Thursday, October 02, 2008

Important Questions of Our Time: No 94

My colleague Shane Greer obviously has too much time on his hands. I shall have to crack the Total Politics whip a little harder. Today he has written a blogpost titled GAY LORDS A LEAPING. He rails against the fact that there is discrimination in the Upper House. If a man becomes a Lord his wife becomes a Lady, whereas if a woman becomes a Baroness, her husband remains a plain old Mister. And similarly, if a gay man or woman is elevated to their Lordships' House, their civil partners get no equivalent title either.

So in the unlikely event of me becoming Lord Dale (stop laughing at the back) I am afraid there will be no Lady Simmons.

Honestly, the things Mr Greer does in order to ingratiate himself...

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

In 2008 it is insulting to the vast majority of the nation, that folk have handles to their name other than those necessary for their job, i.e. Rev, Dr , Judge etc.A member of the Upper House should just have initials have their name, similar to MP, MSP,...perhaps MHL(member House of Lords) The very idea that a partner should receive a title is Alice In Wonderland stuff in this day and age.

Newmania said...

I dread to think what Greer does - too late I have . eeooo.
On the same subject this was a fun thread:
http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/10/01/tories-in-queer-hypocrisy-shocker/


Your post on Boris was fab by the way Right , right , right .

Anonymous said...

A great philosophical post by Greer,
Almost as intellectually challenging as who is wearing Sarah Palin specs ...

Gordon Brown said...

Surely a homosexual Peer should be called a Queen - not a Lord?!

Shaun said...

Surely to conform to stereotypes while tweaking social fossils you'd be compelled to become Lord Dale of Hampstead Heath...

Seriously, though, this needs rationalising in light of the fact we don't really do patriarchal hierarchy as a default any more!

strapworld said...

The Black Police Association announce they have no confidence in Blair.

The Police Federation have already said they have no confidence in Blair.

The unsightly mess with the assistant Commissioner alleging Racism!

The brazilian inquest and the two investigations of Blair allegedly giving favours to friends

I certainly do not think the timing strange. The man should have resigned months ago!

Well done to Boris. At least he has shown to the public that a Conservative leader can and will sack people.

I also agree with Iain. TfL needs a new direction. Although after today's events I rather doubt that many will be laughing at Boris now!!

Anonymous said...

The one thing that we never discuss in all this is, what happens if at some point in the future the heir to the throne had a Civil Partnership? How would that be treated. Obviously the tabloids would be predictable, but it is something that should be given credible thought.

Old Holborn said...

Lord and Gaylord?

The empire has been using the term for centuries

Anonymous said...

A case of master and servant then without the title!

It will be a toss up for who takes the lead!

On the serious side it is a fair point, if they make the Lords an elected chamber they should get rid of the Lord bit! But I am sure the tights will remain for special occasions!!!

Anonymous said...

Barack Obama is 'aloof' says British ambassador to US

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/3125120/Exclusive-Barack-Obama-is-aloof-says-British-ambassador-to-US.html

Anonymous said...

The Lord Dale campaign starts here :)

Anonymous said...

Don't start from here.

Elect senators to the "lords" who serve 15 years without re-election or return to commons. Appoint advocates from each party to argue for the parties, Advocates don't get a vote.

Don't give them the title Lord, or anything. Problem solved.

Anonymous said...

Who else thinks that some lefty journo is going to claim tomorrow that Boris only asked Blair to go because he was jealous of the attention Cameron got this week and wanted to show that it is he who is Britain's most powerful Tory?

Anonymous said...

Simple answers would be.

1. Blow the whole useless bunch into the next world.

2. Stop making/calling the bed partners of Lords, Ladies at all. There is nothing more lady like about a women who opens their legs to a very rich and powerful man for his money, then one that does, for a poor mans grubby twenty. In most countries in the world a women who has sex with a man for any reason at all before marriage to them for life, is a whore or a common prostitute, pure and simple. But a Lady, not under any circumstances.

Iain stop trying to be an establishment whore. You are not pretty, you are not a talented sportsman, you are not highly intelligent, you are not a corrupt multi billion pound corporate criminal, trying to pay for political favors. Nor are you a great actor, in the true class of the likes of a Tony Blair.

So unless you are related to royalty, which is unlikely as I trust you have not eaten any aborted baby children lately. What on earth gives you the idea that any one in their right mind would ever give the likes of someone like yourself a knighthood?

Anonymous said...

To be blunt I do not regard a civil partnership as the same as a marriage. I still think its wrong that two sisters cannot make the same arrangement as Mr Dale has with his civil partner.

As far as I am concerned Mr Dale and others in similar circumstances are still 'single', so on his quite deserved elevation I see no justification in applying any title to anyone else.

After all is Mr Dales civil partner now called 'Mrs Dale'? No.

And this really is the historic legacy that we have to deal with, the title 'Lady' is an honorary one dating from when women had no authority in their own right.

Today when we have women elevated to the peerage then maybe the good husband could be made a baronet.

Of course one of the great pressures on a husband to submit himself to a peerage is that his wife becomes a Lady

This matter could of course be easily resolved by abolishing these honours all together.

Anonymous said...

Yes Clause 28 how did dave vote on that...remind me

Anonymous said...

I'd have thought Lady Dale has a much nicer ring to it ;)

Ex-Pat Alfie said...

Oh yes!
"Lady Dale has a much nicer ring to it" and Baroness Dale's partner would remain "plain mister".
Where is the problem?

Grumpy Middle-Aged Man said...

I agree with tom fd, let's all join the campaign for a Lord Dale, or perhaps Sir Iain-a-Dale might be more appropriate. What do you reckon, Mister Dale?

Anonymous said...

Hmm, well now that we now have Lord Mandelson it seems that this question will now have to be addressed!

Was Shane Greer trying to tell us something?