Lessons from Experience and Warnings for the Future

Abstract

My Lords, the subject of to-day’s debate raises questions relating both to the past and to the future, both to what has happened and to what may happen. As regards the past, as a cross-bencher I profoundly desire to avoid party recriminations. I do not think that such recriminations help much in understanding the difficult problems with which we are faced. But I do believe that there have been errors in the past on both sides, and I think that there is some purpose to be served in attempting to draw some lessons therefrom. I have three such lessons particularly in mind.