Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Blog”
It was Henry Ford who said: “Don’t just find fault, find a remedy”. We have all attended conferences and summits which have been ‘more talk than walk and more activity than action’. That is why it is vital that there be real outcomes from the next Commonwealth summit, encompassing the findings of the people’s forum and the parliamentary forum. It …
My Lords, I, too, thank the most reverend Primate for securing this timely debate. There was much need for reconciliation after the First World War and Second World War. My Jamaican father fought for Britain in the Eighth Army, against the Germans, yet when he came to England in September 1945 he was saddened to see signs warning, “No blacks. No Irish. No dogs”—I guess …
My Lords, the famous British group, The Beatles, had worldwide success with the song “Don’t Let Me Down”. I am confident that the Government will not let Britain down as we leave the European Union. “We Can Work It Out” was another huge hit for The Beatles; I believe that working it out is what will happen. Although that song …
Today’s seed brings tomorrow’s harvest and so in principle I welcome this Bill as an extension to the Race Relations Act 1976. I support the intention to make the police and other public authorities liable under the Act. But there is a problem. The Bill gives effect to only part of the recommendations of the Macpherson report on the Stephen Lawrence …
It was Indira Gandhi who said: “You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.” So in achieving a successful multi-cultural Britain, we must build bridges between our various communities and not walls. For me, the essential message of campaigners such as Wilberforce, Clarkson and former slaves such as Equiano was a simple truth: that there is only one race, the …
My Lords, some years ago, in 1990, as the Conservative parliamentary candidate in Cheltenham, I had a rather interesting experience. On my first day as a candidate, an elderly lady approached me and demanded to know what exotic part of the world I was from. I replied that I was from the sunny paradise of Birmingham, just off the M6 …
My Lords, on this very day, 31 January, in 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed following the failed Gunpowder Plot—but it is vital that this Bill does not also expire. The European Union Bill must be passed into law to allow Her Majesty’s Government to implement the will of the people in the referendum result and to respect the judgment of the …
When I was chancellor of Bournemouth University, I had the pleasure of conferring on the noble Lord, Lord Ashdown, an honorary doctorate, and I still remember the inspiring way he spoke that day. I declare my interests, in that I am married to an American, and my children are British and American. I am also an honorary colonel in the …
Noble Lords will be aware of the horrific rape and murder of 15-year-old Naomi Smith and the part that DNA played in securing the recent conviction of her killer, Edwin Hopkins. This Bill has the potential to make a significant impact on the fight against crime. Its central purpose is to add the DNA profiles of some 7,750 serious violent …
April 2017 we considered Brexit and the EU budget where I said: “Deal or No Deal”. That is the situation we are now in. The phrase “Deal or No Deal” had never been mentioned in public debate or media until that point. On 16 January 2018 a debate was then titled “Brexit: Deal or No Deal” the following is that speech. On 6 …