Robert Buckland Weblog

No, this is not yet another attempt to bring together random events from twelve calendar months in order to construct some sort of narrative – thousands of paid journalists have been doing this for the past few days.  Instead, I wanted to note the progress being made by my daughter Millicent.  Words and sounds have [...]

Greetings from a mild and sunny Cornwall, where we are spending a few days over the New Year.  This short break marks the end of a year when we have holidayed in the UK.  Our two visits to Cornwall were punctuated by a summer holiday in Cumbria.  We are enjoying clearer views and drier days [...]

That’s it!  I have officially had my fill of car track construction, battery installation and general present assemblage for another year.  The assembly instructions for Millie’s tricycle were designed for experts who speak a minority European language.  At midnight on Christmas Eve, I finally gave up trying to assemble the front brake system.  I will [...]

Having survived this year’s office party season, I very much enjoyed participating in yesterday’s programme of events organised by Swindon 105.5 Community Radio.   The studios, which are situated on the South side of the County Ground, were full of festive spirit.  I was delighted to meet Norman, who lives in Stafford Street and who is [...]

My Labour opponent and South Swindon’s MP for the present, Anne Snelgrove, has indulged in a bit of low politics today.  Instead of responding directly to my concerns about the type of Higher Education that we need in Swindon, she oddly decided to make a personal attack upon me in the Swindon Advertiser, suggesting that [...]

So the Magic Roundabout Christmas Tree has survived (so far) despite the attempts of some vandals to damage it.  The size of the tree is impressive – shame that the lights aren’t more evenly spread, but they do give the tree “definition” at a distance.  It is most certainly better than nothing at all, so will [...]

A fair degree of coverage in the Swindon Advertiser on Saturday for my views about the latest bid to build a University for Swindon at the Coate/Commonhead site near to Junction 15.  As well as my long-standing opposition to development of a campus at Coate, I would like the debate to be widened to deal [...]

The word (or words) of the month so far seems to be “manflu”.  Whatever it is called, I am having a nasty bout of it at present.  Sian is giving me a measure of sympathy, but I could always do with more.  The German Finance Minister’s direct and highly critical comments about Gordon Brown’s ineffective [...]

So, the vote was close, but the Government defeated the Amendment and now the main opposition parties have boycotted membership of the Inquiry Committee into the conduct of the Commons authorities concerning the police search.  One of the chief concerns of MPs has been the threat to private correspondence with constituents.  Its worth remembering last [...]

As the debate on the way in which the Commons will investigate the circumstances surrounding the search of Damian Green’s office proceeds, I thought that readers might want to see the full text of Section 18 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.  Part of it was referred to by Sir Gerald Kaufman MP [...]