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Housing and Regeneration Bill (7 Jul 2008) Lord Dixon-Smith: ...and Communities Agency is not a body to which we object in principle. As the Minister has explained, it is an amalgamation of the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships. Of course, the nigger in the woodpile, as the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, has already pointed out, is that it still incorporates what I call the hangover of the new towns legislation. If it were not for that, we...

Iraq: Post-conflict Reconstruction (12 Nov 2003) Lord Mackie of Benshie: My Lords, it is obvious that a great deal of good work has been done and is going on. However, what has been brought out today is without a doubt the nigger in the woodpile—if such an expression is allowed any more. What has been brought out is that security is the essential point. Can the Minister give us any indication that would back up her statement that security is improving? For...

Common Fisheries Policy (22 Nov 1995) Mr John Wilkinson: ...that practice on page 27 of its report. The conservation regime is being circumvented by the procedure of quota-hopping, whereby the European Court, no less, has—as usual—proved to be the nigger in the woodpile. The Factortame judgment overturned British law and enabled Spanish interests to buy into British operating concerns, as my hon. Friends who represent Cornwall constituencies...

Welsh Affairs (1 Mar 1990) Mr Gwilym Jones: ...rate increase would have been. We should then be able to see on the old basis of comparison what changes have taken place. I am afraid that my own council—Cardiff—will still be the worst nigger in the woodpile, with an increase of at least 110 per cent. There is no justification for an increase of 110 per cent. It is ludicrous. I ask my ministerial friends not just to cap but to take...

Orders of the Day — Rate Support Grant (25 Mar 1987) Mrs Elaine Kellett: ...Friend aware that Lancashire county council has shot away with rates every years since it took office? This year, with the assistance of the Liberals, the rate has doubled. [AN HON. MEMBER: "Niggers in the woodpile."] The Conservative-controlled city councils kept their rates absolutely level and the Wyre borough council's rate was barely in concert with the cost of living. So we are...

Rate Support Grant (Wales) (20 Jan 1986) Mr Roy Hughes: ...support grant settlement. Will there be additional financial assistance? parents are naturally worried about the dispute, which affects the future of their children. My belief is that the nigger in the woodpile is the Secretary of State for Education and Science. He is supported by his junior Cabinet colleague, the Secretary of State for Wales. If there was the will, the dispute could be...

Orders of the Day — Energy Bill (24 Nov 1982) Mr Alexander Eadie: ...for the reorganisation of the industry. There was a consensus in the industry about its reorganisation. The Government must know what happened then. The hon. Member for Truro was one of the niggers in the woodpile during the discussions on reorganisation. He attended all the meetings. I am not revealing any secrets. The Opposition believe that the Bill is a miserable, masquerading effort....

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Engagements (8 Jul 1982) Nicholas Winterton: ...about the terms of reference of the inquiry into the Falklands Islands conflict, and that many of us believe that the inquiry should go back over at least 20 years, so that the civil servant niggers in the woodpile in the Foreign Office who have sold British interests down the river over many years are identified and their names made public, and so that not only Ministers resign, but that...

Orders of the Day — Gaming (Amendment) Bill: Amendments of the Gaming Act 1968 (7 May 1982) Mr Marcus Kimball: ...circuses, or for the vast number of other things that have to be licensed. We must be fair to the Home Secretary and to his great Department of State on the subject because, as always, the nigger in the woodpile is the Treasury. The Treasury never asks about lease costs or any other costs. Rather, as with rents, the Treasury thinks it is necessary to add inflation into the cost every...

Orders of the Day — Wildlife and Countryside Bill [Lords] (27 Apr 1981) Mr John Farr: ...blame. Often, developers are to blame, because they are anxious to turn sites of special scientific interest, which are of no commercial value, into sites of building potential. They are the niggers in the woodpile. Indeed, the LeicesterMercury of 9 April contained an article that referred to Ulverscroft, in Leicestershire. The county has already been mentioned by the right hon. Member for...

European Community (18 Dec 1980) Mr John Farr: ...and knitted goods industries? My hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North is concerned about the footwear industry, and I am equally concerned about the knitted goods industry. The nigger in the woodpile is that Portugal, which is currently outside the Community, is one of our major suppliers of knitted goods. In the first six months of this year, Portugal sent us 13 million...

New Clause 2: Offences of Solvent Inhalation and Sales to Minors for that Purpose (22 Jul 1980) Mr James Dempsey: ...has been tried. We had a voluntary scheme only a few years ago, when the Coatbridge police canvassed all the shopkeepers. All except one co-operated. The one who did not co-operate was the nigger in the woodpile. He was involved in the bulk of the trade because he had no scruples about being involved in a problem affecting young people. There is always a bad apple in the box; therefore...

Agriculture and Horticulture (Capital Grant Schemes) (20 Feb 1980) Mr Marcus Kimball: ...is the money that has been wasted on capital grants, particularly on marginal land improvement. People have the carrot of the grant and are persuaded by estate agents—who are the biggest niggers in the woodpile—people selling fertilisers and so on to buy an estate for more than they can afford. Then, the estate agents get the commission when the estate is sold to somebody else and they...

Commuter Rail Service (Southern Region) (12 Dec 1978) Sir Frederick Burden: ...is to be attained, British Rail will need much help from the Government. Above all, the Government should enable British Rail to be managed by its board. The Government should not act as the nigger in the woodpile by imposing instructions that will frustrate British Rail's management and cause the commuter's lot to be as bad as it is now for many years to come.

Orders of the Day — Transport Bill: General Duties of the Traffic Commissioners (17 May 1978) Mr John Wells: No. My hon. Friend had a good go. The traffic commissioners are viewed by the man in the bus as the niggers in the woodpile. Although one realises that there are escalating costs and that the claims for increased fares are very justified, to enable the council to maintain the quality of the service and to enable its operators to be paid a proper wage, the fact remains that the man in the...

Orders of the Day — European Assembly Elections Bill: Simple Majority System (for Great Britain) with S.T.V. (for Northern Ireland). (8 Feb 1978) Mr Robert Adley: ...the earlier proceedings on the Bill we know that the elections to the European Parliament will be delayed. As the Foreign Secretary put it so graphically in Brussels, Britain is not the only nigger in the woodpile". I do not know how the Race Relations Board would take that comment, but that remark indicates that we are not the only country causing the elections to be delayed. Therefore,...

Oral Answers to Questions — Race Relations (Court Case) (23 Jan 1978) Mr Robert Adley: ...any reaction from them about the deplorable and disgraceful comment of the Foreign Secretary in Brussels. In relation to the European Assembly Elections Bill, he said that Britain was not the nigger in the woodpile. Is not that deplorable?

Orders of the Day — European Community (Monetary Compensatory Amounts) (23 Jun 1977) Mr Peter Mills: ...like they are now. It is dishonest of Labour Members to be saying that these high food prices have been caused by the Community. The Community represents only about 3 per cent. The real nigger in the woodpile are the Government, who have allowed the pound to deteriorate so much that all the problems of the MCAs have made the cost of food rise so dramatically. The Government talk about...

Orders of the Day — Transport (Rural Areas) (2 May 1977) Mr James Spicer: ...rate and taxpayers together. I take issue with the Secretary of State on that. I turn to the rôle of the traffic commissioners. It would, perhaps, be wrong to say that they are the niggers in the woodpile. But they have too much power. Many of their powers are outmoded. Inquiries and investigations have revealed that their action and their positive rôle has often been to deliberate, to...