Jock's Place - Iain Dale on the House of Lords - Comments

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Jock Coats — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 11:03:37 +0000

Yeah - but as I said, Blair promised absolutely to get this situation sorted. They had six years I think - a full European cycle plus a couple - when they knew that after that people with a dual mandate would be barred. They even got a dispensation on the basis that one couldn't resign from the Lords so it wasn't really a free choice" as to which one someone would prefer to be in. And he's ballsed it up big time.

Here's a thought - perhaps Emma (if she was planning on standing again) and Sarah could apply for some other European country's citizenship (Belgian perhaps - since they'll have spent enough time there!) and thereby have themselves barred from the HoL...:)"

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Susanne — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 10:34:49 +0000

It's the same rule that debars Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP(London) from Islington for standing for re-election

Iain Dale on the House of Lords

Jock — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 23:55:30 +0000

Well done to Iain Dale on News 24 reviewing the Dead Tree Press tonight. He picked up on the ridiculous story of Andrew Phillips, the Lib Dem peer who wants to start taking things easy at 67 but has run foul of the house rules that say you can never really retire. You can take leave of absence but nobody's quite sure it seems whether that would reduce your party's presence or not and allow an extra place to be allocated next time there were a raft of party appointments.

These are of course the same rules that prevent people like Emma Nicholson from making an open decision about whether to stick with Europe or the Lords under the ban on holding a dual mandate - sitting in a national as well as a European legislatures.

Blair indeed promised to have this particular problem addressed for that very reason - so peers could resign to run for the European Parliament if they wanted to.

Whilst I completely agree with Iain on the necessity to elect the House of Lords, and as soon as possible, it's a bit ironic that the story that prompted it was Andrew Phillips, who takes a contrary line to party policy and would rather see the house remain pretty much wholly appointed as I understand it.

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