Cluster Bomb Protest and FSA

9.15 The luxury of a late start! More email exchanges then at 10.15 I speak to a group of postgraduates from Reading University.

11.30 I join Liz Lynne outside the Parliament for photos about banning cluster bombs. It is running late so I go to get my Eurostar tickets and that takes ages, but it is still running late by the time I get back.

12.15 Back to the office for a discussion with Andrew Duff about Kashmir and what I will say in response to questions in my Whip’s report to Party Conference.

12.45 Start the process of getting away as I have to leave at 14.00 for an appointment in London. The chap who organises FSA visits pops in and we discuss the usefulness of FSA secondment to the Parliament. I say it is very useful and also explain how the FSA presentations are really good but sometimes they fall down on questions by being too ‘correct’ and unwilling to hazard personal thoughts. I say I think it would be useful for the FSA to explain some of the teething troubles that can arise in having to change mentality from ‘tick box’ supervision to the more hands on dynamic variety the FSA now uses. We are asking other supervisors and countries to move in that direction and this is a much more accessible way to explain it, or at least I think so.

14.00 Off to Eurostar.