Member

The second issue that I think has influenced our debate is the modern concept of the lived experience—that is, one can speak authoritatively only if one has direct, or at least tangentially direct, experience of the matter in hand, a point made earlier by the noble Lord, Lord Reid of Cardowan. Obviously there is great sensitivity when we are discussing something like the Holocaust Memorial Bill, and it places considerable emphasis and constraints on those of us who, like me, are not Jewish. While I accept the constraints, I do not accept the basic premise. I think it is possible to have the emotional intelligence and maturity to get inside an issue and offer another perspective—not better or worse, just different. Although some Members of your Lordships’ House have talked to me about my ability as a non-Jew to give proper weight to what is happening and what is reflected in the Bill, equally, as has been pointed out, I have seen a lot of correspondence from members of the Jewish community who have a much more reflective view of what this issue is all about and regard it as important that we should consider it and look at it in the round.