It is fair to say that the Government and possibly Parliament is, once again, facing a crisis in its relationship with the nation. The Owen Paterson affair is just one example of behaviour which is at odds with the public view of what is acceptable by our politicians. Is Westminster out of touch with the people? How are these decisions taken? Is the system of Governance fit for purpose?
Join the Lincolnshire Branch on Zoom for an intimate insiders’ conversation with Viscount Hailsham, Baroness Hogg and Lord Cormack to consider the current status in context and with a longer view than much coverage often allows. Viscount Hailsham served as a Government Minister, Baroness Hogg held a prestigious post at No 10 and Lord Cormack is a renowned Parliamentarian; they live in Lincolnshire and are strong supporters of the ESU. They will not only help us understand better how Government and Parliament works but also bring great experience to answering some of these questions which will be put to them by ESU committee member John Raine CMG OBE, himself familiar with the Westminster scene.
We hope you will join us; if so, do please register with Camilla Carlbom Flinn for log in details: [email protected].
Baroness Hogg
Sarah Hogg was Head of the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit in No. 10 Downing Street from 1990 to 1995, and in 2002 become the first woman to chair a company in the FTSE 100 (3i Group). She was Chair of the Financial Reporting Council from 2010 to 2014 and of Frontier Economics, a company she helped to found, from 1999 to 2013. She has been a Non-Executive Director of the Financial Services Authority, HM Treasury and a number of major public companies, and is currently Senior Independent Director of Royal Mail and an Independent National Director of Times Newspapers. She began her career with The Economist, and was Economics Editor of a number of national newspapers. She was made a Life Peer in the 1995 New Year’s Honours List, and received The Sunday Times Non-Executive Director Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
Douglas Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham
Douglas Hogg was a Member of Parliament from 1979 to 2010; firstly for Grantham, then for Sleaford and North Hykeham. Although a barrister by profession, he was a Government Whip and then served from 1988 to 1997 as a minister in the Home Office, DTI, Foreign Office and finally as Minister of Agriculture (when he had to deal with the BSE crisis). Douglas now sits in the House of Lords and continues to live in Lincolnshire.
Lord Patrick Cormack
Lord Cormack has spent 51 years in Parliament, 40 in the House of Commons and the last 11 in the House of Lords. During his long period in the Commons he was a Senior Chairman of Committees and served on numerous Select Committees, including the Foreign Affairs Committee. He was the Opposition Spokesman on Constitutional Affairs and Chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. He is chairman of the All Party Campaign for an Effective Second Chamber, was one of the founders of the Parliamentary House magazine in 1976 and is its Life President. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Association of Conservative Peers. He has published eight books including one on English cathedrals and another on British castles and a Life of William Wilberforce. When he left the Commons he moved back to his native Lincolnshire and is Chairman of the Historic Lincoln Trust and President of Heritage Lincolnshire.
John Raine
John Raine, CMG OBE served in the UK Diplomatic Service for over 30 years until his retirement in 2017 and is currently Senior Adviser at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London where he specialises on the Middle East.
