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 :)
Great idea for Brandreth.
ReplyDeleteLord Field of Birkenhead would be my choice :D
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.
ReplyDeleteNot 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.
ReplyDeleteIt'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.
For the purposes of Nostalgia, I fancy sitting in the Lords again; miss the old place, don't you know.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind at all if I am nominated, provided there are no objections from New Labour of course. :-)
Lord Boris - then we could have a new double act!
ReplyDeleteThe Right Honourable Iain Campbell Baron Tunbridge. Lord Tunbridge. What about that?
ReplyDeleteResurrect territorial titles! Surname titls are so boring. :-)
Matthew Parris
ReplyDeleteAfter his totally unexpected triumph on Question Time I might be tempted to nominate Lord Madley :)
ReplyDeleteYes just what is a required for a reviewing and scrutiny chamber - two (more) lightweight yes men (or loyal as you call them)
ReplyDeleteI think this post was the point where I suddenly realised we need an elected second chamber.
ReplyDelete"and it is easy to imagine him becoming a minister at the DCMS"
ReplyDeleteThis 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.
Surely, arise Lord Guido of Fawkes. All that subsidised booze would keep him from digging the dirt on the new government.
ReplyDeleteMore 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.
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.
ReplyDeleteYes 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.
So the Conservatives are going to pack the upper house with Tory cronies !
ReplyDeleteWhat a good way to start a new Parliament.
Lord Guido Fawkes!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou've got to admit it would be funny
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."
ReplyDeleteI thought Cameron wanted to reduce the number of MPs. Imagine what it would look if the lower house shrinks and the upper house expands!
ReplyDeleteNo 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.
ReplyDeleteWoolly of jumper - woolly of mind
ReplyDelete"golden_balls said...
ReplyDeleteSo 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?
"I think this post was the point where I suddenly realised we need an elected second chamber."
ReplyDeleteQuite. 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!
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.
ReplyDeleteIn this day and age do you really think Patronage has a place in the governance of this Country?
ReplyDeleteI 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!
The Duke of Dictionary Corner in The County of Down A.E.U.Z.D.O.T.D.F
ReplyDeleteand of course we could have Baroness Vorders too:
My Lords, good luck and the clock starts now.
Do they have to live in the UK?
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to see television personalities getting on in politics, especially someone with a fondness for bears.
ReplyDeleteNot 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.
ReplyDeleteOnce again golden balls astounds with his well cultivated sense of humour.
ReplyDeleteI'd nominate Gordon Brown: for services to the Tory party.
Colour by all means but will he be of any serious use? Or just a failed Chester comic turn.
ReplyDeleteJohn R-- The Member for Monmouth might have other ideas!
ReplyDeleteSorry 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.
ReplyDeleteI suggested you contacted Giles two months ago for your blogging assistant.
ReplyDeleteDid I start something?
Lord 'None of the Above' - thanks very much..
ReplyDelete700 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....
Giles B once pushed passed me in bus queue in Hammersmith. Despite finding him amusing, I've been mildly disgusted by him ever since.
ReplyDeleteLord Field for me
ReplyDeleteJohn Bercow.....
ReplyDeleteThe posibilities are endless!!!!
"I've always thought Lord Dale of Tunbridge Wells had a certain ring to it :)"
ReplyDeleteSorry Iain, you'ld look bloody awful in ermine.