Archive for house of lords
Federal Executive will return to Interim Peers Panel elections issue
Back in July I covered the news that the Federal Executive (FE) was cancelling this autumn’s elections to the Liberal Democrat Interim Peers Panel. Here is what the FE’s report to the Autumn Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton says on the matter: The Committee came to the decision that given the current passage through Parliament [...]
Oh bugger, is that what it is really like?
I strongly suspect that for all political parties there is a common pattern: what seems sensible and logical to those on the inside often seems baffling and weird to those on the outside. Europe for Tories, STV for the Liberal Democrats, for example. Often, of course, it is the outsiders who are right because they [...]
Lords reform: what the failure means for the Coalition, David Cameron and Nick Clegg
First up, here’s Nick Robinson’s take on yesterday’s events followed by myself, via the BBC News Channel: Here also are Tim Montgomerie’s rather pungent views on David Cameron and my own on Nick Clegg, via Radio 4′s The World Tonight: * Mark Pack has written 101 Ways To Win An Election and produces a monthly [...]
The House of Lords just got even more dangerous for Cameron
Imagine the situation. You are a Liberal Democrat peer. You have voted for several measures you did not like because they were in the Coalition Agreement. You have now seen the Conservative Party walk away from a major part of the agreement. You now know your place in Parliament is secure for a good few [...]
Lords reform off, boundary changes off
Lords reform off, boundary changes off, plenty MPs thinking “Hooray, my seat is safe and so is my retirement home” — Mark Pack (@markpack) August 6, 2012 @nick_clegg right to have fought for more democracy, right to recognise that Tory MPs blocked deal and Labour wouldn’t support reform. — Chris Rennard (@LordRennard) August 6, 2012 [...]
I bet David Cameron now wishes he hadn’t said this
David Cameron on Lords reform during the general election TV debates: Hat-tip: Nick Thornsby
Lords reform: what next?
Four quick thoughts before I go off in search of chocolate, pizza and friends (in reverse order of priority, of course): 1. The last rites on Lords reform for this Parliament have not yet quite been uttered, though it’s striking how those in government I’ve spoken to are all now pretty much just talking about what [...]
Lords reform: my letter to Lib Dem News
Richard Balmer raises the old argument that having unelected peers in the House of Lords is good because it means outside experts are able to scrutinise legislation (Letter, 13 July). The reality is very different, not only because so many of those appointed to the Lords are not outside experts but rather former elected politicians [...]
The compromiser’s dilemma: House of Lords reform
You propose something. Someone objects to it, giving many reasons. You offer to make some changes to meet some of the objections. A deal is made and progress is achieved. A perfectly normal sequence of events, both inside and outside politics and whether the matter is as mundane as what to eat for dinner tomorrow [...]
How does David Cameron charm the Liberal Democrats?
This week’s falling out between the coalition partners over Lords reform leaves David Cameron with two tricky problems to mull over the summer. The first, and most talked about, is how to get his party to back some measure of Lords reform else risk seeing Liberal Democrats outside ministerial ranks (and even some inside) see [...]
