What is an EDM?

In my last post I mentioned an EDM (Early Day Motion), EDMs are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons.  Actually very few will be debated but the EDM’s allow MPs to highlight an event or a cause.  MPs can register their support by signing the individual motions.

For more information and a list of EDMs see http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/early-day-motions/

Dr. Elsie Inglis a suffragist, a medical pioneer and a WWI heroine

There was an early day motion no. 341 submitted to parliament on the 12th September 2014 by Mike Crockart about Dr. Elsie Inglis and the Scottish Women’s hospitals.

“That this House celebrates the bravery, achievements and hard work of Dr Elsie Inglis and the other women who set up and served in the Scottish Women’s Hospitals; recognises that the Scottish Women’s Hospitals became one of the best medical initiatives of World War One; acknowledges that these hospitals were set up despite a severe lack of support from the British War Office; estimates that the hospitals saved the lives of tens of thousands of people all in countries such as Serbia, Belgium, France, Russia, Romania, Corsica, Corfu and Greece; notes that the 14 women’s hospitals with a staff of over 1,000 women make up a remarkable, yet unrecognised part of our history; further notes that whilst Dr Inglis and the other women who served in these hospitals are recognised as heroes in Serbia, their work and achievements are barely recognised in the UK outside of Dr Inglis’ adopted home of Edinburgh; welcomes the proposal by Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation to recognise the work of Dr Elsie Inglis and her compatriots by establishing a training fund in the name of Dr Elsie Inglis for staff to access courses which may not be available through NHS Lothian; further recognises 16 August 2014 will be the 150th anniversary of the birth of this medical pioneer, suffragist, and First World War heroine; and strongly believes that during the centenary year of the outbreak of the First World War, the work of the brave women who served in these hospitals should be properly recognised and celebrated.”

Palace of Westminster

The lavishly illustrated “Palace of Westminster Official Guide” by the Houses of Parliament arrived on my desk this week. It is a very informative book on the Palace, full of interesting facts and illustrations.


The history of Parliament is a fascinating one and I liked the quote on the back cover

“We may be proud that England is the ancient country of Parliaments. With scarcely any intervening period, Parliaments have met constantly for 600 years, and there was something of a Parliament before the Conquest. England is the mother of Parliaments.” John Bright, British politician and orator, 1865.

The book describes many interesting historical facts about Parliament, from the beginning of parliament, when Hansard was formally established, to what is Hansard, to the Suffragette/suffragists period, gunpowder plot and much, much more.

One particular fact jumped out at me, it was the assignation of Spencer Perceval. I didn’t realise that at 5.15 pm on 11th May 1812 the Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was fatally shot as he entered the House of Commons Lobby.

The assassin was John Bellingham, who was a merchant and felt he was entitled to compensation by the British Government for being wrongly imprisoned in Russia. He was hanged for murder the following week.

There is a very interesting timeline at the back of the book, which compares the Palace of Westminster to British parliamentary and constitutional history to major events.  I noticed that in the timeline the trial of Warren Hastings in 1788 is mentioned. The trial started the year before the start of the French Revolution.
It’s a fascinating book full of information and gorgeous illustrations.

What is Prorogation?

This marks the end of a parliamentary session. This is the time between the end of one session and the State Opening of Parliament which begins the next session.
This year the State Opening of Parliament for the 2008-09 session will take place on Wednesday 3rd December 2008.

Peer review

It’s surprising to learn that full sets of the House of Lords sessional papers are quite rare things; our collection is in fact only around 90% complete. A bit of history first: Lords records date from 1497, though these weren’t methodically filed until the 17th century. Printed Lords papers weren’t produced until the 18th century (though the Journal began its printed life in 1767). The disastrous fire of 1834 destroyed the Palace of Westminster, and with it a number of Lords records, though a major part of these were saved by a quick-thinking clerk throwing bundles of them out of a window into the courtyard below!

In the early 70s a project involving the British Museum (now the British Library), Board of Trade, the House of Lords Library, the Treasury, Home Office, Bodleian Library and NLS assembled as many sets of Lords papers as possible. The British Library and the House of Lords Library have complete sets; NLS has around 90%.

It is often assumed that there is little (if anything) in the Lords papers that isn’t in the Commons papers – this is not so. Some material does not feature at all in the Commons papers; for example, peers have always been able to introduce a Bill in the Lords – even if rejected, these records give an interesting insight into the concerns and influences of peers through the years. Commons and Lords can set up separate committees to examine the same subject – the evidence gathered and sources used by each may be quite different. Also, sometimes fuller versions of Commons committees may be published in the Lords papers rather than in the Commons. [1]

So, the moral of this story is, of course, don’t forget about the Lords papers! They are a huge resource, and can help to complete your research.


[1] Mallaber, Kenneth A. The House of Lords sessional papers.