Results 1-20 of 811 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Bruce George

Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department: Territorial Army (26 Oct 2009) has video

Bruce George: I am not known to be hostile to the Government on defence, but I am very concerned about the Territorial Army, knowing its importance. Three hon. Members signed an early-day motion that is very modest in its aspirations, not over-the-top. What I would ask, despite having heard the explanation, is whether, even at this stage, such a small amount of money, which must be miniscule compared with...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Migration Impacts Fund (7 Jul 2009) has video

Bruce George: How many applications his Department received for funding under the migration impacts fund; and if he will make a statement.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Migration Impacts Fund (7 Jul 2009) has video

Bruce George: I am delighted that money is being made available—largely, I might say, provided by classes of migrants themselves. Can the Minister indicate not just the advantages accruing to migrants themselves but the general societal advantages of the migration impacts fund?

Africa (30 Mar 2009) has video

Bruce George: Few Members can match the eloquence displayed by the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton) in his speech. We are aware of the issues to do with Zimbabwe, and the hon. Gentleman has spoken about them with great courage. Depressingly however, while he was making his speech I was looking at the Economist Intelligence Unit league table of democratic countries in the...

Africa (30 Mar 2009) has video

Bruce George: I was going to make that point. However, although there is a superficial attraction, including in financial terms, to my hon. Friend's argument, if we were to do what he wishes, we would wash our hands of Zimbabwe, which I would not want. I welcome this debate, and my contribution will focus on democratisation, human rights, good governance, elections and election observation. Some might...

Africa (30 Mar 2009) has video

Bruce George: I am sorry, but I shall not give way, as my hon. Friend has intervened on at least six occasions as well as making her speech, and I have only 10 minutes, 39 seconds left for my contribution.

Africa (30 Mar 2009) has video

Bruce George: Yes, only 10 minutes. There has been Celtic solidarity. I shall give way, however.

Africa (30 Mar 2009) has video

Bruce George: Yes, and my hon. Friend has delayed my expressing it by 35 seconds. As a former colonial power, we have both an advantage and a disadvantage. That has allowed people such as Mugabe to blame all their deficiencies on British colonisation. Now that Africa has seen off European colonisation, one thing that I would not like to see is its sort of recolonisation by other entities. We have heard...

Africa (30 Mar 2009) has video

Bruce George: I was going to mention the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and Electoral Reform International Services—stalwart efforts are made by United Kingdom NGOs, although the WFD is largely funded by Her Majesty's Government. A lot of help can come from international organisations and there has been great success, but the task is an uphill one. I am very impressed by some of the things...

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: I am not responding out of reciprocation. I would like the hon. Gentleman to return to a point he made earlier—he was too quick for me. I am not trying to dramatise the matter, but perhaps somebody should calculate how many people who have committed a murder or a serious crime can bask in the security of the knowledge that there will be no DNA evidence to convict them because it might...

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: I very much welcome the report, although some of the things that my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) said will lead me to reread some of it. It is easy to talk about balance but difficult to know where that balancing point is—and it can change in a day, depending on events. People's attitudes on what the limits of the state should be will change dramatically...

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: My right hon. Friend's Committee would help to keep the line, but there are others. Almost the first sentence of my speech was that I trust my parliamentary colleagues who will be or are in executive positions. They will not suddenly metamorphose into Genghis Khan—at least, most of them will not—on assuming office. I might be naive, but I have been around for a long time and I...

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: Perhaps the hon. Gentleman's shopping aspirations are higher than Tesco, but the point is made. Anyone going into Tesco—I do not do so on a daily basis, I must add—is subject to surveillance, because the company has a duty of care to its customers as well as a legal liability: if somebody goes in armed with a machine gun and 50 shoppers are killed, it will have a devastating...

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: There should be more effective cameras, which has been clearly demonstrated in my right hon. Friend's report and in every other report. As we all know, a camera eventually played a big part in identifying the killers of Jamie Bulger. Everyone who watches "Crimewatch" knows how many cases have been solved because of good cameras. However, too many of the cameras around are imperfect and they...

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: I understand the arguments. I would not say that I discount them, but I do not share them. If people go out into a town centre, they need to feel secure, which is more likely if there are more policemen on duty, although whether that has an effect is a point for discussion. However, if there are no policemen, the police will have access to effective cameras. A few months ago, I had a...

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: Absolutely. I applaud the large section of the Committee's report that deals with CCTV, because I had reached the same conclusions some time previously—I take a big interest in private security. However, I hope that any inquiry would look not just at the effectiveness of police-owned or municipally-owned CCTV, but at the importance and effectiveness of CCTV in the private sector,...

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: I would prefer my hon. Friend to deal with wheel clampers first, from a constituency standpoint, but nationally, I would want investigations dealt with fairly swiftly and effectively.

[Sir John Butterfill in the Chair] — A Surveillance Society? (19 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: I am delighted and wish I had realised, as I would have offered to give evidence. I gave evidence to the Committee prior to my right hon. Friend's chairmanship, when it took an interest, rather belatedly, in the question of regulating private security. The report was of fundamental importance in bringing the Government to the table to deal with the security industry. When I was writing my...

Election Observation (3 Mar 2009)

Bruce George: The late Samuel Huntington elaborated the theory of the three waves of democratisation, the latest of which was the events of 1989, which resulted in swift democratisation in east and central Europe and parts of the former Soviet Union. The wave affected not only the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe area, but Africa, Asia and Latin America. Regrettably, some countries have...

[Ann Winterton in the Chair] — Palestinian Territories (Economic Aid) (27 Jan 2009)

Bruce George: I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to add my comments, which will be little more than bullet points because of the time constraint. What the BBC and Sky have done is erroneous. The BBC supported a repellent regime such as Burma, in the sense that a broadcast was made and money flowed in, and so the floodgates are open for it and others to assist any desire to aid. However, humanitarian...