The Government finds £80,000 to make sure Parliament can keep printing laws on GOAT SKIN

What spending cuts? The Government finds £80,000 to make sure Parliament can keep printing laws on GOAT SKIN
http://dollars-vedioonline.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-government-finds-80000-to-make-sure.html

UK laws were set to be printed on paper from April this year to save money
Matthew Hancock says Cabinet Office budget can be used to save the 500-year tradition
But House of Lords has yet to receive offer and will go ahead with change
Vellum producers claim calfskin parchment lasts for at least 5,000 years


Ministers have stepped in to pledge £80,000 a year to safeguard Parliament's tradition of printing Britain's laws on goatskin parchment, known as vellum.

Britain's laws were set to printed on paper from April after the House of Lords decided it could no longer afford the cost of vellum.


But Matthew Hancock, the minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, said he would be prepared to use his budget to cover the cost and maintain the 500-year tradition and insisted the move would be 'cost effective'.

However this afternoon the House of Lords said it had yet to receive a formal offer from the Government and is planning to go ahead with its decision to stop printing laws on vellum.

If an offer from the Government comes forward, it would consider the option of keeping the tradition, House of Lords officials said.

Mr Hancock told the Daily Telegraph today: 'Recording our laws on vellum is a millennium long tradition, and surprisingly cost effective.

'While the world around us constantly changes, we should safeguard some of our great traditions and not let the use of vellum die out.'
The move has the support of David Cameron, whose spokeswoman said this morning: 'Traditions are an important part of our parliamentary heritage.
'It's right that we seek to preserve them wherever possible.'

from the Cabinet Office regarding this decision and expect to move to printing on high quality archival paper, which has a lifespan of several hundred years.

'Currently, the oldest paper records in the Lords date back to the early 16th century, and are only a few years younger than the oldest vellum record in the Archives, which is an Act of Parliament from 1497.

'If the Cabinet Office write offering to take on the responsibility for printing Acts of Parliament on vellum, it would of course be considered. As of yet, that offer has not been made.
Peers have been reviewing the 500-year-old practice of printing two copies of each Act of Parliament, one for Parliamentary Archives and one for the National Archives, on the parchment known as vellum because it is 'extremely expensive'.
The oldest vellum law in parliament's archives dates from 1497, and even older vellum copies survive of documents including the 1215 Magna Carta.
Paul Wright, general manager of vellum producer William Cowley, said Monday that retaining vellum would ensure future generations had the opportunity to 'touch history.'
He said the cost of using vellum effectively went down every year and claimed vellum could last as long as 5,000 years.
'Magna Carta worked out as a safe method of storage at £6 a century,' he told the Today programme.
'Give it another 100 years it will be £4.27 a century.'
'The reason I got so vocal about it all - I just felt that there were a small number of people who effectively were deciding that future generations would be negated of the opportunity to, what the Americans call, touch history.'
The practice of printing laws on vellum has been under threat for years.
An attempt by the House of Lords to use ordinary paper in 1999 was defeated after Labour MPs joined with the Tories to rebell against the move.
A Commons committee has since handed control back to peers, who decided to push ahead with the cost-cutting measure, but since the move was blocked 17 years ago, the cost of printing laws on vellum has gone up by around £50,000 a year.

The European Parliament can change David Cameron's EU deal AFTER Britain has its historic referendum on whether to stay In

The European Parliament can change David Cameron's EU deal AFTER Britain has its historic referendum on whether to stay In
http://dollars-vedioonline.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-european-parliament-can-change.html

MEPs will vote on legislation for the deal but NOT before UK's referendum
The PM will try and finalise his deal with EU leaders at a summit this week
Expected to trigger a June referendum but MEPs will not vote until after
Any agreement will be binding on EU leaders but not the EU's parliament

The European Parliament could modify David Cameron's deal with the EU after Britain has voted on whether to stay in, it emerged today.
Downing Street insisted the agreement, which the Prime Minister is trying to finalise this week, would be 'legally binding' and 'lodged at the United Nations'.
But while the leaders of all 28 EU member states will have to sign up to the agreement before it is finished the European Parliament will still have to pass legislation to enact it - and MEPs will not be party to any legally binding deal.
The European Parliament will be asked to pass EU laws on the so-called 'emergency brake' on migrant benefits and reforms to how child benefit is paid to migrant workers.
It was made clear today the legislation will not be put to MEPs until after Britain's referendum - expected in June.
The potential roadblock to Mr Cameron's deal comes from the so-called 'co-decision' powers that hand the 751 MEPs veto powers over certain laws.
Mr Cameron is due to meet parliament president Martin Shulz in Brussels tomorrow as well as the leaders of two party groupings in the parliament.
But Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who claimed he had been due to meet the PM in Brussels, said Mr Cameron had 'run away
Mr Cameron's official spokeswoman said today: 'What we have seen from a number of senior MEPs in the last few weeks, in particular since the draft decision was published by the European Council, is comment from MEPs saying they want to work with us on these areas.


'The facts are that in a number of areas such as those relating to social security and welfare spending you need the European Parliament involved in it.'
She added: 'Subsequent to the legally binding decision, which is a matter for heads of state and government, there are a number of proposals within it that will then be subject to the usual EU decision making procedures.
'Yes, the Prime Minister will clearly be looking for the European Parliament to make clear they will work with the UK to deliver on the solutions that are being discussed.

'But do they need to ratify the draft decision... it's a decision for the heads of government.'
Pressed on the timetable for finalising the reforms, the spokeswoman continued: 'There is a proposal on the table that will allow us to cut in work benefits to EU migrants.
'What we will be working on for this week is for all the European member states to sign up to that so that process can then be taken forward following a referendum depending on the decision of the British people.'

The European Commission will be responsible for bringing forward a regulation to implement the deal.
This regulation will then be debated and voted on by MEPs.
The reason MEPs vote after Britain's referendum is because the deal being negotiated by David Cameron will not come into force unless Britain votes to remain a member of the EU.
Mr Cameron's spokeswoman said: 'We will be looking for all countries in the European Parliament to deliver on that following the choice of the British people.'
She added: 'The legally binding decision will take force in international law, it makes very clear the commitment of all parties to deliver on those commitments and indeed to do so swiftly.'
The spokeswoman insisted we 'should not get into hypotheticals' adding senior MEPs had made clear they wanted to 'work with the UK to deliver on these reforms'.
WHY MEPS WILL GET A SAY ON BRITAIN'S DEAL: THE 'CODECISION' PROCEDURE DESIGNED TO MAKE THE EU MORE DEMOCRATIC

MEPs will debate and vote on aspects of Britain's deal with the EU as part of the normal legislative workings of the EU.
But crucially, because of the way Brussels works this will not happen until after Britain has held its referendum.
The agreement David Cameron hopes to strike will not become officially live until after Britain has voted to stay in. This is the trigger for implementing the agreement.
It means the 751-member European Parliament, pictured above, will get a say over the welfare aspects of the deal - the crucial components relating to the 'emergency brake' on migrant benefits and reforms to how child benefit works.
They are at the core of what is likely to be the deal Mr Cameron presents to the country next week as his recommendation Britain stays In the EU.
But unless they are carried by a vote of MEPs in what is known as the 'co-decision' or 'ordinary legislative procedure' they will not be adopted.
This requires both the European Council - made up of national government leaders - and the European Parliament to agree a decision.
Number 10 insisted today they has received assurances from senior MEPs about the passage of the new laws, adding the national governments of all member states will be signed up.

Karzai does not take democracy seriously

Karzai does not take democracy seriously

most elections, the question is about who might win. In the case of Afghanistan, which will elect the lower house of its parliament on September 18, the focus is on whether they can be held in a credible manner across the country. Ann Marlowe, a fellow at the Hudson Institute argued that the high number of candidates and disorganization is leading to much conspiracy. Many of the candidates and observes fear Afghan President Hamid Karzai will again use tactics to pack the Parliament with supporters to try and amend the national constitution to give himself unlimited terms in office.

Afghan elections free and credible?

Afghan elections free and credible?


most elections, the question is about who might win. In the case of Afghanistan, which will elect the lower house of its parliament on September 18, the focus is on whether they can be held in a credible manner across the country. Malou Innocent, a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute said it's hard to even call these elections free and credible given the bribery, voter intimidation, closure of polling places and other problems.