25/06/2019 | 17:03:32 I'm grateful. It was just over two years ago that I had the great pleasure of being elected to represent East Lothian at the Westminster Parliament in the United Kingdom. And like all new MPs, we go in fresh-faced to decide where we sit. I actually found myself sitting at the back bench in opposition. It wasn't until a few days in that I started looking around the chamber, and my eyes fell upon the shields that hang around the outside edge of our Parliament. I asked what they represented, and... 24/06/2019 | 18:11:35 First of all congratulate the Rapporteur on an excellent piece of work which started, in her case, three years ago. But the seed of this report goes back much further than that, which is why we find ourselves today divided between allegations and accusations against Russia for wrongdoings for which they have done nothing about and on the other side, the defense of Human rights and the need to protect the individual. Both these cases, both these claims are right and this forum is a place where... 23/01/2019 | 17:13:35 I join the previous speaker in acknowledging the hard work of the rapporteur and the excellence of this report. We are all aware that the Internet is crucial to our society – to businesses, to individuals, to families, to communities and to society. But it needs to be free, it needs to be open and, most of all, it needs to be secure. Those three areas are dealt with in the report. The responsibility for governance rests on all Internet stakeholders: it will not simply be answered by... 23/01/2019 | 11:22:54 I welcome both of these reports and their contents, and the submissions that have been received this morning. In the short time available, I shall concentrate on the issue of media freedom as a condition for democratic elections. In particular, I wish to emphasise, as the opening of the media freedom report does, that “free elections are a pillar of every democratic society”, whether we are talking about elections of politicians or referendums. The greatest protection we have comes from the... 22/01/2019 | 11:15:42 Like others, I welcome this report and the work that Dame Cheryl GILLAN has done. I also compliment my colleague, Mr John HOWELL on his successful presentation this morning. I also want to repeat the President’s words from this morning about the rise of nationalism and the impatience felt across Europe. I welcome this opportunity for the Venice Commission to look again at the rules and the suggestions that have been made, and the openness with which the Commission has considered the report... 21/01/2019 | 18:22:58 I want to take this opportunity to discuss the role and responsibility of the banking sector and the challenges that the banks’ business models have occasioned. I believe that banks should be a cornerstone of our communities. They should support and facilitate, and in turn be supported by the community. This is an important issue not only for individual constituents but for the economy as a whole. For many in my constituency of East Lothian in the United Kingdom and, of course, across Europe...