My Research

I am currently researching, and now writing up my thesis, on whips in the UK Parliament and US Congress. This weekend, I was reviewing the challenges faced by whips in the 1974-79 Parliament. This excellent video tells the story of the events leading to the Government's fall.

Whoops!

On July 28th 1897 a number of Conservative MPs were at celebrations of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and absent from the House of Commons. The Government lost a vote on the Second Reading of the Isle of Man (Church Building Acts) Bill, by 58-64. The Prime Minister rising immediately, said: “It is evident that the attempt to carry on business during the Jubilee celebration is not wholly unattended with difficulties. In these circumstances, I beg to move "That this House do now adjourn." [Ministerial cheers, laughter, and Opposition cries of "No!"]” (HC Deb 28 June 1897 vol 50 cc672-3), that motion to was lost. A number of matters were deferred, but the third defeat, again on much reduced numbers, was suffered on the motion “That the Chairman do report Progress, and ask leave to sit again” relating to the Education Endowments (Ireland) Act 1885 Amendment Bill. (Hansard HC Deb 28 June 1897 vol 50.

Labour Party Conference

Sadly it was not possible to “blog” from Labour Party Conference as I had hoped – a mixture of computer problems (a ‘dodgy’ netbook) and very poor wifi signal in my hotel. In addition I was extremely busy during conference – and since my return have been wholly ‘absorbed’ in writing up my Ph.D.
I did, as promised, make some videos while I was there – and I will be uploading them to this blog as soon as I get a chance.

So here is the start of my “Conference Diary” (albeit a fortnight late – though as I’ve been typing up comments from Dick Crossman’s diaries – that’s relatively recent!) 

I arrived on Saturday 29th September. The Women’s Conference was on – but I’m not eligible to attend that. However the first events for delegates to the main conference began in the early evening. I attended two receptions – the first at the Town Hall, to welcome people to Manchester. The second was in the conference centre. Below is a video of the remarks made by the Party Leader, Ed Miliband 

EU wins Nobel Prize

The European Movement has issued this statement -

"The decision by the Nobel Committee to award the 2012 Nobel Peace prize to the EU is of symbolic significance. It is a recognition of the role the EU has paid in the preservation and spread of peace, democracy and the rule of law across Europe over the past 60 years", said Petros Fassoulas, Chairman of the European Movement UK.

The EU has been an agent of stability across the Continent, the ambition to join this club of economic and political co-operation contributed to the fight in South as well as Central and Eastern Europe against dictatorship and Communism respectively and eventual membership of the EU cemented democracy in all these countries.

What started as a Community of 6 nations has become a Union of 27 that has united a continent that only a few decades ago was ravaged by 2 world wars and was facing the prospect of nuclear conflict.

The EU today is facing challenges of institutional and economic nature. But, as efforts by Member State governments and public sentiment across the EU has shown, there is still strong support for the process of integration and commitment to make the EU work even better for its members and their citizens.

The award of the Nobel Prize is a reminder of the EU's achievements over the past 60 years and an inspiration to preserve this unique project of international and supranational co-operation and build on its successes. The European Movement calls for the UK to remain at the core of the process of European integration and co-co-operate closely with our EU partners in the efforts to promote our common interests in the globalised world we are part of."

Congressional Ethics

I found this clip while searching for information on the Obey Commission.