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Articles tagged with Parliament
‘I used to know Eric Joyce a bit…’
by Emma Burnell / 15 Mar 2013 15:14
I used to know Eric Joyce a bit. Not well, but a bit. He was funny and charming. An incorrigible flirt, mind.
We lost touch several years ago. But I felt sorry for him last year when he first got a bit “fighty". I worried that his response was not that of someone who recognised he had a problem. The way he normalised his violent behaviour and the drinking that
The vulnerability of political staff should worry us
by Sadie Smith / 27 Feb 2013 14:08
Last week my colleague and I – after we’d stopped screaming like girls - had cause to put a call into the Parliamentary Rodent Dude. Amid a wide ranging discussion on a number of issues, and a free and frank exchange of views on the state of our office, I asked for reassurance that Fortesque the Mouse was definitely a mouse, and not a rat. I hate rats.
Did you know that Parliament
Gove insists he won't interfere with Ofqual
by Aisha Gani / 03 Sep 2012 16:42
Parliament kicked off this afternoon with Michael Gove reiterating that he will not get involved in decisions made by Ofqual over the controversial GCSE results this year, followed by immigration minister Damien Green tackling emergency questions on the London Metropolitan University overseas student ban.
The education secretary said that he would not undermine Ofqual’s authority in regulating qualifications and examinations in English schools, during the first questions on education of the Parliamentary session.
Chancellor slams shut Clegg's emergency tax plan
by Aisha Gani / 29 Aug 2012 13:01
Nick Clegg’s demands today for an emergency tax on Britain’s wealthiest – in order to rescue Britain from its economic troubles – was effectively slammed shut by the Chancellor this morning. The deputy prime minister made this bold plan just as recess ends, and as George Osborne came back from his summer holiday. This political positioning is an indication of the less collegial tone of Coalition colleagues that we can expect from the next
EU referendum: Cameron needs to give answers
by Anoosh Chakelian / 02 Jul 2012 17:10
Of all the clumsy linguistic flourishes that reverberate around the House of Commons on a daily basis, Labour MP and former Minister for Europe Denis MacShane’s deployment of “semi-pledging” today was by far the most resonant in light of David Cameron’s sudden inclination towards a referendum on the UK’s EU membership.
Because “semi” is the only way to describe it.
This latest turnaround does not even have the dignity of being called
Osborne’s Barclays statement targets Labour
by Anoosh Chakelian / 28 Jun 2012 12:01
Rather late to today’s banker bashing frenzy, beaten to it by both Boris Johnson and Ed Miliband – united in calling for imprisonment of those guilty of manipulating the Libor interest rate in Barclays and other banks – and by the Prime Minister, George Osborne finally bounded out from behind his junior punchbags and addressed the Commons on the City’s freshest scandal.
He spoke authoritatively of the changes the coalition will
Live: Aung San Suu Kyi addresses Parliament
by Vicky Wong / 21 Jun 2012 14:52
Summary:
Aung San Suu Kyi has become the second woman next to the Queen to address Parliament and the first person who is not a head of state to address both Houses.
Aung San Suu Kyi pays tribute to Westminster as a symbol of Freedom of Speech and is hoping that Burma can learn from other Parliamentary models.
She recognises Britain as the largest bilateral donor to Burma and welcomes "targetted
MPs alone cannot destigmatise mental health problems
by Alison Seabeck MP / 01 May 2012 11:45
I read the article by Kirsty Buchanan on 'Politicians and their black dog days' with great interest. Living life in the public spotlight, being on call via email and mobile phone pretty much 24/7, being regularly attacked on a very personal level, working 70-hour weeks, grabbing snacks when you can, being away from your family on a regular basis, is a recipe for disaster – and yet this is pretty much the life
Dickens’s Parliament is oddly familiar
by Caroline Crampton / 07 Feb 2012 15:44
In case you hadn’t heard, today is the 200th anniversary of Dickens’s birth. My colleague Amber has already posted the full story of which cabinet ministers received which novels from culture secretary Jeremy Hunt in celebration of the day, but I thought I’d highlight Dickens’s parliamentary, rather than literary, output.
Early in his career, he held the position of parliamentary sketch writer for the Morning Chronicle. It’s not hard to imagine how
Why do our MPs think they know best?
by Francesca Preece / 09 Nov 2011 15:28
E-petitions have hit the headlines lately; first, the EU referendum, then rioters losing their benefits and soon to take to the ring, a proposal to stop the UK hitting the 70 million mark.
With MPs often too consumed with their own agendas or obediently following their lord and master to benefit their personal ambitions, the public feel they aren’t being listened to. And if the EU referendum petition is anything to go by,
What MPs get up to in their spare time
by Fern Tomlinson / 16 Aug 2011 14:45
Politicians can seem like boring creatures, with endless workloads and demanding constituents they are periodically characterised by the media as being out of touch with the ‘real world’. Yet the hobbies of MPs and other politicians are varied and often surprising, with recess offering the perfect opportunity to indulge in these unusual pastimes.
Dan Byles (Conservative MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth) certainly challenges himself in his free time, having successfully rowed
What does recalling Parliament achieve?
by Caroline Crampton / 09 Aug 2011 17:06
A quick straw poll of colleagues in the TP office revealed that no one was very impressed with David Cameron’s statement earlier. I sense that this is a view likely to be reflected across the capital, and beyond.
The two major points were that Met leave had been cancelled and there would be 16,000 police officers on the streets tonight, and that Parliament has been recalled for a day on Thursday.
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