AFTER all the fuss and palaver last week over referendums on Europe, people ask if it was exciting to be there.
I have to disappoint them. At our end of the Palace of Westminster people were getting on with their ordinary business.
On Monday the Lords in committee were ploughing slowly through yet another new Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill.
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On Tuesday the business started with an unusual item when the Lord Speaker read out a short statement headed "Imprisonment of a Member: Lord Black of Crossharbour".
He is of course Conrad Black, former owner of the Daily Telegraph, now serving his time for fraud after being "convicted of four offences at the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois".
At Question Time I got in a supplementary complaining at the growing politicisation of council staff following the imposition by the government of the new structures of "governance" in councils - cabinets, executives and the like instead of the old committee system.
I also got the chance to tell the government that the vast investment that is planned in more runways and airport terminals in the south east would be better spent on fast new railway lines between London and the rest of the country.
The main business was the second day of the Report stage of the Climate Change Bill, which I fear is one of those measures that promises more than it will deliver.
After that I had the chance to grumble about the anti-democratic nonsense that is going on in Cheshire with the government's reorganisation of its councils (chopping the county into two unitaries and abolishing the six districts altogether).
On Wednesday there was yet more Criminal Justice and Immigration.
But almost unnoticed by the outside world we suddenly came to a genuinely historic moment.
Communities and Local Government minister Baroness Andrews popped up to move a new clause which reads "The offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel under the common law of England and Wales are abolished".
So we voted by 148 (including me) to 87 to abolish blasphemy: that is to say it will no longer be against the law of the land.
Now this was a genuinely exciting moment which will be marked long after arguments over referendums are forgotten.
Posted by: Joseph Yossarian, london on 2:39pm Tue 11 Mar 08
[quote]So we voted by 148 (including me) to 87 to abolish blasphemy: that is to say it will no longer be against the law of the land.[/quote]
I find myself wondering how many f the "nay" cmp are bishops. Certaily the bishops of Chester, Rochester and Southwell/Nottingham should be ashamed.
So we voted by 148 (including me) to 87 to abolish blasphemy: that is to say it will no longer be against the law of the land.
I find myself wondering how many f the "nay" cmp are bishops. Certaily the bishops of Chester, Rochester and Southwell/Nottingham should be ashamed.
Posted by: Tony Greaves, Pendle on 10:00pm Wed 12 Mar 08
There were a number of Bishops in the House.
The Archbishop of York and the Bishops of Portsmouth, Durham and Chester spoke in the debate.
Durham and Portsmouth voted in favour. The three mentioned (Chester, Rochester and Southwell & Nottingham) voted against. Any others present at the time of the division abstained.
Tony Greaves
There were a number of Bishops in the House.
The Archbishop of York and the Bishops of Portsmouth, Durham and Chester spoke in the debate.
Durham and Portsmouth voted in favour. The three mentioned (Chester, Rochester and Southwell & Nottingham) voted against. Any others present at the time of the division abstained.
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