Tag Archives: Member of Parliament

Would the real Independents please stand up

Posted on November 9, 2013 by ianchisnall

Prior to last years Police and Crime Commissioner elections on the 15th November, there was very little evidence of a widespread appetite by electors for Independent candidates. The PCC election was a touchstone for me personally, having always been willing to vote … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy, Police & Crime Commissioner | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

5 weeks is a very long time in politics

Posted on November 7, 2013 by ianchisnall

The Gagging Bill is to be delayed for 5 weeks so that Ministers can “consult widely all of the interested parties, members of this House and the many others outside”. This is very good news, the “Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Lobbying Bill, Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Energy needs better regulation

Posted on October 30, 2013 by ianchisnall

The news reports from yesterdays Energy Select Committee in Parliament appear to have generated more questions than answers. One of these is why did the six largest companies  send senior executives rather than the CEO or Chairman of each of these companies to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Environment, Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Inconsistency of Parliament

Posted on October 28, 2013 by ianchisnall

The failure by three Police Officers to give a fair, just and reasonable account of a meeting with Andrew Mitchell has cost all of us a great deal of money, let alone the deep reputational damage done to Policing. The Home … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Parliament and Democracy, Police & Crime Commissioner, Policing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Consultation deniers

Posted on October 27, 2013 by ianchisnall

The timing of the Newsnight interview with Russell Brand and this piece of analysis by Mark Easton of the BBC could not be more inconvenient for the Government and for Parliament as a whole. While Russell was explaining his desire for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Communications Breakdown

Posted on October 25, 2013 by ianchisnall

It is becoming clear that a significant number of our MPs do not understand how to fully carry out their role in a world where many of us choose to use social media to communicate with a range of people and organisations as … Continue reading →

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I say engagement, you say Lobbying!

Posted on October 19, 2013 by ianchisnall

We are more than half way through the development of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill 2013-14 with the third reading in the House of Commons having taken place on the 9th October. The stages … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Lobbying Bill, Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Professionalism but not as we understand it!

Posted on October 11, 2013 by ianchisnall

As I wrote on Monday the resignation of Simon Burns as Transport Minister, a few days before this weeks reshuffle in order to allow him to contest the position of deputy speaker is something that all of us should be … Continue reading →

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Goodbye Minister Burns

Posted on October 7, 2013 by ianchisnall

The news last week that Simon Burns was resigning from his Ministerial position appears to have been part of a bigger strategy to create some space in the Cabinet for an anticipated reshuffle. Late last night Chloe Smith and John Randall also resigned. … Continue reading →

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Will this change behaviour?

Posted on September 27, 2013 by ianchisnall

On Tuesday Afternoon in Brighton, Ed Miliband raised an issue during his speech that I believe has the potential to be a political game changer, and  one that will be resisted as much in his own party as by the current coalition … Continue reading →

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