck will break loose. It’ll be like Baby P but much, much worse.
I don’t have an overriding opinion on that issue, if I’m honest. I’m wondering if the Guardian hasn’t just wheeled out an oldish news story and tried to make it look fresh, or Cameron’s actually giving his whipped cabinet a bit of free comment space…
What do you suppose the odds are for Clarke getting the boot before Mandleson? 5/4?
Did we support it? (the EP ban that is)
Sue Miller was strongly opposed to these provisions when they went through the Lords and supporting it would be partly inconsistent with the views Charles expressed as leader in this letter:
http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/argch05.htm#A_Liberal_View_ (long page so search for Kennedy within it
I guess that Lord Taylor of Blackburn, a Labour Peer caught money grubbing by the Sunday Times, chose to ignore the Code of Conduct found in the Register of Lords’ Interests:
Members “must never accept any financial inducement as an incentive or reward for exercising parliamentary influence” and “must not vote on any bill or motion, or ask any question in the House or a committee, or promote any matter, in return for payment or any other material benefit”.
I’m sure we’ll discover that dozens of Lords are making a packet from “paid advocacy”. If there are Lib Dems amongst them it could be that Mr Hulne has jumped the gun with his letter to the Dibble.
“If there are Lib Dems amongst them it could be that Mr Hulne has jumped the gun with his letter to the Dibble.”
Why? If there are Lib Dem peers engaged in such activities then I’d be happy to see them exposed and subject to whatever sanctions are available.
It seems that the Lib Dems did support the EP ban, at least according to a Law Weblog I found.
Here is a quote (google to find the page)
The Bill went through the Commons unchallenged and only in the House of Lords was there any significant opposition.