11th May 2012 London, UK
Yesterday Lord Howell introduced the European Union (Approval of Treaty Amendment Decision) Bill to Parliament, as outlined in Her Majesty’s Speech earlier this week. The purpose of the Bill is very straightforward. It simply provides for Parliamentary approval of a Treaty change which makes explicit the ability of eurozone countries to set up a European […]
29th March 2012 Ottawa, Canada
On Monday evening the High Commissioner and I attended a reception at the Canadian House of Commons to celebrate the opening of a Library exhibit commemorating 70 years since Churchill’s world-renowned “Some chicken! Some neck!” speech. Few Canadians, I know, will be confused by that reference. But for the uninitiated, this was from Winston Churchill’s […]
20th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
On March 21st at 12:30 London time (8:30 on the East Coast), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, will unveil his 2012 Budget to the British Parliament. The word ‘Budget’ comes from the French term ‘bougette’, meaning little bag. But rather than thinking about ‘little bags’, whenever I mention the Budget to American friends, they […]
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30th September 2011 Ottawa, Canada
We were lucky last week to have David Cameron in Ottawa. He flew in from New York, where he was speaking to the General Assembly, to a whirlwind programme here. First, he laid a wreath at the War Memorial, in a solemn ceremony of remembrance, to mark British appreciation for Canadian service and sacrifice in […]
3rd May 2011
How can the Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, best ensure that it meets the democratic aspirations of the Ukrainian people? I’ve blogged before about the unfortunate propensity of members of the Rada to settle disputes by physical violence – inside the chamber – rather than by debate. When I noted recently with approval that there hadn’t […]
4th June 2010 London, UK
I spent 24 hours in Brussels earlier this week for a packed schedule of meetings. As a city, Brussels has a somewhat unfair reputation for being rather dull and grey. I know from previous visits that there are some charming aspects to the place. Sadly on this occasion I saw little more than the inside […]