Reflections - An interview with SPVR

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No pigtail after all

For the first Saturday in a normal recess, it would be routine to report that nothing had happened. But not so. The post-session recovery that generally occupies the first few days has yet to start. And indeed, is required more than usual. Since being elected nineteen years ago, I have had no May and June months with as many Parliamentary Committee meetings. A bit less speaking in the Chamber certainly, but it's Committee work that takes the real effort. In this past week, it has been well over three hundred pages of briefings to read. And to understand. There are those, not merely people who hope for a remunerated retirement to what Jim Hacker of TV series "Yes Minister" referred to as a home for vegetables-otherwise known as the House of Lords, who regret our not having a second house for our Parliament. Worth noting that over two-thirds of the world's legislatures are single Chamber like us. And a large part of those that do, only have one because ex-colonies...

Genealogy Series: Betsy (or Elizabeth) Esplin Bell (1858-1930).

Betsy (or Elizabeth) Esplin Bell (1858-1930). She had a long criminal record driven by her addiction to drink, but was she her husband’s victim? by Stewart Stevenson. Betsy was born on 26 th January 1858 in Dundee to David Bell, a carpenter, and his wife, Agnes Sandeman. i Father registered the birth, but is recorded as “Not Present”. George T Bisset-Smith, the Registration Examiner, published his book “Vital Registration”, the manual for Scottish Registrars in 1907. ii In it he states that a “liberal interpretation” should be given to the word “Present” in this context but also states that “Not Present” must not be used. I suspect that leaves most genealogists, me included, little the wiser as to what “Present” was actually supposed to mean. So let’s pass on to the story. Betsy’s parents married in 1856, iii with her mother Agnes making her mark, an ”X”, rather than signing the registration record, indicating that she was illiterate. Her husband David signed. ...

Happy departure

This morning is one of those mornings where my personal emotions are somewhat conflicted. I successfully navigated being in two Committee meetings simultaneously. But today is also the first day after a valued member of staff has moved on to another job. Yesterday I wrote about what was then a theoretical challenge which arose from my being on both the COVID-19 and Rural Parliamentary Committees which very largely overlapped in the Parliamentary timetable. The primary challenge was that I knew that my upload bandwidth available from my narrowband (broadband?) connection at home would not sustain two simultaneous video-conference calls. I have just checked right now - 07:12 hours which is well "off-peak" - the Ofcom speed checker shows a big red "X" against the measured speed supporting "Video Calling" as usual. I have been living dangerously and doing it anyway with almost total success despite the indicated upload speed being only 0.5 megabits per s...

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