28 September 2017 Week in Brief: UK Brexit MAY IN FLORENCE: In a speech on Friday, the Prime Minister proposed a two-year transition period which would, in effect, put off much of Brexit until 2021. During that period Britain would no longer have any representation at EU level but would continue to participate in the… Continue reading Issue 122: 2017 09 28: Week in Brief: UK
Tag: House of Lords
Issue 110: 2017 06 22: Old Goats (Chin Chin)
22 June 2017 Old Goats What are they doing in parliament? by Chin Chin It is the goat I felt sorry for. Okay, the Queen’s Speech had to be changed a bit to accommodate the election result but what about the goat whose skin was used for the original version? The tradition has long been… Continue reading Issue 110: 2017 06 22: Old Goats (Chin Chin)
Issue 71: 2016 09 15: Week in Brief: UK
15 September 2016 Week in Brief: UK Foreign Affairs LIBYA: A report of the House of Commons Defence Committee has heavily criticised David Cameron’s role in the 2011 bombing campaign in Libya. Stating that the then Chief of Defence Staff, Lord Richards, disassociated himself from the claim that the operation was in the national interest,… Continue reading Issue 71: 2016 09 15: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 70: 2016 09 08: Week in Brief: UK
08 September 2016 Week in Brief: UK General Politics CHILD ABUSE ENQUIRY: Dame Lowell Goddard, the New Zealand judge who recently resigned from the chairmanship of the abuse enquiry, has said that its extensive scale and size makes it unmanageable. She has suggested that her resignation presents an opportunity to remodel it with less focus… Continue reading Issue 70: 2016 09 08: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 33: 2015 12 17: Week in Brief: UK
17 December 2015 Week in Brief: UK ENVIRONMENT: The commitment in the Paris agreement to pursue efforts to keep global warning down to 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels would require a substantial step up from Britain. Until now the Committee on Climate Change has worked on the basis of 2C°, the maximum envisaged by Paris. … Continue reading Issue 33: 2015 12 17: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 30: 2015 11 26: Week in Brief: UK
26 November 2015 Week in Brief: UK AUTUMN STATEMENT: In his autumn statement, the Chancellor claimed that the public finances had improved and that accordingly government expenditure would not need to be cut as much as previously envisaged. Inter alia, he announced: the abandonment of his plan to cut tax credits; an increase in the… Continue reading Issue 30: 2015 11 26: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 27: 2015 11 05: The Light At The Top Of The Tree
05 November 2015 The Light At The Top Of The Tree By John Watson Most people, if they were asked about Lord Raglan, would start talking about sleeves; and indeed the style was invented for him by Aquascutum so that he could better use his sword in battle, his right arm having been amputated at… Continue reading Issue 27: 2015 11 05: The Light At The Top Of The Tree
Issue 18:2015 09 03: Oh Lord
3 September 2015 Oh Lord by J.R. Thomas “Whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad”. If this applies to institutions, then maybe it explains what is going on with the House of Lords. Britain’s second parliamentary chamber is now the second largest in the world, with 882 members, surpassed only by that… Continue reading Issue 18:2015 09 03: Oh Lord
Issue 18: 2015 09 03: Week in Brief: UK NEWS
3 September 2015 Week in Brief: UK NEWS CHILCOT ENQUIRY: The row over the delay in producing a report into the war in Iraq continues as Sir John refuses to name a publication day. Blame has been placed on the quality of the first draft of the report and on uncooperative tactics by witnesses who… Continue reading Issue 18: 2015 09 03: Week in Brief: UK NEWS
Issue 16: 2015 08 20: UK News in Brief
20 August 2015 Week in Brief: UK NEWS LABOUR LEADERSHIP: Tony Blair has added his voice to those of Jack Straw, Alan Milburn and other big beasts campaigning to prevent Jeremy Corbyn becoming leader of the Labour Party. Mr Corbyn’s position has been reinforced as new voters are signed up, polls indicating that he is… Continue reading Issue 16: 2015 08 20: UK News in Brief
Issue 14: 2015 08 06 UK News
6 August 2015 Week In Brief: UK NEWS CALAIS: Blame is the game as migrants continue to besiege the Calais terminal of Eurotunnel, with: Mr Cameron being criticised by Nigel Farage and others for referring to the migrants as a swarm; Eurotunnel criticising the French authorities for providing an insufficient number of police; Keith Vaz… Continue reading Issue 14: 2015 08 06 UK News
Issue 14: 2015 08 06: Ancient liberties
6 August 2015 Ancient Liberties by J. R. Thomas One of the great growth industries of the last 40 years is the anti-discrimination business. Whilst not perhaps solely Britain’s gift to the world – we must offer due deference to the USA in this – we have certainly become market leaders in the rooting… Continue reading Issue 14: 2015 08 06: Ancient liberties
Issue 13: 2015 07 30: Week in Brief: UK NEWS
30 July 2015 Week in Brief: UK NEWS CHILD ABUSE: Cabinet Office papers have been discovered which show that the Head of MI5 wrote to the Cabinet Secretary in 1986 about an MP said to have ‘a penchant for small boys’. MI5’s concern was the security and political risks involved. The documents contain references to… Continue reading Issue 13: 2015 07 30: Week in Brief: UK NEWS
