Blog
Will John Bercow’s reform plans for parliament include more women MPs?
I know I won't be the only person keen to hear what John Bercow says in the Hansard Society's Speaker’s Lecture this week entitled "Reform in a new Parliament: Reviving the Chamber".I want to see if he will keep his word about the need to increase women...
A day of highly charged emotions
My husband and I are heading for the smoke today to see the Grace Kelly exhibition at the V&A, whose elegance and beauty is still unsurpassed. The story of the Hollywood star and Princess of Monaco continues to fascinate us all and I'm really looking forward to...
The Percy family and Island Hall
You will be pleased to know that my plucky author friend Jean Adamson has made an excellent recovery from her brutal attack by a ruthless mugger in our Cambridgeshire village, though disappointly the cowardly culprit has never never found.We are both garden lovers and...
Alzheimer book wins Orwell Prize
Congratulations to Andrea Gillies for winning the coveted Orwell Book Prize, Keeper: Living with Nancy. A journey into Alzheimer's. It's not a sexy subject, and normally this award is given for a political book. But this true, poignant swept judges off their feet....
Is it hard for MPs to confess they are gay?
David Laws is not in judgement for being gay - that is hardly a scandal these days for MPs - though this might be the case for Premier football players. I accept he wanted to have a private life and not tell all and sundry about his lover James Lundie. But what people...
An evening at the Masonic Lodge, and charity shops
I spent an evening at the gracious Cambridge Masonic Lodge this week where I was presented with a cheque for £1,250 on behalf of Headway Cambridgeshire, one of many local charities to benefit from the generosity of City & University of Cambridge Masonic...
Grassroot Tories voice concerns over Lib Dem-Conservative coalition
Grassroot Tories from my association in South East Cambridgeshire are to meet our MP James Paice to discuss their concerns about the Lib Dem-Conservative coalition. Some Conservatives are still anxious about this new partnership (I expect Lib Dem supporters are too),...
How does a new MP juggle family life?
Julian Sturdy, newly elected MP for York Outer, talks to The Yorkshire Post about his new life and how he will juggle family life with his parliamentary duties in Westminster. Julian Sturdy: Welcome to Westminster – it's a new world for rookie MP Premium Article !...
In memory of Mutley the Dog
Like other bloggers, I am shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Mutley the Dog, whose ramblings verging on the absurb never failed to amuse. He was only 46. His devastated partner Kate left a comment one of my previous posts this morning breaking the bad news:...