John Russell after making his maiden speech yesterday (Are you sure about this? Ed.)
As Mark Valladares says on Lib Dem Voice, until yesterday, it was a long time since there had been a maiden speech by a Liberal Democrat peer.
That changed thanks to John Russell, the younger son of Conrad Russell, who now holds the title Earl Russell and recently won one of those odd by-elections for hereditary peers they hold in the upper house.
Here are a few highlights from his speech:
"Thank you for the kind words I have received about my father, Conrad. I know he is still remembered, particularly for his unique historical and constitutional knowledge. If I might share with your Lordships: one of his proudest moments was when, during one very late-night sitting, he out-quoted the Bishops one by one with the Bible."
"I am passionate about the environment. My commitment and care come from my personal experience of adventure, long-distance walking and a love of wild places. Climate change is happening now. It is real and it is truly frightening. No longer the stuff of dystopian films, it is our present reality."
"The questions of what to do and how we fight for our common survival must be addressed and solutions found and implemented with utmost urgency. We have to adapt our ways of life, our cities, our transport systems, simply for our society to continue to function and survive. We must have hope and inspire confidence that change is possible."
"Big companies and businesses must adapt: they will be part of the solutions we need for a functioning society. The biggest polluters must be held accountable. We must give nature and the ecosystem an economic value and assign it worth. We need a new economics and a global green economy."
You can read the whole speech on They Work for You.
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