Monthly Archives: May 2009

We are now well into the Bank’s programme of quantitative easing. They have announced they will buy up to £125,000,000,000 of government bonds, with a few corporate bonds as part of the programme. The Bank’s own balance sheet, around £40,000,000,000 when the Rock crisis struck, was last seen at £215,000,000,000. The Bank’s last report on [...]

Conservatives like George Young and Frank Field as leading candidates. It is likely Michael Lord, a deputy Speaker, may run. Sir Alan Haslehurst, also a Deputy Speaker, is another possibility. These too could attract some Conservative support. What matters more is how Labour MPs will vote, given the much larger number of Labour MPs. There [...]

Well done to Douglas Carswell and to the Labour MPs who supported his motion. It was part of the process to change Speakers. I hope readers can now see the wisdom of the judgement made by David Cameron and the front bench. If the Speaker was to go it was important he was not brought [...]

Enough has been said in the press this morning about the Speaker’s performance yesterday. As feared he sought to tackle the issue of expenses, but could only say he would now discuss it with the there party leaders. He failed to tell us anything about his own position. His Statement revealed yet another inadequacy in [...]

The Speaker’s Statement failed to reassure an unhappy House. He did say he is calling in the party Leaders to try to reach an agreement on a new system for expenses. That is too little too late. He did not say what his personal plans are. He was subject to a barrage of hostile Points [...]

Sir, Your story concerning my expense claims is wrong. I did not move the designation of my main home to sell a property in London. In 2004-5 I was living in London in a house, paying a mortgage. I spent more time there. I rightly claimed on the constituency home as the second home, and [...]

We read this morning that the Speaker will today make a statement about MPs expenses. He should also make a statement about his own position. Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems have called on him to go. Some senior Labour figures have expressed unease. The Conservative leadership have made clear that any motion of No [...]

Had I been a Lloyds shareholder I would have voted against the merger with HBOS. At the time I called on the Competition authorities to block the merger, and advised shareholders to vote against it. We have now seen the huge losses of HBOS, and are beginning to see the damage it has done to [...]

There is continuing worry about the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, and rightly so. Doubtless the EU will want to rush the ratification through in Ireland as soon as possible. They have sought to impose a November 2009 deadline for another vote and given various “assurances”. They must be well aware that David Cameron is [...]

For all who love the idea of Parliamentary democracy, this has been the worst week of our lives. Over the last decade it has been bad enough to see too many powers given away to Brussels in three major Treaties we did not want. It has been compounded by giving away too many powers and [...]