House of Lords.

What a feckin disgrace this noble institution is becoming, I always took it to be a kind of safety net to protect us from errant lawmaking by parliament but with the prime moron adding another 45 of his own people it looks like a tightening of the stranglehold the Tories have over Britain.

The thing that sticks in the throat is the realisation that actually they don't even give a shit how it looks. No right-minded person would give a peerage to a man found to be guilty of using taxpayer's money to clean his moat.

£300 a day plus expenses just for turning up(and in some cases falling asleep or retiring to the Lords bar for extensive refreshments), nice work if you can get it.

£92m in expenses for the lords last year, austerity my arse, most of them enjoy uncapped farm subsidies for their vast acreages. My neighbour (who recieved £1.4m last year) has just bought another farm bordering the Tamar I'm surprised he hasn't been offered a peerage he's a failed banker to boot, ticks all the boxes.
The one that is the worst in my eyes is a Tory party funder, cash for honours?

There are well over 100 Lib Dems now in the Lords. How does that work?

Good on the SNP for refusing to sit in the Lords.

I like Billy Bragg's idea, that the makeup of the Lords (or the Senate or whatever) should be decided by share of the popular vote, so that those people who live in safe seats don't feel as if their vote is always going to be wasted.

What odds Webby and Nool in tears at not getting the nod? It is a fecking laughing stock and would work better if we had just 5 or 6 honourable gentlemen in the chamber (most probably having their overnight piddle)
Freathy, Graiser (3.30am man), Iggy (he's a 4.30am man), Czarcasm (4.17am man), alannotivvy (3.30am man), Mr Hippo (4am man). I was going to add POI but ain't sure if he's alive still??

tigertony wrote:

What odds Webby and Nool in tears at not getting the nod?  It is a fecking laughing stock and would work better if we had just 5 or 6 honourable gentlemen in the chamber (most probably having their overnight piddle)
Freathy, Graiser (3.30am man), Iggy (he's a 4.30am man), Czarcasm (4.17am man), alannotivvy (3.30am  man), Mr Hippo (4am man). I was going to add POI but ain't sure if he's alive still??

I think you'll find 'Mr' Hippo sits down for a piss !!!

As do I and I'm pretty sure Suffs does (don't ask me how I know.)

Iggy wrote:

As do I and I'm pretty sure Suffs does (don't ask me how I know.)

This must be the post of the year so far.

Well, as you can see, I got the nod in the Honours list and am now a Knight of the realm. I'm happy with John or Sir John, it matters not. I feel it will give my posts on here far more gravitas. Awarded for my lifetime of global ocean asset transport, that my cousin Frank and I carried out to great effect.

In a short question time today at the Guildhall, a friend of mine asked Jeremy Corbyn what his opinion was on the unelected City of London Remembrancer sitting in the Commons next to the Speaker. Google this "remembrancer" etherial character that has hung around for centuries, and be educated as to the safeguards for the city state rich bankers, deeply woven into the fabric of that Palace.

What were Corbyn's views on the Remembrancer?

Re-nationalise him ?

I wondered whether you were the old Seadog Hawkins, love all those stories of the great voyages, didn't you and Frank fall out though? If I was to rename myself on here I would choose the incomparable Bernard Motissier, couldn't be bothered with sailing on to Muff to collect the globe and the cash and sailed onto Tahiti instead, went to visit his grave in France and paid respect.
Didn't know it was Corbyn on at the guildhall I may have been arsed to go if I'd known, what was your impression of the man, did he look like he could be leader? Did he have a "presence"?

I reckon he is the small ego people are looking for in politics.
I've seen them all, and if you are looking for a Footy, a Benn, or even a Kinnock in the charisma stakes, forget it. But, then, the job is not to preach to the converted, but to spearhead a revival in egalitarian and socialist principles. He's calm, considered, very very experienced. Presence is for pop stars, salesmen and shite mayors. He isn't that. He comes across as very genuine, humble almost, and that is a rare talent these days, and of course, tv is where it matters if he gets the leadership. He understood his popularity is from a bottom up movement that is happening across a wider field throughout Europe.

No ego, not getting involved in the spats. What's not to like. The youngsters liked him, and his narrative was breath of fresh air, confident of his union membership, and socialist principles, and is not afraid to say so. Proper Labour, not seen since Blair spread his smarm.

550,000 members to vote apparently. I heard of 3 friends today who have been refused a vote, so there is a bit of gerrymandering going on. But surely his popularity will overcome that sort of thing.
I remember being at a SDP meet in the guildhall with Owen and co, the last time the Labour party split. It could well happen again, as some Labour career politicians are not happy at all. And if he somehow loses, there could well be a mass exodus of the activists.

Me personally, I will still vote Green, unless the Labour movement really takes off and becomes what it could and should be, incorporating green issues. Corbyn is a member of CND, so that's a good start.

Frank Bullitt wrote:

What were Corbyn's views on the Remembrancer?

Didn't see that Frank. He's not a fan obviously, but I don't think it was of any consequence at all, and it was the last question. I couldn't quite hear what he said, going on about some filibustering with 2 or 3 colleagues. To be honest Jeremy Corbyn is no revolutionary, he's not even hard left as some media would have us believe. He's just a plain old traditional socialist and a committed parliamentarian I suspect something like the remembrancer is probably not on his agenda at all. The Greens wanted the said Bankers' man removed from parliament and campaigned for it a couple of years back to little avail. I suspect Corbyn has enough on his plate just trying to turn the Labour party ship around before it founders on the rocks, without starting on reforming parliament. God guy though. Very likeable and trustworthy.
It's almost impossible to remove the lobbyist without trashing parliament itself, as the square mile city of London itself and it's bankers are not subject to parliamentary law in the same way every one else is. Apparently, you can't do it by simple legislation, one has to ask John Berkow nicely to have the man removed.    How quaint and how handy. Goes way back to before the civil war. For those who don't know, basically it means the banks and merchants of the city have first dibs in reviewing, threatening legal doom and gloom, and hence altering any parliamentary business, should it affect the city in any adverse way.

Sir John Hawkins wrote:

Well, as you can see, I got the nod in the Honours list and am now a Knight of the realm. I'm happy with John or Sir John, it matters not. I feel it will give my posts on here far more gravitas. Awarded for my lifetime of global ocean asset transport, that my cousin Frank and I carried out to great effect.

In a short question time today at the Guildhall, a friend of mine asked Jeremy Corbyn what his opinion was on the unelected City of London Remembrancer sitting in the Commons next to the Speaker. Google this "remembrancer" etherial character that has hung around for centuries, and be educated as to the safeguards for the city state rich bankers, deeply woven into the fabric of that Palace.

You're not William Hague are you?

Please say you're not.

... he might be? If he is then

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I've never met the honorable Sir John ... is this him?
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]