The Fifteenth Parliament of the United Kingdom in the Reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been opened by The Queen in the Palace of Westminster

Today we see the the full splendour of the three part of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in one place: The Sovereign, The House of Lords, The House of Commons. The colour of the State Opening is provided by the uniforms of the many members of HM Household on duty, together with the members of the Army on duty.

I thought I would have a look at what the papers are saying about the Queen’s Speech.

We have had enough of the most pointless Parliament for 350 years

Should you see on television this morning our beloved Queen opening Parliament, ponder for a moment all the much more constructive and enjoyable things that a dear old lady in her 84th year could be doing instead. There is no purpose to her speech. Indeed, there is no point in the continuation of the present Parliament, which I think we can agree is the most despised since Cromwell threw out the Rump in 1653…

Read more in The Telegraph

A Queen’s Speech too far? Not if the Government turns radical

A couple of years ago I saw a play in which a violent act was committed in the first scene. Or at least I thought I witnessed a violent act.

By the end of the play I was not so sure. I seem to remember that the play was one of Alan Ayckbourn’s later works, staged in Scarborough. The device was certainly typical of his stagecraft, highlighting that what you see on the stage is not always what is actually happening…

Read more in The Independent

Cabinet split over spending ahead of Queen’s Speech

Tensions have surfaced within the Cabinet over a decision by Alistair Darling to rule out a formal spending review alongside next month’s Pre-Budget Report The Times has learnt.

With the Government’s last programme before the general election being unveiled today, some ministers had hoped to follow up with a Pre-Budget Report that would have set out departmental spending plans and challenged the Conservatives to match them…

Read more in The Times

Tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech will be a mockery, delivered to a House of the living dead

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is seldom a fount of wisdom, but yesterday he talked sense, even though it will go unheeded. He urged cancellation of tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech, announcing government legislation for the forthcoming session of Parliament, because its fine promises will be blown away with the leaves…

Read more in the Daily Mail

Mandelson: Queen’s Speech is not about electioneering

Business secretary hits back after claims by Tory peers that they will block bills, saying the public, not Conservatives or newspapers, is political master in UK

Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, insisted today that the bills due to be outlined by the government in the Queen’s speech today would present a “very strong and rich policy agenda” as he rejected Tory claims of electioneering…

Read more in The Guardian