Substitute
Member of the House of Lords
Conservative
House of Lords
GB - SW1A 0PW - London
United Kingdom
Working language: English
04/10/2019 | 11:30:37 Thank you, Madam President. We're within a few days of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. That recalls to me a conversation I had in this very chamber where the European Parliament used to meet with Jacques Delors, probably the greatest president Europe has ever had. And we referred to Ronald REAGAN's statement "tear down this wall Mr GORBACHEV" and one of the things that we agreed on was that the consequences of tearing down the wall would be a very fundamental change in... 03/10/2019 | 16:07:57 Thank you, Madame President. Can I associate myself also with the condolences to the French government on the dreadful attack today. I voted for Russia to return to this Assembly. I welcome them back, but most of all, I welcome the fact that they wish to join us. They know what this Assembly stands for and the very thoughtful speech by Madame CHRISTENSEN, I thought came very close to where we should be. We need to look carefully at each other but not in a condemnatory way, but in a helpful... 02/10/2019 | 11:37:25 Thank you Mr President. Let me first thank everybody who is taking part in this debate. There has been a large number of extremely useful points. I won't be able to deal with them all in my six minutes, but I'm here for the rest of the week if any members want to come up and speak to me privately: I'm delighted to talk to them. Among the valuable points made which I will refer to, I'd like to start with my friend and colleague John Howell. I fully acknowledge that the report doesn't, as he... 02/10/2019 | 10:13:05 Thank you Mr President and Colleagues, The Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly have consistently promoted the creation and strengthening of Ombudsman institutions, in particular, in its Resolution 1959 (2013) on ‘Strengthening the Institution of Ombudsman in Europe’. This called on member states which have set up institutions to ensure that they fulfil a number of criteria, in particular as regards independence. Maybe at this point I could make it clear we're talking about... 01/10/2019 | 10:17:05 Thank you Madam President. One of the most enjoyable things about being a member of the European Conservatives is that you can say things which are not totally politically correct. Though I will say with political correctness that I congratulate the rapporteur. I think it's very important to defend whistle-blowing but we need a much clearer definition. We've got into a position where we say oh, anyone who blows a whistle must be protected. That is the case for people who expose corruption or...
20/08/2019 | Doc. 14953 | Report Ombudsman institutions in Europe - the need for a set of common standards 08/04/2019 | Doc. 14862 | Committee Opinion Establishment of a European Union mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights 06/06/2016 | Doc. 14079 | Report Administrative detention
01/09/2020 | Doc. 15130 | Motion for a resolution Call for an inclusive national political process in Belarus 01/09/2020 | Doc. 15131 | Motion for a resolution Urgent need for electoral reform in Belarus 27/03/2020 | Doc. 15094 | Motion for a resolution COVID-19 – an effective and human rights-compliant response 29/01/2020 | Doc. 15053 | Motion for a resolution Exploiting children in rural sectors of coffee and cocoa 04/10/2019 | Doc. 14988 | Motion for a resolution Parliamentary Assembly contribution to the establishment of an observatory of history to promote the common values of Greater Europe and peace
04/10/2019 | Doc. 14960, vote on the draft text for resolution Jewish cultural heritage preservation 04/10/2019 | Doc. 14960, vote on the draft text for recommendation Jewish cultural heritage preservation 04/10/2019 | Doc. 14956, vote on the draft text for resolution Labour migration from Eastern Europe and its impact on socio-demographic processes in these countries 02/10/2019 | Doc. 14953, vote on the draft text for resolution Ombudsman institutions in Europe - the need for a set of common standards 02/10/2019 | Doc. 14953, vote on the draft text for recommendation Ombudsman institutions in Europe - the need for a set of common standards