Parliament should have scrutiny powers? How radical can you get?

If you want evidence of how weak the UK’s model of Parliamentary democracy truly is, you only need to glance at this article: Parliament should be able to bypass ministers and launch its own inquiries into issues of “exceptional” public concern such as the Iraq war, MPs say. This is a power that pretty much… Continue reading Parliament should have scrutiny powers? How radical can you get?

Henley and Paddy’s memoirs

The Tories seem to be having problems deciding on who should replace Boris Johnson as their candidate in Henley. Meanwhile I got an email this morning from Lord Rennard about why I should go and help the Lib Dem campaign there: When Paddy publishes his memoirs, he will pay great tribute to a particular group… Continue reading Henley and Paddy’s memoirs

Boris Johnson’s crime maps, data protection and land values

Unaccustomed as I am to defending Boris Johnson, I’m not convinced that publishing crime maps would necessarily result in a breach of data protection. Didn’t we solve this problem with census data decades ago? A more intriguing objection is the complaint by RICS that “publicising high crime areas in such detail could literally wipe thousands… Continue reading Boris Johnson’s crime maps, data protection and land values