A great Prime Minister's early death Thursday, 11 July, 2024 Prime minister at the age of 24, the Younger Pitt died when he was 46 in 1806 after serving in the highest political office for eighteen years, a term exceeded in length only by Walpole. His health was never robust. It is well-known that he added to his problems by drinking heavily, and it is often said that drink killed him. Far from that being the case, the illness that proved fatal to him can... Articles
250th letter in The Times - and a record 31st October 2017 Alistair Lexden’s letter in The Times on October 30 (see below) was his 250th in what is generally regarded as the most famous letters page in the world. The... Articles
Too many Privy Councillors 30th October 2017 There is widespread agreement that Britain has too many MPs and too many peers with seats in the Lords. The excessive number of Privy Councillors— people who... Articles
Seeking justice for IRA victims 30th October 2017 On October 27, the Lords gave a Second Reading to a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Lord (Reg) Empey, former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. The Bill... Speeches
Books and indexes 27th October 2017 Books need proper indexes if the reader is to be able to find his or her way around them. A letter published in The Spectator magazine on 21 October stated:... Articles
Ten days in the Upper House 24th October 2017 The editors of Parliament’s House Magazine, published weekly when Parliament is in session, ask a member of each House to write a diary column about their... Articles
Passchendaele Centenary 20th October 2017 The Battle of Passchendaele began on 31 July 1917, and ended three and a half months later on 10 November. It is widely regarded as the most horrific battle in... Speeches
Great letters from The Times 20th October 2017 A book entitled The Times Great Letters has just been published by Times Books. It contains a wide range of letters drawn from the newspaper’s famous daily... Articles
Alistair Lexden joins British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly 12th October 2017 The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, originally established in 1990 and enlarged in 2001, works to promote co-operation between political representatives... Recent News
The United Kingdom in an era of devolution 10th October 2017 The devolution of extensive powers from Westminster to devolved bodies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland has profound constitutional implications. They... Speeches