Ros in the Lords: International Women's Day

Every year sees a debate to mark International Women's Day, and this year saw a very full speaker list indeed, including a number of maiden speeches. Ros took the opportunity to raise the issue of ensuring the participation of women in what will hopefully be the nascent democracies of the Middle East and North Africa...

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: My Lords, once again the whole House owes a debt of gratitude to the noble Baroness, Lady Gould, for securing today's debate and for giving us the opportunity for a cornucopia of maiden speeches from six quite remarkable women.

It is a real privilege to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Lister of Burtersett, in what I am sure the House will agree was a thoughtful and forceful maiden speech, a combination that is often difficult to achieve. The noble Baroness came to your Lordships' House in January. It is interesting that, like many of us, she has taken a title that reflects her pride in her origins. She comes to us as emeritus professor of social policy at Loughborough University after a career as a campaigner and an academic, which strikes me as a dangerous combination for the government Front Bench.

The noble Baroness's links for many years with the Child Poverty Action Group, including eight years as director, have continued and she is now the honorary president. She is currently involved in two studies on poverty and social exclusion. Her whole career as an academic and her writings have focused very much on the areas of poverty, the social security system, citizenship and social justice. It is a body of work that I know she has brought to bear in a political context, and she has contributed much to Labour Party thinking in these areas over the years. Her work on feminism and equality is renowned and has made today a singularly appropriate day for her to make her maiden speech. I am sure that she will continue to make many valuable contributions to your Lordships' House over the coming years.

I wish to say a few words about one particular aspect of recent events in the Middle East, which have made us all hold our breath from time to time. We have seen many striking images involving women and girls taking their place, marching and protesting side by side with the men. In these countries where the public sphere is so often dominated by men, this could be a real game-changer. There is a Facebook page called "Women of Egypt", which has shown that is it not only not the preserve of men but not the preserve of middle-class women either. The photographs show a wonderful variety: grandmothers and young girls, veiled women and those with bare heads. On International Women's Day, it is appropriate to reflect on how the role of women in the creation of these, we hope, new democracies in the Middle East and north Africa can be developed and enhanced. This is no small challenge in countries where women's representation in national Parliaments is less than 10 per cent and where formal participation in the workforce, even now, is less than 30 per cent. There is institutionalised disadvantage and cultural prejudice. We cannot take it for granted that gender equality is an inevitable consequence of a move to a more democratic state.

As the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Scotland of Asthal, said, we need a legal underpinning for what is happening. One key component is for these changing countries to make special provision in their new constitutions to enshrine the rights of women. In Tunisia, women are present on each of the commissions which have been established to oversee the transition. By contrast, in Egypt, there are no women on the constitutional committee. That is in a country where the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights reported in 2008 that 83 per cent of women have been subjected to some form of sexual harassment, so no one need think that the disappearance of one man in a regime will change the culture overnight. We need them to get the constitution right as part of that building block.

It is very instructive to look at South Africa, where there were equal numbers of men and women on the constitutional committee and where women are acknowledged to have played a key role in dismantling the apartheid regime, particularly in ensuring that the consultative and inclusive processes involved women. That meant that sufficient focus was given to human security-to access to food and water, health, education, and personal safety.

There is much that we can do. I have been interested to read about the work of Lesley Abdela, whom the noble Baroness, Lady Gardner of Parkes, mentioned previously in another context. Lesley Abdela has worked in post-conflict regions across the world. When she was working in Iraq, she helped to develop an approach on phrases that can be used in constitutions to guarantee the rights of women. Those can be translated quickly into Egyptian Arabic and into other languages and can play an important part. I hope that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is on top of this and following it through, and there is of course a role for the EU and the UN.

The Westminster Foundation for Democracy has a good track record in this regard. Five years ago, it helped to set up the Network of Arab Liberals, with HQs in Cairo and Casablanca. Several of my colleagues have made visits financed by the programme and Network of Arab Liberals members have been invited to party conferences. I know that these links which have been established between Liberal International and the Arab world are just one example of a whole network which already exists and which can be mobilised to move this region into the new phase of its history. We must all use the connections that we have to ensure dialogue, with women talking to women and young people talking to young people. We have an opportunity now to develop and nurture these new-born democratic structures. We must not let it slip by.

A crash course in design... with thanks to ALDC...

I have to admit that campaigning for real has involved learning a lot of new skills. As a paper candidate, you aren't expected to deliver anything in your own patch and, if you do, it is generic in nature. However, as the leaflet designer for the Stowupland campaign team, I've had to master PagePlus, learn to write succinctly - not an easy thing to do when you're a bureaucrat - and match pictures with prose.

It's also got to be done quickly too, even more so as the campaign reaches a crescendo. I prefer to e-mail my leaflet to my printer, so that he can print it and post it back to me, rather than have to collect it from somewhere (time lost), or bother someone who is also trying to campaign themselves. So I have to fit into his schedule, and leave enough time for him to get the job done.

Luckily, ALDC produce a cornucopia of amazing artwork which I can simply pick up and drop, or adapt as I see fit. Indeed, one of their templates has been a rich source of ideas this evening, and my next leaflet is about 50% done in just two hours. And, as Ros and I are both members, it's remarkably good value too.

Meanwhile, my fellow colleagues on the Mid Suffolk campaign team are working on more material for me to work with. I rely on their experience, and that of Ros, to allow me to avoid some of the more obvious errors, and to ensure that I 'sing from the same hymnsheet', incredibly important in our local messaging.

Over the next six weeks or so, I'll be fighting my first campaign where I'm the person trying to get elected. Yes, I'm a bit nervous, but I'm keen to give it my best shot, and I'll try to find time to report back on a gentler, more personal brand of politics than I was used to in London.

Wish me luck!

Ros in the Lords: Question - Airports: Heathrow (2)

Lord Spicer's question, "To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan for London Heathrow Airport to continue to be the world's busiest airport in respect of international passenger traffic.", was an opportunity to revisit the shambles that was Heathrow Airport in December's snow.

Clearly, the hope was that the Government might rethink it's blanket refusal to countenance more runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, but no dice. Ros took the opportunity to make a plea for rather better management of the available landing and take-off slots...

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: Will consideration of more effective use of the airports include a look at the provision of take-off and landing slots, which currently owes a lot to history and very little to common economic imperatives?

The Minister responded;

Earl Attlee: My Lords, a future airspace strategy is being undertaken, which includes proposals to enable aircraft to fly in more environmentally efficient ways. For example, the introduction of new onboard and ground-based systems will allow pilots to fly more direct routes and therefore reduce fuel burn and enable aircraft to arrive punctually at the approach to Heathrow, which will provide controllers with much better opportunities to guide aircraft into Heathrow without first placing them in a stack.

I'll take that as a 'no', then...

There's always time for another leaflet...

Having discovered that I become a candidate on the first day for nominations, at least, having announced myself as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Stowupland ward in a previous leaflet, which I guess amounts to the same thing, my expenses are going to be calculated as running from the day that nominations open, i.e. 25 March.

So, it was handy that my March leaflet arrived yesterday, giving me a chance to deliver as much of it as possible before that important date. However, we're still putting the house back to rights, so it was agreed that I would deliver leaflets whilst Ros tidied.

Off I went, in the blazing sunshine, taking on the area of Stowupland which is deceptively tricky to deliver, as the Reeds Way area is made up of little spurs, and you have to keep your concentration to make sure that every house gets a leaflet. But I was making good time, delivering the first two hundred at a rate of two a minute - I'm not as quick across the ground as I used to be, but I'm dogged - so I pressed on, around Columbyne Close, across the north end of the village green, along Thorney Green Road and down Mill Street, until I'd delivered nearly four hundred. That's a good start, as there are less than a thousand homes in the entire ward.

It was time to head for home, or more accurately, call Ros to come and get me. Unfortunately, the battery on my BlackBerry picked that precise moment to die, leaving me with two options, find a payphone (and there aren't many in Stowupland), or walk home.

In the sunshine, and given that it's a much shorter journey from Stowupland to Creeting St Peter on foot than it is to drive, I decided that the exercise would do me good. It's a lovely walk along a bridleway, along the edge of some fields and then down a slope across the middle of a field (thank goodness for local farmers who leave public footpaths free of obstacles), reaching Creeting Lane just north of the village.

I reckon that I earned that glass of red wine...

What happens at a Royal Garden Party?

Alright, it isn't the question that keeps me awake at nights, so why ask it, I hear you say.

In truth, I've had a rather distracted day at the office today, productive enough, but not quite as good as I'd like. Anyway, my attention was drawn by a memo to staff inviting nominations for Honours. And, whilst I fail to see how doing my job qualifies me for one, I was intrigued and so read on. As I read, it became clear that even the Honours system is gradist, i.e. if you're lucky enough, sycophantic enough or simply good enough to make it to a high grade, you get a better class of Honour.

But I digress. Buried away in the sea of prose was a reference to Garden Parties, a subject rather more relevant to me. You see, as a noble, Ros gets invited to one each year and, whilst it's not really my thing, I ought to go to one eventually. In the meantime, for those of you who might go to one yourselves, here's an official guide to what happens...

Garden Parties take place between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm, although the Palace gates are open from about 3.00 pm. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family, enter the garden at 4.00 pm, when the National Anthem is played by one of the two military bands playing selections of music during the afternoon.‬

‪After the playing of the National Anthem, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, together with other members of the Royal Family, circulate among the guests through 'lanes' which are unique to Royal garden parties. Each takes a different route and random presentations are made so that everyone has an equal chance of speaking to Her Majesty and members of her family. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family eventually arrive at the Royal tea tent, where they meet further guests.‬

‪In both London and Edinburgh there are tea tents for other guests. Tea and other refreshments are served from long buffet tables. The quantities served are enormous. At a typical garden party, around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed. Some 400 waiting staff are involved in the serving.‬

‪At about 6.00 pm, The Queen and other members of the Royal Family leave the garden, when the National Anthem is played to mark the end of the party.‬

‪At Buckingham Palace the Yeoman of the Guard, Gentlemen at Arms and Gentlemen Ushers are on duty. At the Holyroodhouse garden party the Royal Company of Archers and the High Constables of the Palace are on duty.‬

A breaking story from Shropshire...

I know that the source of all Shropshire news for Liberal Democrats (and many others besides) is Jonathan Calder at 'Liberal England', but I really couldn't resist...

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) public enquiry centre (EC) in Ludlow has moved to a new location. The EC is now located with Shropshire Council Offices, Corve Street, Ludlow.

Bob Gaiger, HMRC spokesman said: “We have moved to nearby premises and are pleased to be sharing facilities with Shropshire Council. We look forward to welcoming people to our new location. Our opening hours are 9am to 3.30pm on Monday’s and Wednesday’s.”

The enquiry centre will continue to provide free help and advice to local people and businesses on a whole range of services including: income tax, national insurance, tax credits, the Business Payment Support Service, VAT, pensions and self assessment along with many other topics. It also offers support on how to complete forms, along with help on accessing online services. Anyone wishing to make an appointment at their local enquiry centre should pre-book through the Taxes Helpline on 0845 300 0627.

Ros in the Lords: Written Question - Census

Those of you who have looked at your Census forms will have noted the warning that "your census response is required by law". Further study indicates that "you could face a fine if you don't participate". Scary, eh? Lucky that I'm not responsible then, isn't it? Or am I? And here's the twist. The householder is responsible for ensuring that it is completed. And who, pray tell, is that?

Asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market

To ask Her Majesty's Government which persons within a household have the legal responsibility to complete the 2011 Census.[HL7491]

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 7 March (Official Report, col. 1354), what is their understanding of the term "head of the household"; and on what, if any, legal source they are basing that understanding.[HL7492]

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director-General for ONS, to Baroness Scott of Needham Market, dated March 2011.

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking, (a) which persons within a household have the legal responsibility to complete the 2011 Census (HL7491); and (b) what is the Government's understanding of the term "head of the household"; and on what, if any, legal source they are basing that understanding. (HL7492)

(a) It is the householder or joint householder who is responsible for completing the household census questionnaire on behalf of all residents living at their address. In households where the responsibilities of the householder fall on more than one person, any such person may complete the questionnaire on behalf of the entire household.

Any person living at an address who is over the age of 16, may request an individual questionnaire, rather than be included on the household questionnaire.

Any person responsible for completing a questionnaire may authorise any other person to do this on their behalf, if they are unable to do so themselves for any reason.

(b) The terms "householder" or "joint householder" are used in the 2011 Census rather than "head of the household".

The Census (England and Wales) Order 2009 (S.I 2009/3210) defines a householder or joint householder as "a person usually resident at the address who either owns or rents accommodation at that address, or is responsible for paying household bills and expenses there". A household is also defined in the order as being "one person living alone or a group (whether or not related) living at the same address who share cooking facilities and share a living room, sitting room or dining room".

So, if I don't fill it in, and neither does Ros, which one of us are they going to prosecute? Or would they prosecute both of us? Is it possible for a Peer of the Realm not to be the householder? Or should I assume that the law is a sexist ass?

The countryside - a mysterious place full of strange creatures...

It's a sheep, not a goat or a llama...

I'll return to my woolly friend later...

Apparently, a new survey has revealed that there are some amazingly ill-informed people out there. According to the Travelodge hotel chain, of 3,000 people surveyed, 22% could not identify a picture of a hare. One in 10 adults thought it was a deer. Alright, it does depend on the picture they're shown as to whether you'd think it was a rabbit or a hare, although if it's a still life, the legs and ears are a pretty good clue. But a deer?...

Talking of deer, 12% per cent of the survey group identified a stag as a reindeer, and thought that reindeer were native to Britain. Now, there is a herd of reindeer in Phoenix Park, Dublin, but I've never seen any in the wild here. Perhaps they thought they live in Scotland.

32% had difficulty picking out a pheasant, which surprises me less. I would have had a pretty good idea before I moved to a village surrounded by them, and I used to look for them on rural train journies, but given the number of people who don't venture into the countryside, it isn't unexpected.

42% didn't know what an otter looked like and that does surprise me. Everybody likes otters, don't they? They're cute, they're on every countryside programme there is, and you can find them surrounded by small children in zoos.

And in a sign that I'm getting old, 83% were stumped by a picture of a common bluebell. Bluebells were iconic English woodland flowers, I thought. Perhaps if there were more pictures of them in 'Midsomer Murders', they'd be more familiar...

However, what worried me most was that one in ten adults failed to correctly identify a sheep. A sheep, for pity's sake. Anyway, if there are any readers of this blog who are confused on this question, have a look at the picture at the beginning. It's a sheep...

It's time to collect those nominations...

In the wonderful world of Parish Councils, we're not huge on elections. Indeed, last time there was a scheduled election in Creeting St Peter, there were only two volunteers for the five available places.

Things change though, and as nominations open for this year's exercise in micro-local democracy, I don't know whether or not we'll have enough candidates to force a contest. However, I can confirm that I am intending to be one of them.

I've got the nomination form, courtesy of our Parish Clerk, and now all I need to get the requisite signatures. This task is made rather easier by the fact that I only need a proposer and a seconder, which won't present too many difficulties, as I'm married to another village elector.

Wish me luck!...

David Cameron and the Civil Service - it's bound to end in tears...

No, they don't look like that any more

And so, rather earlier than I might have predicted, David Cameron has lost patience with the bureaucracy. And like Tony Blair, it is clear that he doesn't really get it.

What do I mean by that? Simple, if you really want to overcome years of administrative inertia, you need to bring the Civil Service with you. By attacking the senior ranks, the very people who will give the instructions to the likes of me, you make it all the more likely that they will be unenthusiastic. And to change, you really need enthusiasm.

But it's about much more than being nice to bureaucrats. Firstly, the Civil Service implements all of that legislation that you, and your predecessors, want to introduce. There's an awful lot of it out there, some good, some bad, much of it complex or obscure. As the Coalition have discovered, taking an axe to the red tape risks discovering that you've lost something important or, perhaps more salient, something that the Daily Mail won't like.

Morale is an issue too. Pay freezes, job losses, office closures, none of these are likely to earn an administration any friends. There is no new blood, because you aren't recruiting any, and your senior civil servants are increasingly politicised. Worst of all, on the frontline, there is a sense that junior staff are being stifled by 'this week's initiative', whatever programme has been devised to make it look as though things are getting better. If you're interested, Dave, it won't.

And yet, you could make it all so much better. Work out what government is for, what you want it to do, then look at the relevant legislation. Do we need to do this any more? Is the cost of monitoring, regulation and supervision worth the price tag, or would we be better off trusting to a little common sense? No, that isn't an excuse to slash health and safety legislation, by the way.

Now I come to mention it, is the production of all of those statistics that nobody believes worth the candle? It's all very well saying that 76% of this believes that, or that 82% of something is dealt with within 32 days, but if the general response is "Oh, really? Pull the other one...", you've wasted your effort. Actually, public perception is a reasonably good judge of performance.

Finally, a word to the wise. Long after you're gone, Dave, we'll still be here, dealing with the consequences of your actions, and those of your Government. We know that, and some of my more cynical, senior colleagues know it only too well. If you like, we're part of your legacy. And you want one of those, don't you...

"You'll not believe what we've found under the floorboards..."

When we decided to have the cottage rewired, Ros made the point that, given the age of the core of the house, there might well be some unpleasant surprises. Naturally, as the household optimist, I glossed over this sensible piece of advice.

It was day 3 of our holiday when the word came from Richard, our builder. You name it, he found it under the floorboards upstairs, dry rot, damp, do-it-yourself botch jobs. Indeed, the floorboards themselves were part of the problem, as the original floorboards had been partly eaten by rats and, instead of replacing them, new ones had been laid over the top.

Our best laid plans were in ruins, as we'd arranged things so that the electricians came whilst we were on holiday, and the house made habitable again. At least the electricians could do their work - mostly, anyway - so it wasn't a total loss. But we weren't going to get the house back for at least another two weeks...

The only ethnic minority in the village?

The news that the producer of ‘Midsomer Murders’ has been suspended for suggesting that ethnic minority characters in the long-running television drama would detract from the imagery of a rural community does, unusually, raise the issue of diversity in the countryside. To be honest, the issues relating to racism always seem to be argued from an urban perspective, as though it is accepted that ethnic minorities do not live in villages or market towns.

And yes, to some extent, that’s true. Or at least, it was. As a London suburban kid, I watched as my community grew more and more South Asian. The schools were good, the houses were big enough, and aspiring middle class Asian families moved in. As they moved in, facilities designed to cater to them sprang up, restaurants, clothing stores, a cinema in Wembley dedicated to Hindi movies. Today, nearly half the population of north Brent is South Asian.

I studied in Norwich in the mid-eighties. There weren’t that many visible ethnic minorities in the city, most of them were attached to the University, and they tended to stand out. But, as was the case with a surprising number of those who studied at UEA, they rather grew to like the place, found jobs locally and stayed. Of course, the ethnic minority population is not as big as that in somewhere like London, but coloured faces aren’t the rarity they used to be.

Now I live in a small village. According to the last census, my ward is 0.95% non-white, a fact that you might guess by taking a gentle stroll along The Lane. Or not, perhaps… that thatched cottage, immaculately kept, where the names on the electoral register are Thai, that charming Mr Valladares on the Parish Council at Belmont Cottage.

Village life does come with some complications, the lack of facilities, transport, the isolation from the wider community, and if you come from a minority group, with particular dietary or religious requirements, you might well think twice before you commit yourself to living in one. The nearest mosque might be twenty or thirty miles away, access to kosher food might be in the nearest big city, your family might all live in the suburbs.

As a result it is true that villages tend to have smaller ethnic minority communities. But they are out there, living the rural idyll dream, as local councillors, or as a part of the social life of their communities, or simply raising a family.

Brian True-May is a fool to suggest that ‘Midsomer Murders’ is the last bastion of Englishness. It isn’t, it’s a television programme. He’s also a knave, if he believes that Englishness is a white-only thing. That isn’t, either. That’s racism.

We apologise for the disruption to our programming...

Gosh, it's quiet here...

For those of you who've been wondering what happened to me (some of you saw me at Federal Conference in Sheffield, so you know that I'm alive), it's been a bit crazy of late. What with having builders, electricians, carpet fitters and dampcourse operatives in, the house has been in chaos, and our lives with it, for the past fortnight.

But now it's time to get on with things again. I'll tell you about the house as we go...

Improving the Diversity of our MPs - don't get your hopes up too much...

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I have rather a lot of form when it comes to internal Party debate on issues of diversity and representation. I've spoken in the last three debates and, when it became clear that we would have another debate next weekend in Sheffield, I did wonder whether or not to dip my toe in this rather stormy water again. I admit to being minded to sit this one out, but can't resist some comment. Perhaps it might inspire me to put a card in... who knows?

So, let's dip into this confectionery box, and see what fillings are to be found...

'Conference notes' the recent history of the debate, especially the review carried out by (now Baroness) Sal Brinton. In passing, I should note that I opportunistically took a brief window to feed in some of my deeply-held views on the subject. Only Sal will know whether that had any influence at all, but I'm confident that she will have juggled the competing views with her usual professional thoroughness.

'Conference further notes' diplomatically describes the current division between the opposing schools of thought, although if we are being blunt, the anti-quota view has now won out three times in a row, so we are effectively trying to see how far we can move towards a minority position without losing the motion all together.

And that leads us to the proposals for action...

The first proposal is targeted at Regional Parties in England, which appears to exclude Scotland and Wales (they aren't Regions, they're States, mes amis!). The 'mainstreaming' of Regional diversity champions does sound like management jargon, and as the Regional constitution geek, I am truly intrigued by what they might actually want to see happen. There is also a call for targets to be set, and I am pleased to see that the lessons have been learned in terms of looking at the process as a whole. For the first time, candidate assessors and returning officers are also seen to have a part to play in achieving equality of opportunity.

Admittedly, the responsibility for setting targets is left to the Regions, and this will probably disappoint some, especially the more urban activists, some of whom still seem to assume that the rest of the country is like London, or Birmingham, or Manchester. I suspect that the targets in places like the North East or Devon and Cornwall will be pretty low and yet be properly reflective.

The creation of a Leadership Programme for outstanding candidates from under-represented groups reflects the sort of thing that Messrs Campbell, Hughes and Huhne were promising during the 2006 leadership contest. Indeed, we were hearing similar things from young Mr Clegg in 2008. Hopefully, this time, we might actually see some product.

One aspect that is interesting is the proposed fund to provide practical support. In the past, we have been offered funds to support candidates once they've been selected, i.e. a bribe. This looks to be rather more subtle, and implies that you might, for example, provide funds to a wheelchair-bound candidate to cover additional transport costs, or childcare costs for a candidate with children, or funding for substitute carers. I don't see a problem with that in principle, but the devil is, as usual, in the detail.

The selection criteria appear to be entirely consistent with the concept of selection by merit, although I do wonder how easy it will be to find an MP or Peer with time to do this, a minor cavil, I accept.

I am troubled by the proposal that, where a candidate from the Leadership Programme applies for a priority seat, at least one other person on the programme should be shortlisted. Does that mean, in some cases, press-ganging an unwilling applicant to apply? This looks like a token gesture, and I'm never keen on such things. Applicants for any seat should be enthused by the challenge that a particular seat presents, not there because they were made to be.

The proposal that groups of development seats get together to advertise is, again, window-dressing, and presumes that Local Parties lack the ability to judge for themselves when best to seek a candidate. The phrase 'development seat' covers a multitude of possibilities, from those keen to run a fully-integrated campaign to seats where there are few members, fewer activists, and no activity in large chunks of the constituency.

And finally, there is a call for a review in 2013. Whilst I understand the motivation - ensuring that this isn't kicked into the long grass, for one thing - I do wonder what tangible results will be available at that time, two years out from a General Election, remember. It does look like the ground is being prepared for a 2014 motion calling for quotas, even though that will in turn be too late to change anything until potentially 2020.

In summary, the motion is, for the most part, respectful of the Party's frequently restated stance against quotas. That said, it strays into some rather tokenistic territory as the drafters apparently clutched for a few gestures to satisfy those who continue to favour quotas. I think that clauses 4 and 5 add little in terms of potential outcomes, and would lose little sleep if they were removed. However, in the round, it offers potential for improving the diversity of our MPs. Probably not in 2015, on current polling figures, but eventually. My fear is that the 'outcomes now' lobby won't wait...

The Jacques Cousteau of the shallow end...

Here, fishy, fishy...

I freely admit that I am not a huge fan of things aquatic, the deal being that I stay on land, and the sharks stay in the water.

However, I was persuaded to go for a gentle paddle, and encountered a number of these cute creatures. They're called sergeant majors and live in the shallow waters around reefs. Given that Montego Bay has reefs very close to the shoreline, one of which could be approached opposite our hotel, there was always a possibility that I might find something like this. There were some almost see-through pipefish and some small wrasse and I was quite entranced. Perhaps that's why they tell you not to walk barefoot in the shallows.

I did see one other fish, or at least I thought that I did. It appeared to be maroon and white in colour, and had spines, or at least that's how it looked. Research leads me to fear that it might be a lion fish, a quite venomous creature that escaped into the Caribbean from an aquarium in Fort Lauderdale and has since been worryingly prolific.

Welcome back after that break...

I've only posted twice in the past eighteen days, probably the most barren patch since I started blogging more than five years ago. So perhaps I had better explain...

Simple, really. Ros and I have been away on something called a holiday, as part of the process of returning to a normal life after the Presidency. In past years, we've only easily been able to get away during the summer, but now that young Mr Farron has taken over, we are less in demand, and can escape for some late winter sun.

And, since you ask, Jamaica was very nice. The sun was warm, the sea calm and the living easy. But now I'm back, with much to do...

Stowupland loses its Sunday and evening bus services

I've been waiting for the promised consultation on local bus services for some time now. It would appear that, like an 87A bus on a Sunday, it will never come, as the announcement of what survives the 53% cut in subsidy has been made via the Suffolk Onboard website. From a personal perspective, the announcement falls into two parts, the effect on my own village, and that on the village next door.

In Creeting St Peter, we've lost our market day bus, route 453, which connected the Creetings with Stowmarket on a Thursday. To be honest, very few people even seemed to know that it exists, and with the new Suffolk Links service, villagers are probably better connected than they were before. Overall, the changes benefit us, although bus ridership figures are probably very low - you wouldn't really choose to live in Creeting St Peter if you didn't already drive.

In Stowupland, on the other hand, losing all evening and Sunday services is a real blow. There are plenty of people, especially at the Reeds Way end of the village, for whom the bus service is important, connecting them to family in Stowupland or Needham Market, and who will now be dependent on expensive taxis. What I find mystifying is that the service connects Cedars Park to Stowmarket as well, and whilst the journey is walkable, it probably isn't with shopping, or children, or if you're elderly. Effectively, this decision removes the service from about 8,000 people in Stowupland and Cedars Park, and if you add on those people in Needham Market and Stowmarket, whose connection with Ipswich is lost, there are a lot of people affected by this decision.

It needn't have been like this. The Liberal Democrat Group on Suffolk County Council proposed changes to the budget that would have saved services to Stowupland for at least a year, giving time to see whether other arrangements could be made. Frankly, I could have accepted the loss of market day services given the expansion of the Suffolk Links services, reducing the cost of bus subsidy somewhat, but the principle of maintaining a network of buses remains a sound one. The Conservatives, however, chose to ignore the opportunity.

The lack of consultation bothers me too. Yes, we all accept that cuts have to be made, but the idea that you withdraw bus service from places where new houses are being built in large numbers (another 300 or so under construction in Cedars Park as I type), seems ludicrous. Add to the fact that there is a significant elderly population in Stowupland, and also a fair bit of social housing, likely to be inhabited by people who can't afford cars, and this looks like a poor decision taken by a portfolio holder who doesn't care.

I should declare an interest. I don't drive, and use the community bus that serves Creeting St Peter to go to work. I don't actually use route 87 or 87A, but if I lived in Stowupland, I would. What I do know is that, in a county that has a 'Greenest County' portfolio, cutting a main public transport artery like this sends out a clear signal that the Conservatives talk a good game but act like vandals.

The Big Society, and why the Conservative Party is its worst enemy

I was listening to Shaun Bailey, one of the new Conservative envoys for the Big Society, on the BBC yesterday evening. He was being treated courteously enough, although the questioning was robust, and then he said something that really caught my attention, claiming that there was no civic society in this country. Now, I don't know much about Hammersmith, the seat he fought at the General Election, or about whether he gets out much, but I do know one thing. He's wrong.

Not only is he wrong, but the approach of his colleagues is designed to put the backs up of all of the very people who might be core to what they purport to seek. The threatened closure of much loved facilities, combined with suggestions that local communities take them over is too transparent. There is an evident stick, without even the illusion of a carrot. Combine that with the message that dramatic cuts are required in public spending, and Eric Pickles' caveman approach to relations between central and local government, and you create the perfect climate for cynicism. Labour, who did more to discourage volunteerism, now find themselves presented with an open goal.

As the Presidential consort, I met Liberal Democrats across the country, and one of the things I noticed again and again was how many of our members and supporters were active in their community. Not just as political activists, but as church wardens, scout troop leaders, friends of this, volunteers in that, giving of their spare time without fuss or expectation of reward. As a Londoner, I was impressed, as I had never really engaged in, or been engaged by, local community groups.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not seeking to claim that Liberal Democrats are particularly virtuous. Indeed, I'm sure that members of all political parties do similar things. Put simply, there is, unbidden by government, plenty of civic society out there.

My own, rather small, village is a case in point. Without any facilities, the social life of Creeting St Peter is a bit limited, and the only communal space we have is the church hall. However, the Parochial Church Council felt that a monthly coffee morning would be a good way to bring the community together, and so they organised it. So far, it's been a huge success, and it provides an excuse for people to meet and chat.

What communities like ours need is not a Big Society, but the opportunity, and the freedom, to form our own community structures. Don't send us volunteer co-ordinators, just take away the barriers that make community activism more hassle than it's worth. Call it civic society, if you like, talk about strengthening it, if you must, but don't force it. Civic society has strong roots where people take pride in their surroundings and where the state treads lightly.

Civic society is one of the big dividing lines between the three parties. The Conservatives do see it as a way of reducing the size of the State, regardless of what David Cameron might claim. Labour don't trust it, as the notion of individual communities going their own way is the antithesis of 'big government'. Liberal Democrats see it as a way of devolving power to those best equipped to make decisions appropriate for those impacted by them. It might not be the cheapest option, it probably won't produce consistency, but it will create a sense of community engagement. In other words, give people genuine choices, and the information needed to make the best decisions, and they'll get involved.

But if the Big Society is genuinely meant, and the Conservative element of the Coalition want it to succeed, they need to be much smarter. Firstly, if you want community involvement, you need to engage with whatever already exists. In Suffolk, the Conservative-run County Council is incredibly bad at that, preferring to announce that it is going to divest itself of services and only then casting around for someone to take them on.

You also need to support the transition. Cutting the budgets of key voluntary sector groups isn't support, in case anyone asks. If you must cut their grants, do it in such a way that allows them to adapt.

Finally, accept that society has changed. With households where both adults work, the time available for voluntary activity diminishes. Government has stepped into that breach, paying people to do things that once might have been done by a young mother, or a woman whose children have moved out. These people aren't just going to materialise once the government withdraws. Instead, think about whether these things need to be done at all.

So, Shaun, come and pay us a visit in mid-Suffolk. Ros and I can show you around, meet a few of our friends, explain how civic society works in a rural community. You might be surprised at what you find...

Matthew Oakeshott - fired from a job he doesn't have?

I've got quite a lot of time for my noble Lord, Lord Oakeshott. Always entertaining company, always ready with a witty, or barbed, comment for the media. He has reliably said what many Lib Dem activists are thinking, and his credibility as someone with a long track record in the financial industry certainly gives weight to his comments.

So, the news that he has been sacked as the Party's frontbench Treasury spokesperson in the Lords has come as a bit of a blow to a number of my colleagues. I am, however, not angry, or upset, but confused. If Danny Alexander has effectively sacked him on national television, I'm actually rather surprised. Why? Because not only can't Danny fire him (only the Leader of the Parliamentary Party in the Lords, Tom McNally, can do that), but Matthew doesn't hold a position that he can be fired from.

No, the person I feel a mite sorry for is Dick Newby, who has been our Treasury spokesman in the Lords since 1998. And it's not a particularly glamorous job either, highly technical, with a number of former Chancellors still knocking about, playing Statler and Waldorf roles. So, rather than mourn the non-sacking of Matthew Oakeshott, why not raise a glass to Dick Newby instead?

The divine purpose of the iPhone is finally revealed to us...

The news that there is a new 'app' for the iPhone that allows users to make confession with a virtual priest over the internet, comes as no great surprise. Indeed, I am amazed that it has taken this long.

There will, I suppose, be those who condemn the idea of 'instant confession', and will see this as another step towards the breakdown of the Catholic Church. I'm on the opposite side of that particular argument. If the app is faithful to doctrine, and encourages individuals to ponder over the morality of their actions, it can only be a force for good.

It does list Acts of Contrition in English and Latin, it is approved by senior church figures in this country and in the US, and the words at the end of the confessional process carry an implicit invitation to visit a priest. And when you're done, you get a spiritual quotation from a saint, some of them female (and that's pretty radical for Catholics). For those Catholics far from home, or in places where professing your faith is potentially dangerous, this advance may well be very gratefully received.

And quirkily, it is in tune with the words of Pope Benedict XVI, urging Catholics to make good use of their presence in the digital world. Consider it done, your Holiness...

Al-Megrahi - just the final nail in the coffin of that ethical foreign policy

So, it turns out that the Labour administration knew an awful lot more about the release of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi than they had let on. Indeed, it looks as though they lied to Parliament, to the victims of Lockerbie, to the British people and to our ally, the United States. Poor old Robin Cook must be spinning in his grave by now. An illegal war in Iraq, a lack of genuine commitment to Europe, and now putting trade above justice and lying about doing so.

This shabby deceit reminds you exactly why Labour went from 1997 hero to 2010 zero. It wasn't the policy necessarily, it was the hypocrisy, saying one thing for the Guardianistas, another in private.

It might have taken some of the pressure off of the Salmond administration, but no, there is more than a hint that they were bargaining with London to see what might be gained in exchange for al-Megrahi's release.

At some point, someone is going to work out that putting anything in writing means that, in the future, it might come back to haunt you. After all, you can't trust anybody with principles when you haven't got any yourselves...

CSI: Creeting St Peter - move right along, nothing to see here...

A new website allows you to type in your postcode, and discover how much street crime and anti-social behaviour has taken place in your area in the most recent month for which records are available. 

So, your intrepid researcher had a look, entering IP6 8QR, i.e. the heart of Paradise-sur-Gipping, and here are the results;

• burglary - zero
• anti-social behaviour - five
• robbery - zero
• vehicle crime - zero
• violent crime - zero
• other crime - zero

So, where's all of this anti-social behaviour then? Closer examination indicates that the figures are for an area covered by a circle with a radius of one mile. As it turns out, the Parish boundary is less than a mile away in some directions, and every incident took place in Cedars Park, part of Stowmarket.

But I'm not taking any chances, we've got the mobile police station coming to the village next month...

Free Schools: an argument for the defence?

I'll start with a confession - I don't know an awful lot about education policy. I've not produced and raised children, I've never been a local councillor, or a school governor, in fact, it would be fair to say that I've had no contact with schools since I left Kingsbury High School in 1983, before some of you were born. So, why take a stance, you might ask?

Perhaps the place where I live might be a clue. I live in a small village, population about 200, without a school of any kind. The children of the village ride buses, or are driven by their parents, to neighbouring villages, or to Stowmarket, our nearest town.

The free schools movement, led by the likes of Toby Young, are keen to encourage communities to form their own schools, with their own specialisms, ethos and teaching methods. The response of the teaching unions and the political left, by no means mutually exclusive, has been to throw their hands up in horror at this attempt to break down the concept of a good education for all, seemingly oblivious to the fact that not all children actually do get a good education.

For the most part, Toby and his friends are middle-class, ambitious and aspirational, and there is nothing wrong with these things. Some, although not all of them, want the best for their children, regardless of the impact on other children, whereas others want the freedom to teach their children what they believe to be best for their development. The catch is, their pitch is all about choice.

In urban areas, or decent-sized towns, the concept of choice in education is a significant one. When I was in primary school in north-west London, I attended the nearest school to my home, Roe Green. I could, had my parents been so inclined, have attended Oliver Goldsmith, Kingsbury Green or Fryent, all within a mile or so, or St Robert Southwell had my Catholic father wanted to convince the priests back home of his devotion to his faith. Had I been Jewish, Mount Stewart wasn't that far away either. And, before long, Islamia Primary School, Britain's first Islamic faith school, opened in the borough.

Each of the schools had its strengths and weaknesses, but as suburban schools in nice areas, they tended to produce more than their share of bright, well-adjusted kids with a better than average chance of getting into university.

And the problem with free schools in urban areas is that choice already exists, whereas one suspects that some of their enthusiastic supporters are keen to raise the drawbridge and exclude those children who might 'lower the tone'. Already, as a parent, you can get involved in your local school, become a governor, influence the way it is run, and all within the current regime. But it might be a bit too democratic for some people's taste.

But here's the twist. There are places where choice in education is much less in evidence, places where, in order to exercise real choice, your children might not have to travel an extra 400 yards, or even a mile, but five. Those places are our rural communities, especially the villages. Some villages, like mine, don't have a school, or have a school threatened with closure because of its small size.

For those communities, where the school is part of the heartbeat of daily life, a free school offers an escape from the grind of driving your children seven miles there, and seven miles back, making earning a living that bit easier. Here in Suffolk, where the County Council have decided that middle schools are too difficult to keep going, local communities might well take the free school route to keep what they have and treasure.

So, my urban dwelling friends, oppose free schools if you must. But remember, one person's threat is another's opportunity, and in an increasingly urban-dominated policy-making environment, we forget our rural districts at our peril.

It looks like I'm part of the vole-untary sector... a weekend in Suffolk...

My cute friend here is suddenly a minor celebrity in these parts, having appeared in the latest Stowupland Focus, as part of a story about the threat to our local nature reserve.

Yes, it's time for another Focus, with stories on buses - bad for Stowupland, good for Creeting St Peter, waste disposal and local government reorganisation, and Ros, Jamie and I were out in the brisk south-westerly winds, delivering them across the ward, and I'm delighted to say that we've very nearly finished, with just a few outliers still to deliver.

It's funny, but I actually enjoy delivering leaflets in my ward. People are surprisingly friendly, and they take a polite interest as I amble around, leaflet in hand. Occasionally, I get caught up in conversation, and it's a great way to get a perspective on what's happening in the community. And it has other positive effects, as I appear to be a bit lighter than I was when the campaign really got under way. I suspect that, if I am lucky enough to get elected, there might be a book in it, "The District Councillor Guide to a Better You".

But our weekend wasn't just about leaflets, there was an outing to Sudbury, where we had been invited for tea. I'd never been to Sudbury before, an omission which certainly surprised Ros, and it's a lovely little town, on the end of a little branch line off of the main East Anglia line at Marks Tey, on the River Stour. Andrew Phillips, our host, and his wife Penelope live in a house which runs down to the river, and we had a lively early evening before it was time to head back to mid-Suffolk.

On the way back, Ros had a moment of genius, and suggested that we have dinner at the Bildeston Crown, a 15th century coaching inn. Ros had the bream, whilst I plumped for the pigeon, served as roast, confit and pithivier (a miniature pie, with the leg bone of the pigeon stuck in the top). It was a mite on the fussy side for us villagers, but very good none the less, and washed down in my case by Suffolk's own lager, Calvors.

As we left, Ros noted some press cuttings, and her attention was drawn to a report of a rather rowdy public meeting during the 1885 General Election, when the Riot Act was read to the assembled throng, and seven, yes seven, policeman were required to restore order. Those were the days...

Ros in the Lords: Question - Airports: Heathrow

The Lords tends to 'take an interest', and oral questions are a good opportunity to briefly raise the issue of a subject, prodding a Minister to do something, and Ros has used this tool herself in the past. Monday saw a question from Lord Gavron about the pre-Christmas disruption at Heathrow. His stance was typical of Labour, sniping at foreign ownership of British assets, whilst missing the key point. Ros didn't though, raising the point that annoyed so many people caught up in the chaos...

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: My Lords, does the noble Lord agree that a bad situation last year was made infinitely worse by the seeming inability of the airport operator and the airlines to give passengers adequate information that was not contradictory? Have the Government looked at the matter and at who should be giving information?

And here was the Transport Minister's reply...

Earl Attlee: My Lords, the noble Baroness is quite right; we touched on this last week as well. There are two reviews. One was commissioned by BAA. The other will come from the South East Airports taskforce. No doubt both reviews will consider that very important point and come back with suggestions on how we can avoid the problems in future.

Job losses make civil servants unhappy. Is that a bear I see in the woods?

It has to be said that, occasionally, the word 'analysis' is abused to the point of torture, and I therefore have to bring your attention, gentle reader, to the 'effort' produced by the Institute for Government, headed by Andrew Adonis. This five page document, including three pages of charts, includes a few interesting statements, but barely scratches the surface of what is happening. So, I should take a closer look...

Interestingly, if you analyse the results by Department, you'll notice that one of them, HM Revenue & Customs, performs consistently badly, a point thought to be unworthy of recognition by the boffins at the Institute for Government. Here's the data of HMRC's ranking on each of the six charts;

Employee engagement index - 17th (out of seventeen)
I have a clear understanding of my organisation's purpose - 16th
I have a clear understanding of my organisation's objectives - 15th
I believe that the Board have a clear vision for the future of my organisation - 17th
I am able to acces the right learning and development opportunities when I need to - 13th
When changes are made in my department they are usually for the better - 17th

I leave it to others to conclude as to whether such cynicism and despair is a good thing in an organisation that brings in more than £400 billion per annum.

The Department for International Development sounds like a nice place to work though...

Ros in the Lords: Written Question - Volunteer Centres

Whilst the Government talk a good game about the 'Big Society', there is already a thriving corner of the voluntary sector matching volunteers up with community needs. In Stowmarket and Haverhill, to name but two far from large Suffolk towns, Ros has met with people whose efforts underpin a culture of volunteering. Besides, you can hardly hand over key services to volunteer groups without helping them to build sufficient capacity, can you?

And it would be worse if the Government attempted to build new support frameworks rather than use the existing ones, wouldn't it?... Ros thinks so, certainly...

27 January 2011

Asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the England-wide Volunteering Infrastructure Programme will provide funds to existing as well as to new volunteer centres.[HL6109]

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Volunteering Infrastructure Programme will connect people with local volunteering opportunities and support organisations to manage volunteers. The Government are currently considering the shape of the programme, including the eligibility criteria.

There will be further announcements on the volunteering infrastructure programme in the coming months.

Now call me quirky, but doesn't that sound as if the Conservatives hadn't really thought through the consequences of the 'Big Society' before the election? Or enough since?

A final Thought from the Train: is your hurry really necessary?

Funny really, the stresses and strains of modern life. Living in a big city, life seems to race away, threatening to leave you behind if you let it. On the Underground, or waiting for a bus in any London suburb, commuters stare at the platform indicator, wondering when that next Bank branch train will come, and why a minute of Transport for London's time feels like four of anyone else's. Actually, now I think about it, why is that?

But I digress. All of that tension for a train that comes every three or four minutes? What's the hurry all about? In mid-Suffolk, where the trains come every hour, the tension is lower in its intensity. I can't really arrive at the last minute, because if I do, and I miss the train, the implications are serious - I'll be an hour late. For my London equivalent, call him or her City Bureaucrat, it makes a five minute difference, hardly fatal. I suppose that choice is a factor. "Have I taken the best route, could I have got there faster via X?", I often wondered. Now, I have one route, and I'll get there eventually. No anguish, just resignation.

I tend to feel less hassled here in mid-Suffolk. It isn't that I have less to do, far from it. My commute isn't much different to what it's always been. It's just a frame of mind, I guess. I can get around, I simply need to be more organised, a bit less spontaneous, a bit more patient. And perhaps that last point is the crux of the matter, patience. So why not leave a little extra time for your journey, find a moment to chat with whoever sells you your newspaper or your train ticket. In short, just chill. You might be surprised by the results...

Ros in the Lords: Marine Navigation Aids Bill - Second Reading

It is a little known fact that I am married to the first, and so far as I know, only woman ever to be a member of the board of Lloyd's Register. And so, it might not have come as a total surprise that she was the only female contributor to the debate...

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: My Lords, I am sure that the whole House will recognise the tenacity and commitment of the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, to this important issue. I am sure that he will understand that for the reasons expressed by the noble Earl it is difficult to have a debate today in anything other than general terms on the important question of the UK system of providing aids to navigation.

However, it is useful to have such a debate at this time. It is also refreshing to have a debate on shipping in your Lordships' House because it is a topic that we seldom cover, which is interesting when we consider how important the shipping industry is to this country's economy and to our maritime heritage. I believe that it is timely to revisit the question of light dues. We are the only country in the world to have a user-based scheme for the funding of light dues. While that is not in itself a reason to change the system, it should at least give us the opportunity for pause for thought and to reflect on why we are the only country left which does it in this way.

Clearly, money is the essential driver, as it so often is. The budget shortfall within the General Lighthouse Authorities can be dealt with only in the way that any organisation deals with budget shortfalls; that is, you increase your income, you cut your costs or you do both. The original proposal to increase the budget at a time when all other departments were slashing theirs was ill advised. I am very glad that the Government have stepped in and have given some firm guidance that this is not acceptable.

I very much agree with the point made by the noble Earl that having a stop-start approach to light dues where they are frozen for many years and then increased very fast is not a sensible way to treat the shipping industry, which now has far more options available to them. As we have heard, a large number of companies are simply deciding to go to Rotterdam or to Antwerp and to use feeder ships to try to ship. This is having a serious effect on the maritime industry generally and has the effect of making the budget crisis within the GLAs even worse because they are trying to bring more money in and actually are bringing in less. They then get into a vicious circle from which it is difficult to escape.

The Government need to reconsider the principle of whether a 41p per tonne levy on ships in UK waters is still an appropriate way forward, given that it is described as a user tax, when there is no mechanism for measuring whether these ships are using the lights at all. With modern navigation and so on, things have moved on. The Chamber of Shipping is adamant that this is a tax on trade. We need some clarity of thinking as to whether that is what it is.

The budgetary problems will be eased by the recent announcement of the agreement with the Irish Government that they should take on responsibility for their own lights. I congratulate the Minister, Mr Penning, on achieving what previous Governments said was impossible. Therefore, either Mr Penning has been very persuasive or we have a lot of extra leverage after having written some large cheques to the Irish Government lately. Whichever way it is, we certainly seem to have made progress that has eluded us before.

I understand that the subsidy to the Irish Lights this year is around £12 million, which will come as a significant benefit to the budget. Will the Minister say whether this saving will in part or in whole be reflected in reduced fees to the ship operators or will simply disappear into the lighthouse funds to help to deal with the pension deficit?

The issue of operating costs is important. I know that the Government are working with all sectors of the transport industry to look at why UK costs are much higher than overseas comparators. They are doing that for rail, roads and so on. I suspect that this is as much of a problem with marine navigational aids as with any other sector. As we have heard, an article in the Lloyd's List of 23 August 2010 by the former chief executive of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority has highlighted how Australia transformed its lighthouse system during the 1980s, improved service quality and reduced costs. I know that a lot of other countries are looking at the Australian model and I hope that our Government are too.

On 14 January, the Government in Hong Kong announced that they will reduce fees for a range of maritime services, including lights, by about 20 per cent. Clearly, there is a wealth of international experience on which to draw. That is appropriate because shipping has well established international organisations, including the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea in this area.

The noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, has done the shipping industry a service by bringing this forward today, although I hope that he will accept the difficulties of scrutinising a Bill that has disappeared before our eyes. Nevertheless, I thank him.

So, how's the openness thing going, Mark?

Last week, I raised the issue of representation and transparency within the Liberal Democrats, alighting on the English Party as a place where much of importance is decided, but where there is little light shone.Indeed, there is so little light shone that I can't find a website for it, or any sign that it actually exists for public consumption.

So, I wrote to my fellow Regional Secretaries, to see what their view was on making at least the names of their English Council representatives available via their Regional websites. And, so far, this is what I've heard...

• South East - I didn't have to contact them, they were the first to publish
• East Midlands - Alex Foster is on the case
• North West - Jane Brophy and Jen Yockney are checking with their representatives as to how much, if any, information they are willing to make public
• London - I've had a list, courtesy of their redoubtable Regional Administrator, Flick Rea.

No news yet from South Central, Western Counties, Devon and Cornwall, West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber or the North East.

Another 'Liberal Bureaucracy' Court Circular...

As nobody else seems to cover this stuff, ‘Liberal Bureaucracy’ accepts its duty bring you news of our newest Peers, who are beginning to don ermine for their big day, being introduced to the House of Lords.

Future scheduled introductions to mark in your diary are;

31 January - Jenny Randerson

1 February - Claire Tyler

3 February - Mike Storey

7 February - Nicol Stephen