Edward Leigh MP has urged the Government to repeal the word "insulting" from Section 5 of the Public Order Act. Mr Leigh's comments came during a Parliamentary debate on the Protection of Freedoms Bill on 1st March 2011.
During the debate Mr Leigh listed numerous examples of people whose free speech had been restricted by the existing law.
You can watch footage here.
Showing posts with label Parliament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parliament. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Victory for Commoners Who Win Parliamentary Boat Race
 |
| The Lords in red behind the Commons in Green. |
The crew included local parliamentarian Edward Leigh MP, Conservative (Gainsborough) and Duncan Hames, Liberal Democrat (Chippenham). The captain was Don Foster MP, Liberal Democrat (Bath).
Mr. Hames commented on his twitter feed following the race:
"Celebrating victory in the Parliamentary Boat Race, and securing thousands of [pounds] for the Stroke Association and Thames apprenticeships."
It is the second year running that the Commons crew has beat the crew from the House of Lords.
The race started just off Millbank Pier with the finishing line between the Houses of Parliament and St Thomas' Hospital.
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| Members of the House of Commons Crew, including Edward Leigh MP (right). |
Monday, 8 March 2010
Is General Election Night Saved?
A month ago, Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Justice, accepted a new clause, tabled by the Conservatives, to the Constitution and Governance Bill which woould enshrine in to law that returning officers were duty bound to count the votes at general elections within four hours of the close of poll. Meaning that the counts would take place on Thursday nights.
It seemed that General Election Night had been saved from the returning officers seeking to delay counting until the Friday.
Mr. Straw said at the time - and Eleanor Laing for the Conservatives accepted - that the wording of the clause would probably have to be amended.
So it was during proceedings on report stage of the bill last week, in a way that - as Iain Dale has already noted yesterday - appears to give a vast amount of flexibility to retuning officers who want to count the following day.
The original version of the new clause stated that guidance on the exceptional circumstances for which a Friday count would be permissible would be drawn up by the Justice Secretary in consultation with the Electoral Commission - and subject to approval by the Common and Lords as secondary legislation.
However, it is understoood that since these measures in the bill are only due to be passed in the so-called 'wash-up' period immediately prior to Parliament's dissolution before the general election, there would be no parliamentary window to approve that secondary legislation.
As such, the Government's new clause 37 in the bill still states that:
The will of Parliament is absolutely clear on this in favour of Thursday night counts. The immediate onus is therefore now on the Electoral Commission to ensure that its guidance reflects that and is robust in outlining that counting must take place on the night unless there are very exceptional and/or unforeseen circumstances.
However, the Commission's record on this issue thus far is less than robust and it is fear that some of the returning officers who want to delay counting until Friday will make no effort to plan for a Thursday night count and plan to use the get-out of the written statement explaining their decision from the outset. That would be an outrageous and arrogant course of action to take.
Pressure must therefore continue to be exerted on returning officers to count on the Thursday night. And if they seek to disobey the will of Parliament at this general election, they should be in no doubt that they can expect the issue to be revisited after the general election.
As Justice minister Michael Wills told the Commons on Tuesday:
Acknowledgement: ConservativeHome | ToryDiary | 07/03/2010
It seemed that General Election Night had been saved from the returning officers seeking to delay counting until the Friday.
Mr. Straw said at the time - and Eleanor Laing for the Conservatives accepted - that the wording of the clause would probably have to be amended.
So it was during proceedings on report stage of the bill last week, in a way that - as Iain Dale has already noted yesterday - appears to give a vast amount of flexibility to retuning officers who want to count the following day.
The original version of the new clause stated that guidance on the exceptional circumstances for which a Friday count would be permissible would be drawn up by the Justice Secretary in consultation with the Electoral Commission - and subject to approval by the Common and Lords as secondary legislation.
However, it is understoood that since these measures in the bill are only due to be passed in the so-called 'wash-up' period immediately prior to Parliament's dissolution before the general election, there would be no parliamentary window to approve that secondary legislation.
As such, the Government's new clause 37 in the bill still states that:
"The returning officer shall take reasonable steps to begin counting the votes given on the ballot papers as soon as practicable within the period of four hours starting with the close of the poll."The guidance will be issued by the Electoral Commission rather than the Justice Secretary and not subject to parliamentary approval. Furthermore, if the votes are not counted on the night, the returning officer will have thirty days to publish a statement explaining why this was not the case.
The will of Parliament is absolutely clear on this in favour of Thursday night counts. The immediate onus is therefore now on the Electoral Commission to ensure that its guidance reflects that and is robust in outlining that counting must take place on the night unless there are very exceptional and/or unforeseen circumstances.
However, the Commission's record on this issue thus far is less than robust and it is fear that some of the returning officers who want to delay counting until Friday will make no effort to plan for a Thursday night count and plan to use the get-out of the written statement explaining their decision from the outset. That would be an outrageous and arrogant course of action to take.
Pressure must therefore continue to be exerted on returning officers to count on the Thursday night. And if they seek to disobey the will of Parliament at this general election, they should be in no doubt that they can expect the issue to be revisited after the general election.
As Justice minister Michael Wills told the Commons on Tuesday:
"I should make it clear that if that independence is exercised at the forthcoming general election in a way that is seen with hindsight to have flouted the clearly expressed wish of this House that there should be a presumption in favour of an overnight count-with the exceptions that I have mentioned-I have no doubt whatever that the new House elected in the next two or three months will return to the issue."Eleanor Laing for the Conservatives was equally vocal:
"May I make it clear that we entirely support the Minister in saying that the will of this House and of Parliament is absolutely clear? There is no dissent. We trust that those who have the duty to put into action the will of Parliament will do so forthwith."This is all far from ideal in that we now have to rely on both the Electoral Commission and returning officers to do the right thing and carry out the will of Parliament rather than having a law in black and white which gives them virtually no room for manoeuvre.
Acknowledgement: ConservativeHome | ToryDiary | 07/03/2010
Monday, 4 January 2010
'Outrageously Rude' Liberal Democrat Condemned
On Conservative Home my friend Jonathan Isaby is reporting that a Liberal Democrat candidate has been condemned for 'sexually gratuitous' and 'outrageously rude' attacks on political opponents.
The Liberal Democrats' often claim to be all sweetness and light when it comes to electioneering have long been in doubt (My post on this from August here.). The party's own campaign manual states that positive campaigning is not enough to win elections and that candidates should "
be wicked, act shamelessly, stir endlessly."
And over the Christmas period, the antics of Greg Stone, the Lib Dem candidate for Newcastle East, have been brought to national prominence.
Mr. Isaby talks of the report in the Telegraph, about Mr. Stone who has been using a pseudonym to post disparaging comments of an extremely personal nature about a series of Conservative and Labour MPs on the Guido Fawkes blog.
The Conservative candidate for Newcastle East, Dominic Llewellyn, condemned Stone in an open letter on his blog:
"I am standing for Parliament because I care deeply about the city and the
nation we both live in. Far from engaging people in a positive vision of how you
want to change this country for the better, your comments were sexually
gratuitous at times and outrageously rude at others. They are precisely the type
of comments which turn people off politics and they do not represent the values
which I stand for: personal freedom, a commitment to the environment and a
desire to protect the most vulnerable at home and abroad."
Mr. Stone has since been forced to apologise for his remarks and his comments have also been condemned by the Lib Dem leader of Newcastle Council as:
"entirely inappropriate".
Friday, 1 January 2010
Guardian Tip Edward Leigh in Speakership Challenge
The Guardian is tipping local parliamentarian Edward Leigh MP for a possible Speakership bid following the General Election, expected on Thursday 6th May 2010.
It is well known that the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, who replaced Michael Martin MP - who was forced to resign last year over the MPs Expences scandal - has always been a centrist in the Conservative Party's ranks; whilst the Catholic, Member of Parliament for the Gainsborough Constituency - which covers Gainsborough, Caistor, Market Rasen and the Lincoln fringe (villages like Cherry Willingham, Nettleham and Welton) - has always been on the right flank of the Conservative Party.
The Guardian reports that:
The paper suggests that senior backbenchers believe supporting him would placate the right of the party in the period immediately after coming to office, when Cameron's initial steps might not allow him to make many inroads into tax or Europe policy.
The article suggests that the Cornerstone group represents around 30 - 40 parliamentarians, and if the Conservatives win the General Election with a majority of that order they would demand an election for the role of Speaker in return for their voting bloc.
The Times yesterday reported that CCHQ has made it clear to members in Bercow's Buckingham constituency that any one helping Nigel Farage, the former leader of the Unied Kingdom Independence Party who plans to challenge and want to unseat Mr. Bercow would be ejected from the party, apparently following concerns expressed by the local Conservative Association.
The Guardian predict that the issue is likely to break into the open when the Procedure Committee reports and calls for a fully contested election for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speakers.One of the committee members, Christopher Chope MP, Conservative (Christchurch), is known to be mobilising against Mr. Bercow's Speakership.
Names of other possible challengers have included veteran Mr. Frank Field MP, Labour (Birkenhead), who is not universally popular with his own side and who would serve as a 'reverse Bercow' as it is believed that sufficient number of Conservative member sof parliament would support him.
It is well known that the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, who replaced Michael Martin MP - who was forced to resign last year over the MPs Expences scandal - has always been a centrist in the Conservative Party's ranks; whilst the Catholic, Member of Parliament for the Gainsborough Constituency - which covers Gainsborough, Caistor, Market Rasen and the Lincoln fringe (villages like Cherry Willingham, Nettleham and Welton) - has always been on the right flank of the Conservative Party.
The Guardian reports that:
"Tory MPs are pushing for the removal of the Speaker of the Commons, John Bercow, should their party win the next general election, with the right of the Conservative party beginning to mobilise for the backbencher Edward Leigh to take over the role...Mr. Leigh is Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (The Guardian mistakenly attribute Mr. Leigh as Chairman of the Public Administration Committee in reality chaired by Dr. Tony Wright) and president of the rightwing Cornerstone group.
"Conservative MPs have remained uncomfortable with Bercow since he was elected amid much fanfare last May. Although a Tory, Bercow won the position largely with Labour support and he has irritated MPs with his muscular style of chairing Commons debates.
"Tory MPs also feel that a decision by Bercow's wife, Sally, to criticise the Conservative leader, David Cameron, and run as a Labour candidate in this May's local elections has politicised his position and made it untenable."
The paper suggests that senior backbenchers believe supporting him would placate the right of the party in the period immediately after coming to office, when Cameron's initial steps might not allow him to make many inroads into tax or Europe policy.
The article suggests that the Cornerstone group represents around 30 - 40 parliamentarians, and if the Conservatives win the General Election with a majority of that order they would demand an election for the role of Speaker in return for their voting bloc.
The Times yesterday reported that CCHQ has made it clear to members in Bercow's Buckingham constituency that any one helping Nigel Farage, the former leader of the Unied Kingdom Independence Party who plans to challenge and want to unseat Mr. Bercow would be ejected from the party, apparently following concerns expressed by the local Conservative Association.
The Guardian predict that the issue is likely to break into the open when the Procedure Committee reports and calls for a fully contested election for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speakers.One of the committee members, Christopher Chope MP, Conservative (Christchurch), is known to be mobilising against Mr. Bercow's Speakership.
Names of other possible challengers have included veteran Mr. Frank Field MP, Labour (Birkenhead), who is not universally popular with his own side and who would serve as a 'reverse Bercow' as it is believed that sufficient number of Conservative member sof parliament would support him.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Local County Councillor Appears on BBC's Newsnight
Lincolnshire County Councillor, former Parliamentary Candidate for the Lincoln Constituency in 2001, Cllr. Mrs. Christine Talbot, Conservative (Bracebridge Heath and Waddngton Division) appeared on last night's Newsnight programme on the BBC 2 television channel commenting upon the South West Norfolk Constituency's meeting to deselect Liz Truss who a few weeks ago was selected as their parliamentary candidate.
Introducing the item, iconic Newsnight presenter, Jeremy Paxman, said:
Watch the BBC Newsnight's Report on Liz Truss here.
Introducing the item, iconic Newsnight presenter, Jeremy Paxman, said:
"If someone told you a year ago the greatest challenge to David Cameron's Tory leadership would come from a bunch nick-named the 'turnip taliban' in rural Norfolk, you'd have had trouble being believed.After a video package by political correspondent Michael Crick, including footage of Sir Jeremy Bagge - named as leader of the turnip taliban - and the suggestion that if Mrs. Truss was not de-selected he may stand for parliament for a newly created party - Christine Talbot emerged with Sue Catling, a management consultant, Conservative candidate for Calder Valley in 2005 who was de-selected and replaced by Mrs. Truss. Cllr. talbot was asked about the disconnect between the membership of the party and the wider electorate. She responded:
"Tonight's meeting about whether to de-select Elizabeth Truss as candidate because they didn't know she had an affair with a married Tory MP, Mark Field, a few years ago was surely the most exciting thing to happen in Swaffham since a cardboard box was seen blowing down the High Street.
"In the event a majority backed her, and back down from a confrontation with Mr. Cameron."
"The problem we face within the party is this centralised control that's going on. And when the rule changed in July that only six candidates could go forward to the selection process it narrowed it down. In the good old days at least twenty went to the first interview and the Association picked those themselves."Later Cllr. Talbot, responding to criticism of the narrownes of the membership of the Conservative Party says:
"At the end of the day their is a cross section of members in this country which are now in associations they are the people who have got to work with people."More than two hundred members of South West Norfolk Conservative Association turned-out to participate in the meeting. The final result was 132 for and 37 against keeping Mrs. Truss as the candidate. Speaking following the confirmation of her selection Mrs. Truss said:
"I am absolutely delighted to have been confirmed as the Parliamentary Candidate for South West Norfolk and very much look forward to working with everybody with in the Conservative Association to kick the Labour party out at the election."
Watch the BBC Newsnight's Report on Liz Truss here.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Labour Peer is first lord to be caught in expenses-gate
Tomorrow The Times reveals that a Labour peer and former chairman of the party has admitted that he ‘fiddled’ his expenses to make up for not being paid a salary.
Lord Clarke of Hampstead had even claimed for overnight stays in London when, in fact, he drove home. He is the first member of the House of Lords to concede that peers knowingly abuse their allowances to boost their income. He had claimed up to £18,000 a year for overnight subsistence when he had often stayed with friends for free in the capital or had even returned to his home in St Albans, about an hour from London. While accepting personal responsibility, Lord Clarke implied that the practice was common, saying:
At present peers whose homes are outside the capital can claim up to £174 a night tax-free for expenses incurred while staying in London.
Lord Clarke is a former trade unionist and became chairman of the Labour party in 1992, entered the Lords in 1998 and since 2001 (the earliest published expenses available) he has claimed £100,154 for overnight subsistence.
It appears that, by his own admission, on some occasions he had stayed in London for free at the homes of family and friends and since November has been staying in the central London apartment of another peer.
Lord Clarke of Hampstead had even claimed for overnight stays in London when, in fact, he drove home. He is the first member of the House of Lords to concede that peers knowingly abuse their allowances to boost their income. He had claimed up to £18,000 a year for overnight subsistence when he had often stayed with friends for free in the capital or had even returned to his home in St Albans, about an hour from London. While accepting personal responsibility, Lord Clarke implied that the practice was common, saying:
"I was given the impression – more than that – I was given a very clear steer that this was a way of getting remuneration in the absence of salary.
"I was told you claim the full amount [for overnight expenses]. I’m not saying about anybody else, but the impression I got was that if I didn’t do what people did, it could bring a bad light on somebody else."
At present peers whose homes are outside the capital can claim up to £174 a night tax-free for expenses incurred while staying in London.
Lord Clarke is a former trade unionist and became chairman of the Labour party in 1992, entered the Lords in 1998 and since 2001 (the earliest published expenses available) he has claimed £100,154 for overnight subsistence.
It appears that, by his own admission, on some occasions he had stayed in London for free at the homes of family and friends and since November has been staying in the central London apartment of another peer.
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