19 Apr 2007, Business of the House

Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con): The Leader of the House will be aware of the widespread concern over the failure to fly the flag of our country from Portcullis House since its opening a number of years ago. He will also be aware that the early-day motion that I tabled has been signed by no fewer than 44 Members of this House. Will the Leader of the House give us a progress report and tell us whether the flag of our country will at last fly from the parliamentary building of Portcullis House?

Mr. Straw: I am delighted to give the hon. Gentleman some good news—after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. There was a health and safety problem that I insisted on inspecting, although I was originally told it was too dangerous for me to do so, and I went up there yesterday. It is genuinely difficult to get to the flagpole. The problem was that two bronze trap doors, which were, as I saw, unsecured, were in danger of decapitating—literally—anybody who put up a flag. However, I am pleased to say that the House authorities have decided on a number of inexpensive safety measures and they have promised me that the flagpole will be fully operational—certainly by the recess and, we hope, well before.

Perhaps Andrew Rosindell (spitting image of Jeffrey Archer in my humble opinion) should have been sent up to inspect it himself.

Which brings me on to another point. John Henley in The Guardian. Published in his paper this piece on March 14th.

Exciting developments in the continuing saga of Westminster’s Portcullis House flagpole, which, alert readers will recall, is such a health and safety hazard that only once in the past seven years has a flag actually been hung from it - a thoroughgoing national scandal exposed by this very column a month or two ago. Now, in a forcefully worded written question, Romford-based patriot and bulldog-fancier Andrew Rosindell MP has demanded that the Commons Commission place a copy of the health and safety report on the offending pole “in the library”. Things seem, at last, to be moving.

Recess Monkey published this story on January 25th.

A reader emailed me that day and said, “What’s the betting. Today Recess Monkey. Tomorrow the Diary in the Guardian”

Same reader emailed me on 30th January saying, “What did I say!”, after John Henley published.

You may also have read this story here first and this story here first. These are just the examples from one two-week period in January.

John, face it, you’re a glorified sub.

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