With today’s third reading in the House of Lords, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill passed its hurdles in their Lordships House to pass into law. The final hurdle is not quite here but should not be too long. All … Continue reading Equal Marriage Bill passes the Lords – society has matured and will do so again.
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…”
HM Government’s E-petition site appears to be down. Are we really that surprised when the BBC is reporting that it had more than 90,000 signatures at 6am from BBC News Perhaps the Government did not expect people to actually sign … Continue reading HMG’s e-petition site far too popular…
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
There are many reasons being given in many places across the internet and print media why the British voter should not be voting Yes in the Referendum on the Voting System for the members of the House of Commons. However, one of them today caught my eye. On the Telegraph website, Daniel Hannan, has stated that AV IS EXPENSIVE Under AV we won’t be able to count ballot papers by hand on election night if we want a quick, decisive election result. Local councils will have to purchase electronic counting machines that are very expensive and prone to malfunction. However, … Continue reading Expensive counting machines necessary: bunkum!
The debate on this motion in the House of Commons yesterday:
That the draft Higher Education (Basic Amount) (England) Regulations 2010, which were laid before this House on 29 November, be approved.
was inextricably linked to that on
That, for the purpose of section 24 of the Higher Education Act 2004, the higher amount should be increased to £9,000, and to £4,500 in the cases described in regulation 5 of the draft regulations in Command Paper Cm 7986, and that the increase should take effect from 1 September 2012.
However, whilst I do not agree with the trebling of fees for full-time undergraduates, as has been made clear in recent posts. As one who has been a part-time undergraduate the provisions on the inclusion of part-time students within the student loan system for the first time is one part of the Bill with which I can agree. Continue reading “Amongst the shouting – there were good things in that vote too”
This afternoon, I happened to be in Belfast City Centre as the protest on tution fees was taking place at the gates of Belfast City Hall.
Earlier this evening as Northern Ireland Liberal Democrat Chair I issued a press release. I said: Continue reading “violence in Belfast as the vote loomed – reaction”
With the vote in the House of Commons on Tuition Fees approaching later this week, it is clear that most of the Liberal Democrats MPs are not going to stick to the pledges that they made
TO VOTE AGAINST
ANY INCREASE IN FEES
in the next parliament
and to pressure the
government to introduce
A FAIRER ALTERNATIVE.
As Gareth Epps said on Sunday,
I have heard rumours of at least one resignation from the Government, and think it in the interests of the Party and of higher education as a whole if this happens. Continue reading “Watch yourself Nick Clegg: the 104/103 haven’t done it – but I will!”
Gyronny Herald 