25 Apr 2012 : Column 933 House of Commons Wednesday 25 April 2012 The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Prayers [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Business before Questions Canterbury City Council Bill Motion made, That so much of the Lords Message [23 April] as relates to the Canterbury City Council Bill be now considered.—(The Chairman of Ways and Means.) Hon. Members: Object. To be considered on Monday 30 April. Leeds City Council Bill Motion made, That so much of the Lords Message [23 April] as relates to the Leeds City Council Bill be now considered.—(The Chairman of Ways and Means.) Hon. Members: Object. To be considered on Monday 30 April. Nottingham City Council Bill Motion made, That so much of the Lords Message [23 ... Continue reading →

Thursday 24th May 2012 | 09:43 Nick Clegg's speech in Berlin - extracts Thank you very much. As I left this morning, London was bathed in sunshine. It has been a long time coming, but summer has arrived. But even though the sun is shining here in Berlin too, a dark cloud still hangs over Europe Even by recent standards, this year has been grim. Wave after wave of headlines have broken on our shores: credit ratings downgraded. Banks facing capital flight. Febrile politics turning over governments. As Europeans, our response to this brewing crisis has been woefully fragmented. We have failed on a number of fronts. We have tried to give Europe’s problems different labels, tried to keep them separate. But the world just ... Continue reading →

I am baffled again as to what the Prime Minister’s position on the euro actually is. He said several times, in answer to questions on his statement on the G8 in the Commons this afternoon, that the euro needs political union in order to work, which is why he was always against Britain’s adopting it. His clearest statement came in answer to Peter Bone, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers supporter and Conservative member for Wellingborough. Mr Bone: The euro is as dead as Monty Python’s parrot: it is no more, it has ceased to be, it has expired. So why do the euro elite continue to claim that it is alive and well? Is it not essential that Europe implements an orderly break-up of the eurozone ... Continue reading →

Tony Blair take two: Ex PM 'poised for political comeback with Labour after advising Obama on election battle' By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 05:59 EST, 20 May 2012 | UPDATED: 11:25 EST, 20 May 2012 Mr Blair, pictured in January this year, wants to re-engage with British politics after amassing an estimated �20million fortune since leaving office five years agoTony Blair could be set for a dramatic return to frontline British politics after it emerged today he recently advised President Obama on his re-election campaign.The former prime minister is preparing a new push to re-enter British politics alongside current Labour leader Ed Miliband, who recently suggested space could be found for Mr Blair on his team.Former Labour leader Mr Blair 'has things to say' and ... Continue reading →

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Tony Blair take two: Ex PM 'poised for political comeback with Labour after advising Obama on election battle' By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 05:59 EST, 20 May 2012 | UPDATED: 11:25 EST, 20 May 2012 Mr Blair, pictured in January this year, wants to re-engage with British politics after amassing an estimated �20million fortune since leaving office five years agoTony Blair could be set for a dramatic return to frontline British politics after it emerged today he recently advised President Obama on his re-election campaign.The former prime minister is preparing a new push to re-enter British politics alongside current Labour leader Ed Miliband, who recently suggested space could be found for Mr Blair on his team.Former Labour leader Mr Blair 'has things to say' and ... Continue reading →

A new occasional series. 1. Buskers who interrupt their music to say “Thank you”. 2. Notices on children’s clothes that say “Keep Away from Fire”. 3. Signs that say “Please Hold Handrail”. More, please. Continue reading →

Sophie Williams carries the Olympic flame between Gloucester and Hartpury on day six of the relay. From tomorrow, the torch will travel around Wales for a week. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA It has certainly fired the imagination of the English public but the question of whether the Olympic flame – and the Games in general – will be embraced across the whole of the UK will begin to be answered on Friday when the torch is carried into Wales.Over the next week the flame will be taken to the summit of Snowdon, carried on the back of a Welsh cob horse and transported along an aqueduct on a hand-drawn boat.All excellent photo-opportunities but the deeper issue will be whether the people of Wales see the Olympics ... Continue reading →

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