When a General election changes the governing party the media changes its mainstream agenda from the preoccupations of the outgoing government to the priorities of the incoming government. Media reflects the will of the people and the shift of power. Of course it allows the Opposition a say, and the Parliamentary Opposition battles to...
The SNP walk out today over an EU debate reminded some MPs of the previous walk out by Nick Clegg for the Liberal Democrats in February 2008. Then Speaker Martin refused to allow debate on one of their amendments which wanted an In/Out referendum on the EU. As Nick Clegg said “It is time...
I believe in Parliamentary sovereignty, subject to the ultimate sovereignty of the British people. In recent debates some have sought to suggest that those who favour Brexit, who made the case for restoring the sovereignty of the British people and their Parliament, now no longer reflect this view because we wish to limit Parliament’s...
The government has made clear no money should be spent on the next set of European elections by UK authorities by making the following statement: In a recent answer to Parliament, they said: “Following the EU Referendum and the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017, the UK will cease to be a member...
Those who want the UK to stay in the single market and customs union tried to amend the Queen’s speech in 2017 to require this. They lost by 322 to 101 votes. They tried again with an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill in the Commons. They lost again by 322 to 99, by...
The decision to leave was effectively taken when Parliament approved the sending of the Article 50 letter. The Commons approved the legislation by 461 to 89, with most Labour MPs joining the Conservatives and DUP to vote it through in accordance with their Manifesto. When it came to vote on the important Clause 1...
The government has won all but one of the votes on the Bill. The most important vote, the one to approve Clause 1 which repeals the 1972 European Communities Act, passed by 318 to 68, as Labour accepted they needed to allow the repeal to permit Brexit. On Wednesday Amendment 7 passed against the...
What a nonsense this row is about so called Henry VIII clauses. All our current EU laws either were imposed direct with no reference at all to Parliament, or had to be voted through Parliament as Statutory Instruments in order to comply with decisions already made by Brussels. Thousands of EU laws became our...
A Labour rebel tabled an amendment to the Queens Speech to keep us in the single market and Customs Union. It was defeated by 322 to 101 votes, with 49 Labour rebels voting for it against their leadership’s view. 3 Shadow Spokesmen had to resign. The BBC who have run a year long campaign...
The least bad option from here is for Mrs May to lead a Conservative government, commanding her 318 MPs. Assuming the 7 Sinn Fein MPs do not attend as before, and allowing for 1 Speaker and 3 Deputy Speakers, a party needs 320 MPs to have a majority. On most votes therefore Mrs May...