Thursday, January 28, 2010

Arise Lord Brandreth?

ConservativeHome has been doing a very interesting series, asking its readers to nominate potential Conservative Peers. There's no doubt that after the election, David Cameron will have to nominate at least 50 new Peers if he is to get his legislation through the second chamber. Today, I have nominated Gyles Brandreth...


Every parliamentary chamber needs colour, and who better to provide it in the House of Lords than Gyles Brandreth?
Gyles was Conservative MP for Chester from 1992 to 1997. Latterly he served as a government whip. He details his experience of political and parliamentary life in his diaries, BREAKING THE CODE, which I still regard as the best political book of the last decade. Some of his colleagues weren’t happy for breaking the whips’ code, and refuse to speak to him to this day, but the rest of us are grateful to him for shining an entertaining, but respectful, light on the inner workings of the ‘usual channels’.

Since he lost his seat, Gyles has remained totally loyal to the party and remains one of the most sought after speakers. He is an adept fundraiser and has remained a leading light in the world of TV and literary entertainment. He would bring a huge knowledge of the arts and entertainment world to the chamber of the House of Lords and it is easy to imagine him becoming a minister at the DCMS. He has proved himself at every turn, whether in the world of books, TV, business or politics. Parliament needs character, and they don’t come much larger than Gyles Brandreth.

"And he would look superb in ermine!"

Who would you nominate? I've always thought Lord Dale of Tunbridge Wells had a certain ring to it :)

37 comments:

Plato said...

Great idea for Brandreth.

Lord Field of Birkenhead would be my choice :D

Not a sheep said...

Great idea, Giles B is worth far more than being the token Conservative on panel games. Having met him I would say he was erudite, intelligent and charming - so totally unsuited to being a politician.

Sean said...

Not living in the UK at the time, I became aware of M Brandreth in the 1980s, when I spotted a book authored by him called (I thought) "How to become a guru". I must have misremembered the title since it doesn't show up on Google or Amazon, but whatever it was called it was a great read.

It's a great shame he is no longer an MP: Parliament needs more like him. Putting his wit, intelligence and insight into the Lords would be good for all of us.

Timothy Belmont said...

For the purposes of Nostalgia, I fancy sitting in the Lords again; miss the old place, don't you know.

I don't mind at all if I am nominated, provided there are no objections from New Labour of course. :-)

Dave B said...

Lord Boris - then we could have a new double act!

Timothy Belmont said...

The Right Honourable Iain Campbell Baron Tunbridge. Lord Tunbridge. What about that?

Resurrect territorial titles! Surname titls are so boring. :-)

Paddy Briggs said...

Matthew Parris

Unknown said...

After his totally unexpected triumph on Question Time I might be tempted to nominate Lord Madley :)

stephen said...

Yes just what is a required for a reviewing and scrutiny chamber - two (more) lightweight yes men (or loyal as you call them)

Dave said...

I think this post was the point where I suddenly realised we need an elected second chamber.

richard.blogger said...

"and it is easy to imagine him becoming a minister at the DCMS"

This is about the only thing going for Brandreth, that is, he will be better at DCMS than the hapless Jeremy Hunt. Actually, a tepid cup of coffee would be better at DCMS than Jeremy Hunt.

Unknown said...

Surely, arise Lord Guido of Fawkes. All that subsidised booze would keep him from digging the dirt on the new government.

More seriously, it's hard to think of prominent right-wingers, since the media does such a good job of keeping them off the screen. It strikes me that Portillo has been considerably less of an arse since leaving the Commons, and might do a good job in the Lords.

The Purpleline said...

I would like David to consider Sir Anthony Steed; he has done a lot of noble work in the field of Childcare on trafficking and yesterday asked a very important question at PMQ yesterday on the paedophiles & traffickers circling Haiti.

Yes I know he was shamed on expenses and he made a bit of an fool of himself when interviewed, but I honestly believe that he was a good MP and obviously statesmen like and a good Tory to be in the Lords.

I am not a constituent Simon Burns is my MP, however I believe he was attacked for his status and not his actual alleged expense errors.

golden_balls said...

So the Conservatives are going to pack the upper house with Tory cronies !

What a good way to start a new Parliament.

Anonymous said...

Lord Guido Fawkes!!!!

You've got to admit it would be funny

Anonymous said...

Giles Branreth story. One of my favorite stories I tell about my Grandma was the day she rang me up on April Fools Day and said, with total sincerity, "Oooh, guess what April fools they did this morning, they had that fellow with the jumpers of the breakfast telly in the house of commons and they were pretending he was an MP."

Unknown said...

I thought Cameron wanted to reduce the number of MPs. Imagine what it would look if the lower house shrinks and the upper house expands!

South East Voter said...

No more Peers. Elected Second Chamber a great way to remove the charlatans Labour and other Parties have put in. I would rather bring back Heredity Peers and boot out all Life Peers who have paid, bribed and blackmailed this and the last government to get in.

Anonymous said...

Woolly of jumper - woolly of mind

Anonymous said...

"golden_balls said...
So the Conservatives are going to pack the upper house with Tory cronies !
What a good way to start a new Parliament"

Perhaps to even out the packing of the upper house that Labour have been doing for 13 years............

Alternatively, the Tories could remove the titles of all Labour peers since 1997 - but you'd whinge at that´, wouldn't you?

TrickyTree said...

"I think this post was the point where I suddenly realised we need an elected second chamber."

Quite. Last time the people of Britain had the chance to decide whether they wanted Brandreth to represent them, they voted against. But hey, he has friends in high places, so let's give him a job anyway!

Jabba the Cat said...

Richard North for exposing the Pachaurigate scandal and Guido Fawkes for his role in exposing the MP expenses scandal, with an additional gong to Guido for Damian McBride's scalp as well as Derek Draper's.

strapworld said...

In this day and age do you really think Patronage has a place in the governance of this Country?

I want to see directly elected members of the Upper House, the title Lords has to be abolished alongwith Dukes/Viscounts/Barons/Baronesses/
etc.etc.

Let the modern Conservative Party truly establish a Upper House in which the people can have a say, by way of the ballot box, who sits in it.

Perhaps it might be novel to exclude any member of any political party or politician from standing, thus attracting the professional classes and people who have achieved much to the Upper House.

The time has come to wash our hands of patronage!

Conand said...

The Duke of Dictionary Corner in The County of Down A.E.U.Z.D.O.T.D.F

and of course we could have Baroness Vorders too:

My Lords, good luck and the clock starts now.

Jimmy said...

Do they have to live in the UK?

Wrinkled Weasel said...

It's wonderful to see television personalities getting on in politics, especially someone with a fondness for bears.

JohnRS said...

Not sure if any of them would want it, but John Redwood, Michael Portillo - all "sound chaps" who would do a good job. Also Douglas Carswell and Daniel Hannan might be good choices as well. David Davies as I dont think he's got a future in the HoC now.

Moriarty said...

Once again golden balls astounds with his well cultivated sense of humour.

I'd nominate Gordon Brown: for services to the Tory party.

Anonymous said...

Colour by all means but will he be of any serious use? Or just a failed Chester comic turn.

Anonymous said...

John R-- The Member for Monmouth might have other ideas!

Anonymous said...

Sorry Iain, no way. He's not a serious politician or thinker and he doesn't represent any groups that are under-represented. This is an easy no.

Tapestry said...

I suggested you contacted Giles two months ago for your blogging assistant.

Did I start something?

Alfie said...

Lord 'None of the Above' - thanks very much..

700 Lordships are 600 too many. If ANYONE at Westminster had any sort of backbone, the Lords would become a building for a Federal Assembly of 100 people - there to do UK stuff that isn't already taken care of by Brussels or the devolved legislatures.

The Commons could then become an English Parliament and downsized to say 500 EMPs.

There! A bloody fortune saved and Giles Brandreth can stay in gainful employment, dressed in his really cool wooly jumpers and talking for 'Just a Minute' about lots of interesting stuff on the radio....

Talia said...

Giles B once pushed passed me in bus queue in Hammersmith. Despite finding him amusing, I've been mildly disgusted by him ever since.

Anonymous said...

Lord Field for me

Anonymous said...

John Bercow.....
The posibilities are endless!!!!

Pete Wass said...

"I've always thought Lord Dale of Tunbridge Wells had a certain ring to it :)"

Sorry Iain, you'ld look bloody awful in ermine.