At least two Plaid - bloggers have made the claim that Dafydd Wigley is the first person to be elected to the House of Lords, because he won a ballot of party members in order to earn his seat.
Actually my friend and minister the Rev Lord Roberts of Llandudno was elected to a list of prospective Lib Dem Lords by party members some 8 or so years ago.
I don't know if the Liberals still elect Lords, but there is no doubt that Roger was the first Lord chosen in this way.
However congratulations to Dafydd, Jenny and Eluned on their elevation – I hope they do Wales proud as Noble Lords; but where is the Welsh Tory Lord?
As far as I recall Syr Wyn in 1997 was the last member of the Welsh Conservative Party to be given the right to park his rump on the red benches.
Showing posts with label Lords. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lords. Show all posts
20/11/2010
05/06/2009
Glenys gets her nose back in the trough
Gordon Brown has just announced that Glenys Kinnock is to be made a member of the House of Lords and made minister for Europe.
It was bad enough that Peter Hain should be returned to frontline government, but this shows just how desperate Labour is.
It was bad enough that Peter Hain should be returned to frontline government, but this shows just how desperate Labour is.
27/01/2008
Plaid's Democratic Peers?
Glyn says on his blog:
In its heady days, the Labour Government made its first reform of the House of Lords, depriving most hereditarys of their right to be part of the institution. In response to this reform two parties decided to have internal elections to the House, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru.
It is by virtue of internal election that the Rev Lord Roger Roberts of Llandudno is a Lord, not by virtue of party (or other) patronage!
Plaid also had a vote amongst party members, and they elected former party secretary Dafydd Williams, (Dai banjo) as prospective party peer. The Plaid Executive wasn't going to allow ordinary members to elect a bloke, that they had recently sacked, as a Lord. So the party decided to play the principal card. The executive decided that reforms hadn't gone far enough to purge their conscience and rejected the members' selection.
Today Dai banjo, the party members' choice was once again on the shortlist of potential peers. But party members didn't have the right to vote for him again. The same committee that decided that it was better for Plaid to have no peers rather than Lord Banjo chose the Plaid peers. Surprise! Surprise! Dai banjo was not amongst the selected.
A democratic Master Stoke! I think not Glyn!
A number of responses to my previous posts about Plaid Lords have mentioned the fact that the SNP was more principled than PC in continuing to reject peerages.
Didn't the SNP have five Lords for five minutes in the 1980's, before they all defected to the Conservative Party?
Plaid Cymru have pulled off a master stroke today by electing its nominees for the House of Lords. The system of individuals being placed in the Westminster Parliament with no regard for the democratic principle does not look right in 2008. The 'Plaid Three' have made a monkey out of the Labour Government in particular, which has been 'banging on' about introducing democracy into the system of nomination to the Lords for years, but have done nothing whatsoever about it. Plaid have just done it - or at least done enough to make it look as if they've done it.
In its heady days, the Labour Government made its first reform of the House of Lords, depriving most hereditarys of their right to be part of the institution. In response to this reform two parties decided to have internal elections to the House, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru.
It is by virtue of internal election that the Rev Lord Roger Roberts of Llandudno is a Lord, not by virtue of party (or other) patronage!
Plaid also had a vote amongst party members, and they elected former party secretary Dafydd Williams, (Dai banjo) as prospective party peer. The Plaid Executive wasn't going to allow ordinary members to elect a bloke, that they had recently sacked, as a Lord. So the party decided to play the principal card. The executive decided that reforms hadn't gone far enough to purge their conscience and rejected the members' selection.
Today Dai banjo, the party members' choice was once again on the shortlist of potential peers. But party members didn't have the right to vote for him again. The same committee that decided that it was better for Plaid to have no peers rather than Lord Banjo chose the Plaid peers. Surprise! Surprise! Dai banjo was not amongst the selected.
A democratic Master Stoke! I think not Glyn!
A number of responses to my previous posts about Plaid Lords have mentioned the fact that the SNP was more principled than PC in continuing to reject peerages.
Didn't the SNP have five Lords for five minutes in the 1980's, before they all defected to the Conservative Party?
23/12/2007
Unicameralism Petition
There is an interesting petition up for signature on the Prime Minister's petition site
The people of Wales are becoming increasingly annoyed by the lack of a separate appointed chamber to bring the assembly to account. This situation has recently become much worse with the new coalition government reducing the number of opposition members.
The people of Wales call upon the Prime Minister to end Unicameralism* in Wales by creating a second chamber, modelled on the House of Lords, entirely appointed to scrutinise the work of the elected Assembly.
The people of Wales are so annoyed by this lack of a Welsh House of Lords that so far only two people have signed the petition other than the author. One is a person called JUST SCRAP THE ASSEMBLY, IT'S POINTLESS ANYWAY and the other is named I AGREE, SCRAP THE ASSEMBLY (I don't think that these are the signatories' real names somehow).
I would have signed the petition myself as I am the ideal candidate to sit on a Welsh woolsack and I'd look real smart in ermine, however I foresee a major problem. With a coalition government in power I would need to pay cash to two parties in exchange for the honour not just the one, so the Westminster Lords seems to be the best bargain.
* If like me you have never heard of this word before here is a definition:
Unicameral –adjective consisting of a single chamber, as a legislative assembly.
[Origin: 1850–55; uni- + L camer(a) chamber + -al1]
The people of Wales are becoming increasingly annoyed by the lack of a separate appointed chamber to bring the assembly to account. This situation has recently become much worse with the new coalition government reducing the number of opposition members.
The people of Wales call upon the Prime Minister to end Unicameralism* in Wales by creating a second chamber, modelled on the House of Lords, entirely appointed to scrutinise the work of the elected Assembly.
The people of Wales are so annoyed by this lack of a Welsh House of Lords that so far only two people have signed the petition other than the author. One is a person called JUST SCRAP THE ASSEMBLY, IT'S POINTLESS ANYWAY and the other is named I AGREE, SCRAP THE ASSEMBLY (I don't think that these are the signatories' real names somehow).
I would have signed the petition myself as I am the ideal candidate to sit on a Welsh woolsack and I'd look real smart in ermine, however I foresee a major problem. With a coalition government in power I would need to pay cash to two parties in exchange for the honour not just the one, so the Westminster Lords seems to be the best bargain.
* If like me you have never heard of this word before here is a definition:
Unicameral –adjective consisting of a single chamber, as a legislative assembly.
[Origin: 1850–55; uni- + L camer(a) chamber + -al1]
02/12/2007
Bread and Butter Politics
With the House of Commons bogged down with arguments about the funding of political parties and the National Assembly worrying about the constitutional status of ELCO's its good to see that the House of Lords, at least, understands that real politics is about bread and butter issues. But has Baroness Gardener of Parkes taken the need to discuss bread and butter issues a bit too literally?:
Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative) Hansard Link
Why is it that in central London you can hardly find a thinly-sliced or medium-sliced loaf of bread to buy, and any sandwich you buy in any supermarket is now made with thick bread? While the House of Lords continues to use medium-sliced—and very nice—bread in its sandwiches, even the House of Commons has moved to thick bread. Surely at a time when we want to reduce people's consumption, there should be more pressure from the Food Standards Agency, or one of the many departments the Minister speaks about, to take us back to normal-sized bread instead of these super-sized sandwiches
Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative) Hansard Link
Why is it that in central London you can hardly find a thinly-sliced or medium-sliced loaf of bread to buy, and any sandwich you buy in any supermarket is now made with thick bread? While the House of Lords continues to use medium-sliced—and very nice—bread in its sandwiches, even the House of Commons has moved to thick bread. Surely at a time when we want to reduce people's consumption, there should be more pressure from the Food Standards Agency, or one of the many departments the Minister speaks about, to take us back to normal-sized bread instead of these super-sized sandwiches
13/09/2007
Lords Revisited
Plaid's Conference has decided to re-open the debate on whether the party should or shouldn't have members in the House of Lords. The Conference hasn't made a decision one way or another, but has asked the national Council to look at the issue.
I have made my opinion on this issue known in a previous post, so I shan't reiterate it here.
During the limited coverage of the Conference on BBC2 this afternoon Gareth Jones AM for Aberconwy told Rhun ap Iorwerth that he disliked the idea of Plaid Members in the Lords, because Plaid has always opposed the idea of having unelected politicians. This may always have been Plaid's theoretical view but it certainly hasn't been Plaids practical view in the past.
Former Plaid president Dafydd Elis Thomas is already a Lord, of course, albeit as a cross bencher rather than a party representative.
Before the 1974 Local Government reorganisation councillors could co-opt Aldermen to serve as councillors, not elected by the general population. Plaid had a number of these including non other than party icon Gwynfor Evans.
So with at least two former party presidents having served as unelected politicians there is quite a strong precedent for such representatives and no historic grounds, as Gareth claimed, for the party to oppose the idea of unelected people having political influence.
I have made my opinion on this issue known in a previous post, so I shan't reiterate it here.
During the limited coverage of the Conference on BBC2 this afternoon Gareth Jones AM for Aberconwy told Rhun ap Iorwerth that he disliked the idea of Plaid Members in the Lords, because Plaid has always opposed the idea of having unelected politicians. This may always have been Plaid's theoretical view but it certainly hasn't been Plaids practical view in the past.
Former Plaid president Dafydd Elis Thomas is already a Lord, of course, albeit as a cross bencher rather than a party representative.
Before the 1974 Local Government reorganisation councillors could co-opt Aldermen to serve as councillors, not elected by the general population. Plaid had a number of these including non other than party icon Gwynfor Evans.
So with at least two former party presidents having served as unelected politicians there is quite a strong precedent for such representatives and no historic grounds, as Gareth claimed, for the party to oppose the idea of unelected people having political influence.
28/06/2007
Lords
With so much happening in the Bay and the House of Commons yesterday a story, that would in other circumstances, have been a major story was buried. After 10 years of service to his country and party as the Conservative spokesman on Welsh affairs in the House of Lords Lord (Wyn) Roberts of Conwy is to retire.
During the past 10 years Sir Wyn has been a hard working peer who has had influence on a number of important parliamentary measures that have had an effect on Wales, including the Government of Wales Act 2006. I hope that who ever replaces Sir Wyn is as much of a patriot as he is because the House of Lords will play an important role in the work of the National Assembly in future.
As we know the new Assembly will have the ability to pass laws under a very complex system. Assembly Measures will have to be approved by the Secretary of state, The House of Commons, The Privy Council and The House of Lords. The House of Lords will be able to oppose, amend (possibly) as well as approve Assembly Measures. It is, therefore extremely important that there are a number of patriotic Welsh men and women of Lord Robert's calibre in the Lords to ensure fair play for Assembly Measures as they pass through the house.
Of course Sir Wyn is a Tory and his successor will be a Tory. There are good Welsh people from other parties in the Lords too. My chapel minister Rev. Lord Roger Roberts from the Lib Dems. Lord Elystan and others from Labour and Dafydd Ellis Thomas from Plaid Cymru. There will be a huge responsibility on their shoulders too, to ensure the success of Assembly Measures.
But Dafydd El will face some difficulties in dealing with Assembly Measures in the Lords. Firstly, of course, he will have a lot on his plate performing his duties as Presiding Officer and may not have the time to spend in the Lords. Secondly as Dafydd is a member of the Assembly, the Privy Council and the Lords there could be constitutional problems if he were to take an active part in affecting Assembly Measures in all three bodies. Thirdly Dafydd has to remain "neutral" in his role as Presiding Officer, it would be difficult for him to retain that neutrality if he was partisan either for or against an Assembly Measure in another place. So there is a danger that the only voice that Plaid has in the Lords could be silenced when Assembly Measures are being discussed.
There are a hundred thousand good reasons for opposing the very existence of the House of Lords and as many reasons for Plaid's policy of boycotting the place and not having members there, but we have to live in the world as it is until things change. As the House of Lords is going to have such an important role to play in the Assembly Measures process it is time for Plaid to think again about sending people to the Lords, and to do so in haste as the first Measure will be before the House about October time.
But who should be made a Nationalist Lord? Lord Alwyn of Oldfart has a certain ring to it, don’t you think? ;-)
During the past 10 years Sir Wyn has been a hard working peer who has had influence on a number of important parliamentary measures that have had an effect on Wales, including the Government of Wales Act 2006. I hope that who ever replaces Sir Wyn is as much of a patriot as he is because the House of Lords will play an important role in the work of the National Assembly in future.
As we know the new Assembly will have the ability to pass laws under a very complex system. Assembly Measures will have to be approved by the Secretary of state, The House of Commons, The Privy Council and The House of Lords. The House of Lords will be able to oppose, amend (possibly) as well as approve Assembly Measures. It is, therefore extremely important that there are a number of patriotic Welsh men and women of Lord Robert's calibre in the Lords to ensure fair play for Assembly Measures as they pass through the house.
Of course Sir Wyn is a Tory and his successor will be a Tory. There are good Welsh people from other parties in the Lords too. My chapel minister Rev. Lord Roger Roberts from the Lib Dems. Lord Elystan and others from Labour and Dafydd Ellis Thomas from Plaid Cymru. There will be a huge responsibility on their shoulders too, to ensure the success of Assembly Measures.
But Dafydd El will face some difficulties in dealing with Assembly Measures in the Lords. Firstly, of course, he will have a lot on his plate performing his duties as Presiding Officer and may not have the time to spend in the Lords. Secondly as Dafydd is a member of the Assembly, the Privy Council and the Lords there could be constitutional problems if he were to take an active part in affecting Assembly Measures in all three bodies. Thirdly Dafydd has to remain "neutral" in his role as Presiding Officer, it would be difficult for him to retain that neutrality if he was partisan either for or against an Assembly Measure in another place. So there is a danger that the only voice that Plaid has in the Lords could be silenced when Assembly Measures are being discussed.
There are a hundred thousand good reasons for opposing the very existence of the House of Lords and as many reasons for Plaid's policy of boycotting the place and not having members there, but we have to live in the world as it is until things change. As the House of Lords is going to have such an important role to play in the Assembly Measures process it is time for Plaid to think again about sending people to the Lords, and to do so in haste as the first Measure will be before the House about October time.
But who should be made a Nationalist Lord? Lord Alwyn of Oldfart has a certain ring to it, don’t you think? ;-)
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