22/06/2021 | 09:49:13 Dear Chair and colleagues, In the short time I've been involved in the work of the Council of Europe, I've come to see how the subject we are discussing is at the heart of everything we do and represent. As others have said, the very idea of democracy and the rule of law is underpinned by the existence of a free and independent press, this should be axiomatic and need no further elaboration. But the last things can be more complicated than that. Let me offer a story, a parable in the words of... 21/04/2021 | 11:51:18 Thank you very much, Mister President, and allow me with others to thank Lord David BLENCATHRA and Ms Alexandra LOUIS for their reports. The spirit, as well as the letter, of each of those reports is to be honoured. The Council of Europe strives not only to be critical of wrongdoing, which is of course proper, but also to offer a way to better days and the spirit of these reports is so admirable. I, like my dear friend, Lord George FOULKES, have adopted a prisoner in Belarus. He is just 17... 19/04/2021 | 18:56:52 Madam President, Ms Elvira KOVÁCS is to be congratulated on her report, which captures the essence of the question she addresses, and also provides sensible and effective steps for progress towards the ideal she describes. I have no hesitation at all in endorsing her proposal and in supporting her plea that the eight remaining nations who have not yet ratified this agreement should proceed to do so without further delay. She is quite right that ratification does not of itself guarantee... 28/01/2021 | 13:30:54 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) The title of this debate describes something that must surely be self-evident. Of course ethnic profiling is a matter of great concern and the only surprise is that we continue to need to say so. I read what Mr Boriss Cilevics has put before us with interest. Despite the fact that my only knowledge of how this Assembly works has been gained remotely, I’ve had no difficulty recognising Mr Cilevics as one of its significant characters. The... 27/01/2021 | 17:58:51 First of all, let me say what a privilege it is to be speaking today. The very first time for me to speak at one of these meetings although I've been a member for eight months during all of which the COVID-19 pandemic has made it impossible for me to meet anybody. So I hope that I can focus my thoughts adequately on this occasion. I really want to congratulate those who have offered this splendid report and shown me in the documentation how this is the latest in a long line of attempts to...