Reflections - An interview with SPVR

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Parliament's back in business

Yesterday was the search for perfect answers in an imperfect world. And real heavyweight stuff. I logged in to the COVID-19 Ctte, of which I am a member, at 0830 and logged off from Parliament broadcasting at 1730. We had two five minute tea breaks and twenty-five minutes for lunch. So about eight and a half hours in front of the cameras. It's much worse broadcasting from your own home studio than being in Parliament. Why? In Committee rooms, you can see where the cameras are pointing and you can see which is "active" by looking at the monitors. So if the irresistible need to scratch your nose arrises there, you can pick your moment, confident that it ain't going to be broadcast. At Westminster, it's been some time since they started televising proceedings. One of those who vociferously resisted the move was Tam Dalyell. His reservations were wholly justified when he was seen picking his nose. Or so I have been told. Never saw it myself. Now given that the...

A good accident of legislation .. in 1865

Found by accident in the Nairnshire Telegraph and General Advertiser for the Northern Counties - Wednesday, 25 January 1865 WOMEN'S RIGHTS FOREVER! The last mail from Australia has brought us the astounding intelligence that the Legislature of Victoria, having conferred the franchise upon women one of the provisions of their latest reform Bill, the fair voters, in proportionate number exercised their right at the General Election, the result of which is the rare phenomenon of giving an existing Government working majority. One is disposed at first sight to grudge the colony her high distinction. But on examination of all the facts, she has not, after all, so far surpassed in courage, faith, and virtue the other nations mankind might first sight appear. It is true the Victorian Legislature has given the right to women to vote in the election of its members—but, although the name of the colony might suggest that gallantry was its motive, strict truth obliges us to say that n...

In two places at once

The diary for this week is looking more chaotic than for many months. And In some respects, I only have to look at myself to find the reasons. The dedicated exercise period has been buffeted about by the increasing number of meetings of one sort or another that I have to be part of. The last couple of weeks have seen a transfer of time from walking to taking exercise on the rowing machine. But even that has become difficult to schedule. Today presents one of those periodic challenges to my schedule that have occurred before. My Rural and COVID-19 Committees are meeting simultaneously. The Parliament has a system whereby there is appointed for each party group in a Committee a substitute member who can attend in place of the regular member. And for the moment that has been modified to any member, not just the formal substitute, to attend instead. So far, so good. In the past, I and others have sometimes temporarily left one meeting to attend an item on another Committee's agen...

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