Hunting Bill

Short version: we won! Both our amendments (no fox-hunting & no mink-hunting) went through with massive majorities. The Government gave up & withdrew their latest attempt at compromise.

Long version: now it all gets wonderfully complicated. Firstly the Bill has to go back to committee (probably only for half a day) to be "tidied up". Then it goes to the Lords, hopefully next week. They'll amend/reject it, there will be a bit of backwards & forwards with the Commons, but the eventual outcome will be rejection by the Lords. Whereupon it needs to be reintroduced next Parliamentary session (i.e. November, earliest), voted through again by the Commons, sat on for a month at least by the Lords (though they will probably muck around for longer than that), & then it gets Royal Assent (all this is the Parliament Act). November 2004, that should be.

So we're not quite there yet, but it is all looking *very good indeed* for our lot. Hurrah. I only wish I felt a bit more generally better, cos I really ought to be bouncier than I feel right at the moment.

Hunting Bill

Short version: we won! Both our amendments (no fox-hunting & no mink-hunting) went through with massive majorities. The Government gave up & withdrew their latest attempt at compromise.

Long version: now it all gets wonderfully complicated. Firstly the Bill has to go back to committee (probably only for half a day) to be "tidied up". Then it goes to the Lords, hopefully next week. They'll amend/reject it, there will be a bit of backwards & forwards with the Commons, but the eventual outcome will be rejection by the Lords. Whereupon it needs to be reintroduced next Parliamentary session (i.e. November, earliest), voted through again by the Commons, sat on for a month at least by the Lords (though they will probably muck around for longer than that), & then it gets Royal Assent (all this is the Parliament Act). November 2004, that should be.

So we're not quite there yet, but it is all looking *very good indeed* for our lot. Hurrah. I only wish I felt a bit more generally better, cos I really ought to be bouncier than I feel right at the moment.

Matrix

kitty_goth says that the Matrix Reloaded is on at the IMAX from Friday. It therefore seems like a good bet to delay tomorrow's proposed cinema-visit to next week & go there instead. Would next Wednesday (the 9th) be OK for all who already expressed an interest? Or would folk rather just stick with tomorrow?

Matrix

kitty_goth says that the Matrix Reloaded is on at the IMAX from Friday. It therefore seems like a good bet to delay tomorrow's proposed cinema-visit to next week & go there instead. Would next Wednesday (the 9th) be OK for all who already expressed an interest? Or would folk rather just stick with tomorrow?