For twenty years, Somalia has not just been a failed state, there hasn't been a state.

There is now a Government in Mogadishu, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Like many of the Ministers in his Government, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is not a traditional politician. He is an...

Many backbench Conservative members of Parliament are feeling somewhat scratchy.

They are frustrated that all too often they are told by ministers that ministers are unable to do or not do something as a consequence either of

• Europe; or
• The judges and the courts; or

Last week before going to General Synod to sort out - or rather as it happens not to sort out - women Bishops, I spent some days in Rome.

Not particularly looking for spiritual guidance but because I Chair the House of Commons British/Italian Parliamentary Group which brings together UK...

Some time ago, nearly 20 years ago, the members of the European Union, decided to split between those countries that wished to be part of a single currency - the euro - and those countries that did not wish to be part of the euro.

The United Kingdom emphatically...

As we mark Carers Week, it is worth recalling that the word "carer" applies to two groups of people.

Firstly, there are the approximately 1 ¼ million carers who spend more than 50 hours each week caring for family members who cannot look after themselves.

These carers are...

Numbering over 800, the House of Lords is probably the largest legislative body in the world.

Contrast a United States Senate of 100 elected members representing the whole of the United States.

It is difficult to justify such a large body and in an era where there is clearly a...

Most of us live most of our lives in one or more parallel universes. The first universe is the world of the immediacy of each of our everyday lives - getting to work, paying the bills, concerns about rents and mortgages, families and our own immediate lives and personal futures.

The opponents in the House of Lords of any reform of the NHS have pursued two tactics - firstly, they have sought to delay the Bill for as long as possible and, secondly, they have raised a whole number of "straw men" of horrors and havoc that they assert would...

On Saturday, the Shadow Chancellor admitted that if the Labour Party were in government, they would not deviate from the tough decisions that George Osborne and David Cameron are making in an effort to cut the deficit.

In his speech to the Fabien Society, Ed Balls said that he would...

2011 has been a tough year financially, but it has also been rewarding in many other ways, with many great successes and achievements.

Our government has steered Britain through the global debt storm with its credible deficit reduction plan which has ensured UK market interest rates on government debt...

I think it is very much a matter of regret that anyone feels it necessary to go on strike on Wednesday.

I personally think that the strikes are inappropriate and untimely, especially whilst talks are ongoing.

I hope everyone will reflect that what the government is offering is both fair...

There is an impression that petrol and diesel prices have been increasing as a consequence of tax increases.

Actually, the tax-take during much of the 1990s was far higher, rising to a peak of 86% in early 1999. In other words, for every pound spent on a litre of petrol,...

In light of the recent debates, and the vote on having a referendum on the UK's position in the EU, I would like to take the opportunity to alliterate the Conservative Party's position on this matter, and emphasise the value to be seen in our role in Europe.

A...

The English baccalaureate is having positive effects on many subjects chosen at GCSE and A-Level but increasingly so it seems, having devastating effects on subjects elsewhere. The future of Religious Education (R.E.) has been a hot topic of debate and concerns have been raised into the direction it is headed....