The UK Prime Minister is making extrapolations on future policy on the governance of the UK based on one vote on a different issue in one part of the UK. That is hardly democratic is it? Continue reading A vote for Better Together is not a vote for more devolution…
Following this afternoon’s vote in the debate on the third reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, Christopher Lovell has expressed his disappointment at Tim Farron’s “abstention” today. It seems that Mr Lovell who lives in Leeds, not in Tim’s constituency, feels that because there is no vote recorded by Tim Farron in today’s debate, Tim abstained. I counter that this is not true. Tim did in fact, quite clearly not vote. It has been suggested by Erskine May that there is a procedure in Parliament to register an abstention: voting in both lobbies (Erskine May, Parliamentary Practice, 23rd edition, 2004, p412).
A House of Commons Briefing Paper, Divisions in the House of Commons, SN/PC/06401 states
If fewer than 40 Members, including the Speaker and the tellers, participate in a division, it does not meet the quorum required. The House then moves on to the next business, and the subject of the division is postponed until the next sitting day. Members who wish to defeat a particular item of business may engineer a division and then stay out of the lobbies, as they can thus render the division inquorate. Continue reading “Disappointed with Tim Farron or Naomi Long? I’m not…”
We’ve all watched the horrendous images from across our country’s capital, London, and from other cities in England. The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. David Cameron MP has declared that he has spoken to the Speaker of the House of Commons so that the House is recalled on Thursday so that he can make a statement. What will this statement be? I suspect that I was not the only person re-reading the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (c.36). The Act states that 27. (1) Where emergency regulations are made– (a) a senior Minister of the Crown shall as soon as is … Continue reading Parliament Recalled: will Emergency Regulations have been made by Thursday? #londonriots
Michael suggests that with just under 3 months to go until the centenary of 1 and 2 Geo. 5, c.13, HM Government should get on with the reform of the Upper House of Parliament as it really is about time we got round to it. Continue reading it really is about time we got round to it
For many gay men in the United Kingdom, there was light at the end of a tunnel in the Government’s Protection of Freedoms Bill.
The Rt Hon David Cameron, wrote in an exclusive for Pink News:
We will change the law so that any past convictions for consensual homosexual sexual activities, which have since become lawful, will be treated as spent, and will not be disclosed on a criminal record check when applying for a job. This is a question of justice – and it’s right that we should change the law and wipe the slate clean.
Unfortunately, it seems that once again HMG is being economical with the truth. Continue reading “did Sir Humphrey give the advice on Chapter 3 of Part 5 of the Protection of Freedoms Bill?”
Gyronny Herald 