tagged w/ House of Lords
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Did she take offence at being called a First World War survivor or was she simply reminding fellow House of Lords members of Winston Churchill’s V for victory sign from the Second World War?However you choose to interpret it, here’s Baroness Trumpington's now infamous hand gesture.
Did she take offence at being called a First World War survivor or was she simply... more
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On November 5th, a 17th century British folk hero by the name of Guy Fawkes tried unsuccessfully to blow up the British House of Lords. After his capture, he explained that if a government did not work for the people than the people should blow it up and start anew. With this same spirit in mind- the 99 percent group is using this date to take down Wall Street and the big banks in the United States. The action is called Bank Transfer Day.On November 5th, a 17th century British folk hero by the name of Guy Fawkes tried... more
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Banks are jeopardising the country’s economic recovery by restricting lending to households and businesses, a report by the Bank of England warns today.Since the credit crisis began, high street banks have lent less to customers, blaming a fall in demand for new loans, mortgages and other typesBanks are jeopardising the country’s economic recovery by restricting lending to... more
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Sir Nigel Wood-Smythe of the House of Lords outlines his plan to tax mastur...er...self..uh....well, he has an idea that could put the U.K. back on sure financial footing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxkCVDlI9dkSir Nigel Wood-Smythe of the House of Lords outlines his plan to tax... more
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With the Coalition government stating it is taking a tough attitude towards tax avoidance, the biggest Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft said he would become a full UK taxpayer. The new rules would have meant Ashcroft would have to give up his peerage or start paying tax on his worldwide assets and earnings.
Though BBC's Panorama claims Ashcroft moved a £17m stake in his company Impellam to a trust fund for his children, the transaction took place a day before the new tax laws for members of the House of Lords were put into action.
According to the Guardian the tax taken in would have been £3.4m
"Tax lawyer Richard Frimston told Panorama that Lord Ashcroft would have faced a hefty inheritance tax bill under the new legislation if he had made the change one day later.
[...]
The billionaire businessman has not broken any rules by using the family trust, but his actions appear to conflict with the coalition government's stance on tax avoidance.With the Coalition government stating it is taking a tough attitude towards tax... more
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The head of a prominent lobby group for the music industry is being touted as a new entrant to the UK’s House of Lords. According to sources close to new Prime Minister David Cameron, UK Music chief Feargal Sharkey is being considered for a life peerage as reward for his efforts in the music industry.
http://torrentfreak.com/uk-music-head-set-for-seat-in-the-uk-house-of-lords-100719/The head of a prominent lobby group for the music industry is being touted as a new... more
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Peers were given a deadline to decide if they wanted to give up, a peerage or the non-dom status. If they gave up the non-dom status they would start paying UK taxes for their income and as the Independent puts it keep the perks like:
"the honour of a title, the intellectual stimulus of debating with colleagues more knowledgeable and more polite than the MPs next door, the fun of dressing up, and the perks. With membership goes access to free parking bang in the centre of London, subsidised bars and dining rooms, and an immense library."-Independent
Yesterday, four (now updated to five) Lords gave up their peerage to remain non-doms, Lord Laidlaw, Baron McAlpine, Baroness Dunn and Lord Bagri.
However, today it is announced the controversial non-dom for the Conservatives Lord Ashcroft is giving up being a non-dom to remain in the House of Lords.
"A three-month period during which peers could instead permanently exclude themselves from the Lords expires on Wednesday. Labour donor Lord Paul has, like Lord Ashcroft, said he will give up his non-dom status to keep his seat."-BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10535852.stmPeers were given a deadline to decide if they wanted to give up, a peerage or the... more
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New MP Liz Kendall has found herself in 'hot water' after posting a photograph taken inside the House of Lords of the Queens speech online via Twitpic.
The newly elected Labour MP for Leicester West took the photo on her mobile phone as she tried to capture the speech’s pomp and ceremony on Tuesday, telling her 600 followers ''Haven't quite managed to capture sheer number of diamonds & tiaras"
Alerted to the breach of regulations prohibiting photography in the chamber, authorities in the Upper House later informed the Serjeant at Arms, who oversees parliamentary security, with a spokesperson saying they were dealing with the matter appropriately.
Interestingly Ms Kendall claimed she did not know there was a ban on taking photos and pointed out that the whole event was being televised.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/7764540/Queens-Speech-New-MP-Liz-Kendall-in-hot-water-over-House-of-Lords-Twitter-photo.htmlNew MP Liz Kendall has found herself in 'hot water' after posting a... more
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Labour MP Liz Kendall is in trouble after taking a picture from within the House of Lords when attending the Queens Speech ceremony. According to the story, it is 'forbidden' to take pictures inside Lords, unless you're part of the official photography team.
"Ms Kendall told her online readers she had emerged from meetings to discover there was a "furore" and that she needed to find out if she was in "proper trouble".-SkyLabour MP Liz Kendall is in trouble after taking a picture from within the House of... more
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"• Elections for the second chamber would take place at the same time as general elections
• Number of Bishops sitting in the Lords would be halved from 24 to 12"-The Guardian
The papers were leaked to the Guardian, who is now reporting on the plans that would re shape how the second chamber will function after the so far proposed reforms.
Plus, it sounds like the reforms are sung as a bridging point for Labour and the Lib Dems, so would anyone agree that there's a hint of election in this leak?
However, the it sounds like the paper talks about ideas into how a more elected House of Lords would become, with how many unelected peers will be cut, what the cost of another election would be and the amount of faith seats in the chamber.
It'll be a interesting document for the newspaper to hod onto, since when or if the reforms that place it'll be fun to see what parts were dropped or strengthen.
You can read the document here, http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/20/leaked-house-of-lords-reform-paper
Pic: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44221000/jpg/_44221845_parllawlords416_pa.jpg"• Elections for the second chamber would take place at the same time as... more
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Sir Alan Sugar took up his seat in the House of Lords today, decked out in ermine at the traditional ceremony today, a day before Parliament breaks up for its summer recess.
62 year-old Sir Alan will advise Gordon Brown, but will not become a minister. Earlier this month, he stepped down from all of his company directorships to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. He's has also been dropped from advertisements he does to promote apprenticeships and premium bonds as per the Cabinet Office guidelines.Sir Alan Sugar took up his seat in the House of Lords today, decked out in ermine at... more
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Britain's Labour government said today it wanted to reform parliament's unelected House of Lords to allow any member found guilty of corruption to be expelled.
Parliamentary investigations have started into allegations that four Labour members of the Lords were ready to take payments to try to amend laws in a scandal that has shattered the upper house of parliament's austere image.
Justice Minister Jack Straw said new rules were needed to properly punish impropriety.Britain's Labour government said today it wanted to reform parliament's... more
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The House of Lords is a venerable British institution, but what does one get if one accepts Muslims in? This:
A member of the Lords intended to invite her colleagues to a private meeting in a conference room in the House of Lords to meet the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, an elected member of the Dutch parliament, to watch his controversial movie Fitna and discuss the movie and Mr. Wilders’ opinions with him.
Barely had the invitation been sent to all the members of the House when Lord Ahmed raised hell. He threatened to mobilize 10,000 Muslims to prevent Mr. Wilders from entering the House and threatened to take the colleague who was organizing the event to court. The result is that the event, which should have taken place next Thursday was cancelled.
Lord Ahmed immediately went to the Pakistani press to boast about his achievement, which he calls “a victory for the Muslim community.”
A victory for the Muslim community, but a defeat for British democracy where topics to which Muslims object cannot even be debated. That, apparently, is what one gets when one accepts Muslims into the House of Lords.The House of Lords is a venerable British institution, but what does one get if one... more
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They voted to keep the limit at 28 days by 309 votes to 118 - a majority of 191. When the bill was passed through the house of commons it managed to scrape through by just nine votes. This defeat in the House of Lords means that the bill will have to go back to the House of Commons where the government fears the plan may be defeated.
Time to drop it?They voted to keep the limit at 28 days by 309 votes to 118 - a majority of 191. When... more
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The United Kingdom's highest court today provided new details of how the Saudis pressured British Prime Minister Tony Blair's government to shut down a politically embarrassing bribery investigation two years ago that implicated the Saudi ambassador to Washington. The ruling, by a House of Lords judicial panel, offers an unusually revealing window into how international power politics is played in the post-9/11 era.
The United Kingdom's highest court today provided new details of how the Saudis... more
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A British hacker accused of breaking into Pentagon and NASA computers has lost his appeal against extradition to the U.S.
Gary McKinnon is accused by American prosecutors of executing a series of cyber-attacks that stole passwords, attacked military networks and wrought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of computer damage in the United States.
His appeal against a government order extraditing him was rejected by the House of Lords on Wednesday.
McKinnon's lawyer, Karen Todner, says he will appeal his case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in France and that she was working to try to halt his immediate removal to the United States.
She says McKinnon should have been prosecuted in Britain and that she thinks the U.S. wants to make an example of him.A British hacker accused of breaking into Pentagon and NASA computers has lost his... more
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