Tag Archives: Parliament

How much is rotten in the state of Westminster

Posted on October 13, 2011 by ianchisnall

In May 2010 it was clear that the new cabinet arrived in Whitehall with almost no knowledge of its processes and even less sympathy with existing programmes and initiatives. Any new management is bound to want to make changes and the perceived … Continue reading →

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

How blind is our Justice System?

Posted on September 24, 2011 by ianchisnall

Our courts have been kept busy this Summer handing out a range of punishments to those who have broken our laws in many places. It is vital for the well-being of society that we have confidence that crimes are dealt with appropriately. Sentencing … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy, UK Riots in August 2011 | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How Green was their Valley?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by ianchisnall

The aerial photograph below is said to show the travellers site at Dale Farm in Essex before the travellers began to remove the scrap cars and develop part of the site without planning permission. Something of the back story is contained in the BBC … Continue reading →

Posted in Planning Rules, Policing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The turkey’s should vote for an even better Christmas!

Posted on September 13, 2011 by ianchisnall

Today the Boundary Commission has released proposals for changes to Parliamentary constituencies to take effect after the 2015 General Election (so in effect for 2020). The impact of these changes will be to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600. This is part of wider electoral reform … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A new political paradigm

Posted on August 29, 2011 by ianchisnall

Our political processes and structures are about to undergo a period of change as the number of parliamentary constituencies are reduced to 600 from the current 650. However this change will not improve the public attitude towards those who make decisions on our behalf. … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Benefits a safety net, not a reward for being good

Posted on August 24, 2011 by ianchisnall

At the time of posting over 219,000 people in the UK have signed an e-petition requesting that the Government withdraws benefits from any of the rioters who have been convicted for offences committed in London in recent weeks. The threshold for the Government to consider … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy, UK Riots in August 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The last 10 days have been a difficult time for many of us in a number of ways. Not everyone has the certainty of a regular holiday, so sympathy for Boris and Dave who under some duress (particularly on the part of the … Continue reading →

Posted on August 14, 2011 by ianchisnall | 2 Comments

Do we need a deliberative democracy?

Posted on July 30, 2011 by ianchisnall

A fascinating exchange took place on the Today programme in the 08:50 slot on Friday 29th July with Sarah Montague interviewing The leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young on the latest plans to open up Parliament to … Continue reading →

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