Good plan. Further suggestions? Not-Lord Archole of Weston-Super-mare? There must be others. We’re only on the As.

Good call. I didn’t vote for the House of Lords. They have no mandate, and no legitimacy. Personally I’d be up for denying the validity of the entire chamber, and rejecting the title “Lord” for any of these people. “Senator for life” is not a concept that belongs in a modern democray.

You don’t have to call him Lord, but then you also don’t have to act like a child.

Fair enough, but don’t expect me to refer to Peter Mandelson as a Lord. In fact, if you’re genuinely of leftist inclination, you shouldn’t accept or use such honorifics.

Alisdair

Yes, I am sympathetic to the more general point. I think there was a private members “call me mister” bill way back in the 1970-74 Parliament proposed by the backbench MP Dick Leonard, which proposed simply using ML for Members of the Lords, similar to MP, and more generally curtailing the official uses of titles

Nevertheless, Ashcroft having given and broken his word and secure his peerage, a symbolic mark of specific disrespect towards him seems a good idea

Why has nobody chosen the title Lord Givemestrength?

I read in today’s online newspapers that Tony Blair is to be given a role in the lead up to the general election.

In between the Chamber and Grand Chamber judgments in the Prisoners Votes Case, on 9 March 2005, Tony Blair told the House of Commons: “The current position in law is that convicted prisoners are not able to vote, and that will remain the position under this Government”.

In contrast, the renamed Lord Bach(side), because he talks out of his arse, on 17 March 2010 told the House of Lords: “The Government remain committed to implementing the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in Hirst v UK (No 2)”.

Neil Robertson has blogged that because prisoners are being denied their human right to vote, he will not, as a matter of conscience, be casting his vote as a token of support.

One of the arguments advanced for not allowing prisoners the vote is that it is claimed that they have breached the social contract.

However, Ashcroft breached the contract to be not only domiciled in this country but also pay his taxes and in return he would get a seat in the House of Lords.

During the recent debate in the House of Lords on whether Lords should get the vote, Viscount Tenby stated that prisoners should rightly be given the vote. It follows that prisoners are wrongly being denied the vote.

There is about a 3 weeks window of opportunity in which what has been denied for over 5 years can be rectified.

How about joining this campaign, all those out there who have got a conscience?

I don’t use the term anyway, unless talking about characters from ‘Star Wars’, Tolkein or ‘Doctor Who’. It’s an anachronism.

Ditto ‘Sir’.

One point which I have never understood is why Ashcroft sought and was given a life peerage.

Now that they no longer sit in the Lords, I don’t see why there should be any more objection to the creation of hereditary peerages than there is to any other honour. (In fact, aren’t there a couple of hereditaries in the Commons?)

Since I presume Ashcroft doesn’t actually want to sit on the Tory front bench asking or answering questions about whatever it is peers do talk about this would seem to offer a way out to all concerned. He could even be called Viscount Belize, if that floats his boat.

Alternatively, I have a proposal for that those who say they want the House of Lords abolished but then accept peerages. I would make it compulsory that these people are referred to by by their full title at all times. For example, farewell Roy, Helena and Melvyn and hello to:

Baron Hattersley of Sparkbrook

Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws

Baron Bragg of Wigton

( this would obviously not apply to Non-Lord Ashcroft)

I would take it further and apply the rule to those who accept Ks, then insist their title is never used, it shoud be compulsory to use it at all times.

e.g. hello, SIR Simon Jenkins, SIR Howard Davies (when Davies was at the FSA he had a ‘swear box’ type thing there for any employees who referred to as ‘ Sir Howard’)

Was Stephen Byers hoping to get kicked upstairs?
Sorry, not relevant, but we should celebrate his return to prominence in some way.