04/10/2024 | 11:01:12 Thank you, Mister President, I too want to talk about the situation of security within the world. At the moment there are serious wars going on in Ukraine, where Russia wrongly invaded Ukraine, and the terrible war is going on and thousands of people are dying both in Ukraine and in Russia. There is the conflict going on of the continued bombardment of Gaza, now the invasion of Lebanon, and the dangers of a war with Iran. There is a massive war going on in Sudan, fuelled by the arms trade and... 04/10/2024 | 10:31:16 Thank you. Thank you, Mister President. And this is a very valuable and very timely debate, even if not particularly well-attended this morning. But I suppose that's the price of Friday morning. And I think we should thank the authors of this report. It's far-reaching, and it makes the point in the discussion that this is far more than just a technological advancement. But like Lord Leslie GRIFFITHS, I've grown up from a pre-internet age to now incredibly sophisticated technology. I am not... 03/10/2024 | 18:01:34 Thank you, Mister President. I compliment Ms GÖKA on her excellent speech that we've just heard, and I welcome this report that we're discussing today. It quite rightly opens with the paradox. The paradox that, in a continent of relative plenty, there are people living in desperate poverty and relying on food banks in order just to survive, week in, week out. In my own constituency of Islington North in London, 15 years ago, food banks were unheard of. We now have, I think, 15 food banks... 18/04/2024 | 12:02:15 Thank you. This is a obviously a crucial debate, and I welcome the reports that have been put before us, and I welcome the fact that we are having the debate at all. The idea that it should be rejected, as some of the conservative groups seem to be saying, on the basis it's not applicable to our constitution, is both wrong, in my view, in what we're here for, but also: what answer is that to people around the world who are suffering from rising sea levels, terrible weather conditions and... 17/04/2024 | 18:31:15 I just want to put on record my support for what's being said today. The bravery with which many gay people have spoken out over many years to try and gain recognition and support within their society. And, as one who grew up at a time when any kind of homosexuality was a criminal offence in Britain, when well known and famous people were even put in prison, and one of our greatest scientists was chemically castrated and eventually died as a result of it. We have come a long way with some... 17/04/2024 | 16:57:30 Thank you, Mr President. I thank those that have drafted the very important reports that we've had before us today as we mourn the deaths that have happened in Russia and we mourn those that have been placed in prison and the very powerful message that we heard this afternoon from Ms Yevgenia KARA-MURZA. This is a poignant debate because when a war takes place, as there is a terrible war going on at the moment in Ukraine, three things happen. Truth is hidden, thousands lose their lives, and... 23/01/2024 | 17:54:38 Thank you. And we thank the authors of this Report for putting it forward to us. Even though some of us have some concerns about much of the content of it, the events on 7 October were unbelievably awful and appalling and our hearts have to go out to all the families and loved ones of those that either disappeared or were killed on that day. Whoever the person is that's been killed, there is grief amongst others. A mother grieves for a lost son or a lost daughter, whatever their religion... 10/10/2023 | 17:04:42 Thank you, Madam President. And I welcome this report and I absolutely welcome the debate that we're having here today, because it comes within the background of media all over Europe and many are right-wing politicians in national parliaments all over Europe being very critical of the principles behind the European Convention on Human Rights. And indeed in the case of my own country a significant number of conservative MPs actively calling for withdrawal from the European Convention on Human... 23/06/2023 | 10:43:44 Thank you, Mister President. To follow Ms Zeynep YILDIZ, I just gently point out that winning an election does not mean human rights are dissolved; it means that those rights carry on whether somebody has won the election or not. The issues are about the right of people to express themselves, the right of journalists to be able to report what is going on. I welcome the report that we have got in front of us today. I particularly want to draw attention to the issue of the freedom of speech and... 22/06/2023 | 20:02:38 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) I totally condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the appalling consequences of the war, which mean we’re debating these reports today. Sporting boycotts are a difficult area for any organisation to be involved with – and if we persist with a sporting boycott that prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in international events, then we will be debating sporting boycotts for any other incident around the world in the present...