Peer-Less.

"A LABOUR PEER AT THE centre of the "cash for laws" row is facing fresh controversy over his work for one of the world's biggest defence companies. Half the parliamentary questions tabled by Lord Moonie, a close friend of prime minister Gordon Brown, relate to areas of commercial interest to US-based Northrop Grumman Corporation."

In case people have forgotten the history.

In the last review of the boundaries of Westminster constituencies when the number of seats in the PM's backyard of Fife was reduced from five to four, it was Dr Lewis Moonie who selflessly bowed out the game of political musical chairs in Fife by standing down from the Commons thereby avoiding pulling the current PM Gordon Brown into an embarrassing nomination fight with the other Labour MPs in Fife. His selfless act was of course recognised by his elevation to the House of Lords, but Mr Smith thinks if Lord Moonie is dragged further into a lobbying scandal in the Lords it will unavoidably rub off onto the PM. Unless of course our Gordon can keep Lord Moonie out of it somehow?

Elementary Watson.

It would appear that crime does eventually pay and that being a member of the House of Lords is one of the few careers where being convicted of a serious crime and doing "bird" doesn;t actually have any impact on your job.

"Lord Watson, the Labour peer who spent eight months in jail for fire-raising, claimed almost £75,000 in tax-free parliamentary expenses after he was freed. The disgraced politician attended the House of Lords 231 times between his release in May 2006 and March this year, but spoke on only 13 occasions, took part in fewer than half the votes and failed to ask a single written question. In the same period he received £29,308 in overnight subsistence, £17,454 in day subsistence, £16,524 for office costs and £11,451 for transport and attendance travel costs.

Nice work if you can get it.

Faster Than ...

Mr Smith noticed an interesting intervention in the House of Lords on 2 July 2008 from Conservative peer Lord Forsyth of Drumlean during a debate on Transport at the 2012 Olympic Games, "My Lords, perhaps I misheard, but I think theMinister indicated that there would be a train every 15 seconds. Couldhe explain how people will be able to get on and off in that time?"

With that sort of razor sharp wit, how the evenings must speed past in the Forsyth household. Faster even than one of those Olympic trains. We think we know what he means.

For Foulkes' Sake ... Again.

So, "A SENIOR Labour peer has been criticised after he claimed nearly £45,000 in overnight expenses to stay in a property he inherited from his late mother. George Foulkes, who is also an MSP, billed the public to stay in a London flat registered as his company's address."

The taxpayer paying one of its elected representatives to stay in a property which .... they already own and which they were using for other commercial activities. Deal or no deal?

Off Course.

Mr Smith sees that Lord Foulkes MSP has been busy in the House of Lords. From the Lords Hansard of 21st April in a question about Parliament Square, "Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour) ... My Lords, will my noble friend ensure that any changes make it easier for Members of this House who have offices in the buildings on the other side of the road to get here for Divisions? All the changes that have taken place recently, both to traffic control and, above all, to security, have created an obstacle course for Members to get here in time to vote."

It is even harder if you have to try juggling being a Member of the Scottish Parliament a few hundred miles away in Edinburgh with getting to votes in the House of Lords.

Jack's ... not alright.

Remember former First Minister Jack McConnell MSP? Mr Smith does ... just about.

"Jack McConnell is understood to be angry with prime minister Gordon Brown after the peerage he was promised has so far failed to materialise. Friends of the former first minister say Brown has reneged on a deal to allow his Labour colleague to sit in the House of Lords. McConnell is also known to be so unimpressed with the state of his party that he is not planning to attend the Scottish Labour conference this month."

If I was PM Gordon Brown delaying giving our Jack a peerage with the result that he "boycotts" the next Scottish Labour Conference would probably have been worth it. And does Jack McConnell or his advisers really believe he will be missed at the next Scottish Labour Conference anyway? ... Jack who?

Steely Lord.

Mr Smith reads the rather ill-tempered deliberations from the House of Lords, culminating in mixed metaphors, involving various Scottish Lords including the former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Lord Steel.

"Lord Steel of Aikwood: I am now totally confused. There are some Members who desperately do not want me to speak and others who are desperately urging me to speak. The noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, understated the issue when he said that I had let a cat out of the bag. It would appear that I have let a whole herd of cats out of a whole lot of bags this afternoon ..."

Who said the "other place" wasn't interesting?

Lords a leaping.

"LOTHIANS Labour MSP George Foulkes today hit back after an SNP backbencher criticised him over his expenses from the House of Lords. Nationalist Christine Grahame said Mr Foulkes, who is also a Labour peer, had claimed £111,386 in expenses from Westminster's second chamber over the last two years.And she called for MSPs who are also members of the House of Lords to be means tested before they can receive expenses.But Mr Foulkes said the figures Ms Grahame quoted were "deliberately misleading" because they referred to the period before he was elected to the Scottish Parliament last May."

And he gets an MSPs salary on top. It's amazing he can fit it all in. It would appear that Scottish Labour's attack dog is himself under attack.

Some entrance.

Mr Smith reads the latest insight obtained by Labour MSP Lord George Foulkes in the House of Lords.

"Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour) asked the Chairman of Committees: What is the total cost of the new visitors' entrance to Parliament; and when it is expected to be opened."

Lord Brabazon of Tara (Crossbench): The forecasted cost of the visitor reception building is £11.2 million split 60:40 between the Commons and Lords. It is expected that the building will be opened in early 2008."

That's some entrance ....

Peer-less.

Mr Smith reads the latest "expense" disclosures for some of the Scottish members of the House of Lords.

"LORD Foulkes, the bombastic Labour peer and MSP, has clocked up £62,509 in tax-free expenses as an "unpaid" member of the House of Lords. The former Scotland Office minister and government loyalist said most of his expenses were down to high travel costs. Although Lord Foulkes of Cumnock is now an MSP, the expenses for the House of Lords are until April 2007; a month before his election to the Scottish Parliament ... Lord Watson, since his early release from jail in May last year for arson, has managed to bill £31,932 in expenses. It is almost three years since the then Labour MSP set alight the curtains at a hotel in Edinburgh ... Since his release, he has voted in just 18 per cent of divisions - lower than average. Also billing a hefty sum in expenses was Lord Elder, formerly known as Murray Elder, former chief of staff to John Smith. He picked up £52,563 in expenses for his 128-day attendance. His voting record of 74 per cent, however, was much higher than most peers. The man in charge of probing the overspend on the new Scottish Parliament - Lord Fraser of Carmyllie - himself managed to spend £49,113. His office costs of £10,209 for 124 days exceeded the daily limit of £69. His fellow Tory peer, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, attended for just 99 days and claimed £32,957 in expenses. He managed to speak in 53 debates, however, more than most peers. Lord Steel of Aikwood, the former presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, has cost taxpayers £50,035."

And all tax-free. Good to have sight of the information for a change though.

Oh! George.

It appears that Labour MSP Lord George Foulkes is losing friends fast.

Fresh from antagonising just about everyone in the Scottish Parliament and helping to cost the Scottish Labour Party nearly £20,000 in a pay off to facilitate the early departure of the Scottish Labour Party’s former spokesman, Brian Lironi, it appears that George’s interventions in the House of Lords are now starting to upset their Lordships. From the House of Lords Hansard for 8th October 2007:

“Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour): My Lords, will my noble friend—

“Noble Lords: Oh!

“Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour): My Lords, thank you for that warm welcome back. Noble Lords may actually agree with me, in a few moments ..."

How long can this go on?

Elysian Fields forever.

So, one of the best kept (not) secrets in Scottish politics is out, with the former Deputy First, and indeed briefly First Minister twice, Jim Wallace, to be "elevated" to the House of Lords as announced by Downing Street.

Mr Smith read Mr Wallace's comments to the Herald on receiving his honour: "I'm pleased and honoured by the decision. A variety of issues interest me, including climate change, the UK energy policy and the fundamental matter of balancing security and liberty. The Lords is a forum where these things can be properly debated ... Whilst I can honestly say that I have had very few regrets about leaving Westminster in 2001, I shall be glad to meet up again with old friends and colleagues who are now also in what Disraeli called the Elysian Fields."

Nothing like a bit of Disraeli with your cornflakes first thing in the morning, but the House of Lords as Elysian Fields? More like the proverbial retirement home for former politicos.

The "renegade" Lord.

Now Mr Smith spends a lot of his time pointing out the contradictions in the public positions of our elected and not so elected representatives. So, it is great to be able to report a real moment of political conviction from a perhaps unexpected source.

Speaking during a Debate in the House of Lords on Wednesday 25th July 2007, Scottish Conservative peer Lord Fraser of Carmyllie spoke with great fervour, even rage, in rejecting government plans for increasing the length of detention of terrorist suspects to 56 days saying:

“My Lords, I regard this as the greatest civil liberties outrage in modern times. It is quite outrageous. Whatever conciliatory noises my own Front Bench makes, I shall be a renegade on this. There is absolutely no way that I regard even 28 days as appropriate. Seven days is, in its own way, far too long. What is wrong with hours rather than days? I cannot believe that this will lead to anything other than sloppy and bad policing. I am in favour of good policing. If you allow the police 56 days to agree what should be done, I cannot believe that they will do anything for 55 days other than sit on their hands. That is simply wrong. I do not believe that day one is day one. What will the noble Baroness (Baroness Ashton of Upholland, the President of the Council) do, or am I simply alone in believing that 56 days is an outrage, and that she ought to be ashamed of herself?”

Is it naïve of Mr Smith to expect that just because Lord Fraser can draw on experience of having held the two most senior Scottish legal positions in government, namely Lord Advocate and Solicitor General, that the current government might take his objections on board and amend its proposals? Sadly, it is very naïve.