This year’s Queen’s Speech was an obvious and shameless electioneering event by a government on the way out. Most of these bills have little or no chance of being law – and a number of them seem to purely be attempts to bind the next government with various “targets” which Labour want to enshrine in law just so that they can paint the Conservatives in unflattering lights.
But there is one bill in this that is a good bill, and one that must become law as soon as possible: the Flood …

It was proposed and rejected by the Attorney General just back in April, but now it has come up again:

Downing Street has drawn up plans to end the 300-year-old exclusion of Catholics from the throne. The requirement that the succession automatically pass to a male would also be reformed, making it possible for a first born daughter of Prince William to become his heir. (The Guardian)

About bloody time!
I can see absolutely no reason why this shouldn’t come in to reality. It is completely out of place in the modern world …

MPs have to swear an oath of loyalty to the Queen when they take their seat in the House of Commons. But anti-monarchy campaigners want to challenge this requirement in the courts on human rights basis.
There is also an early day motion proposed by Lib Dem front bencher Norman Baker proposing an alternative oath, claiming that “some honourable members would prefer to swear an oath of allegiance to their constituents and the nation rather than the monarch”. It has so far been signed by 22 MPs – 14 Labour, 7 …

With growing inflation, it’s no surprise that the Royal Family have spent more this year than last year. They’ve cost the taxpayer £40million in the past 12 months – an increase of £2million.
Or, to put that another way, 66p per person instead of 62p.
Personally, I think that represents outstanding value for money. For 66p you can’t even buy 66 penny sweets nowadays. It’s less than the price of this morning’s paper. I think it could get me 1 track off itunes – if I used that instead of buying CDs …

This was in yesterday’s Times:
The Attorney-General’s office has ruled out any legislation that would give equal rights of succession to the throne to daughters of a monarch. Nor will it repeal the law that bans the heir to the throne from marrying a Roman Catholic.
And this in the Telegraph two days ago:
Vera Baird, the Solicitor General, who is steering the new equality bill through the Commons, said the right of males to succeed ahead of their older sisters was “unfair” and “a load of rubbish”…Mrs Baird also wants to repeal …

Today the Queen and Prince Philip celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary, having been married for 60 years. That is a fantastically long time indeed. It is unfortunate that none of her children have managed to hold down a relationship.
To mark their anniversary, the Queen and prince Philip are returning to Malta, where they spent the first two years of their married life.
Sources: BBC, The Times, The Telegraph

Keep the Queen on our passports!
References to the Queen could be taken out of British passports in a bid to make them more European, it has emerged.The new documents, which could be in place as early as 2010, would bear reference to the EU constitution in order to remind UK citizens that they are part of Europe.The first page of the British passport has historically featured the royal coat of arms with a message from the Queen beginning: “Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State”.The words go on to outline that …

Gordon Brown entered the Palace to kiss hands [but not literally] just a few minutes ago, and has presumably by now been invited to form a government by the Queen. So he has now achieved his ambition of at least the last 24 years, since he became an MP, and formally taken over from Tony Blair. He has managed to last ten years as Chancellor, the longest anyone has ever served, and thirteen years as the heir. No matter what you think of him, that is some success.
However, now he …

Today is Tony Blair’s final day as Prime Minister. In just an hour or so, he will no longer be Prime Minister. At his last PMQs, he got a standing ovation from MPs on all sides.
He has now just left 10 Downing Street for the last time on his way to the Palace, to formally resign from office. As they left, Cherie Blair had a very direct message to the media: “We won’t miss you at all”.
Very soon after Blair formally resigns, Brown will be called to “kiss hands” although …