The Future of the House of Lords

The BBC's James Landale has written an illuminating analysis of what the recent constitutional filibustering means for the House of Lords. He also comments on how the nature of the coalition government itself led to the recent impasse with the second chamber.

Friday Update

The Tories' Education spokesman, Michael Gove, is giving a speech today outlining his party's education agenda. More pay for able teachers, and the ability to confiscate ipods and mobile phones are amongst the ingredients reported in the Times and the Guardian. Thought we already had the power to confiscate ipods and mobiles actually.....

Tony Blair's old political magic is still standing him in good stead. Despite his previous closeness to George Bush, he has still managed to be the first British leader to meet Barack Obama, who showered him with praise in Washington at a prayer breakfast yesterday. Gordon Brown must be gnashing his teeth at his old foe's success - yet again.

Our fundamental freedoms are under threat from the extent of the surveillance conducted in Britain today, according to a House of Lords report published today. After the furore of the Four Labour Lords a Charging, it is useful to be reminded of what the upper house contributes to the political debate, with more independence than is found in the Commons.

Grammar Schools and the 11+ remain a controversial issue in Northern Ireland, with the Sinn Fein Education Minister having to resurrect the exam it tried to abolish, according to a report in the Guardian.

Tuesday Update

Are the BNP a left-wing or right-wing party? A little debate on some blog sites has been provoked from an initial post by Iain Dale. A further contribution by someone called Longrider supports the contention that the BNP are left-wing authoritarians (just get past the first sentence where he refers to odd people called Chicken Yoghurt and Flying Rodent - that's the blogging world for you!).

See what China's visiting prime minister thinks of the financial crisis. Good communist that he is, he considers greedy bosses and their large salaries to be the cause.

Is Gordon Brown's "British Jobs for British Workers" phrase an echo of earlier European socialist attempts to ally with the forces of nationalism? It may be a bit of a stretch to see Gordo as another Mussolini, but Dominic Lawson in the Independent looks again at the problems of getting domestic workers to see solidarity with foreign workers, as the strikes at the Lindsay fuel refining plant over just this issue continue.

It may be a little risky to defend the House of Lords at the moment, but Rachel Sylvester in the Times today tries just that, and is rather convincing.