Guy Opperman is MP for Hexham and writes in advance of this afternoon's House of Commons debate on the Big Society. Call it the Big Society, call it Community Empowerment, call it whatever you like, but I urge anyone who believes in trusting people before big government to think about what can we do to […]
by Paul Goodman Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) and Julian Lewis (New Forest East) entered the Commons together as New Forest neighbours in 1997. Both were on the right of the Party; both were rumbustious Parliamentarians; both were greeted with werewolf howls from Labour backbenchers; both served on the Conservative front bench. But their ways […]
By Jonathan Isaby Early Day Motions are oft referred to as "parliamentary grafitti": they are effectively petitions which only MPs can sign and are often tabled with the sole intention of allowing an MP to issue a press release to their local paper beginning "Local campaigning MP Joe Bloggs has tabled a motion in Parliament […]
Three newly-elected barristers all delivered maiden speeches during yesterday's debate on the Queen's Speech which highlighted the failures of criminal justice policy under the previous Labour Government. Robert Buckland, who gained Swindon South, lamented "the gap between political rhetoric and the sad reality of what is happening in our system today: "We have confused legislative […]
For 20 years prior to becoming an MP in 2010 Guy Opperman was a barrister; one of his specialities was judicial review of public bodies, including the Health Service. He led the campaign, as a pro bono barrister, in the healthcare case of Compton v Wiltshire Primary Care Trust. Being lobbied by pressure groups is […]