There was an interesting debate today, the second reading of the Bill to change the succession to the throne, so that the oldest child succeeds, regardless of gender, and to end the bar on marriage to a Catholic. Some peers also raised the issue of hereditary titles and the property that may attach to them also descending to the oldest child, not the oldest son. In a lighthearted aside, Lord Lucas speculated on whether titles matter any more. He reminisced that when his wife, not using the noble title, tried to book a table at the very well known celebrity London restaurant, the Ivy, she was told they were full. But when she tried again in the name of the peer, she got a table.
That reminded me of how my former secretary tried every year to get a table at the Ivy for the day of my daughter’s birthday. Every year we were turned down, even when we phoned 3 months ahead. I thought that when I become a Dame, as I did a few years ago, that would do the trick. That did not help either. Exasperated, my secretary said, “But she is a Governor of the BBC!” Reply from The Ivy, “She can go on the waiting list for a table at 5.30” on the wrong day.
When we finally got there, courtesy of some help from others, there was not a celebrity to be seen. The food was nothing special and the guests weren’t very smart either. Ah well.
I shall avoid the Ivy, and even people who mention it. I shan’t avoide R3.
Apparently Maggie T lives in the Ritz for much of the week as did Dennis in the 1980s-90s, always being available to natter with passers by.
I can think of far worse places to pass the day in retirement. Perhaps if she had been sitting in there when Pinochet turned up, he might have suffered rather less at the hands of Jack Straw, or the Appeal court fees!
Which school did you go to? For someone who criticizes other people’s punctuation yours is pretty dire.
Couple that with a self invented jargon and its unreadable.
Nobody else seeing intentional satire? OK, just me then.
The Ivy is an over rated, over priced haunt, of those seeking to climb socially. To stoop to its merchandising tactics shows an enormous lack of common sense.
Unless you have the mentality of the Middletons of course. What an apt name that is.
Ha!Ha!
It seems the good people over at “Legal Cheek” have a rather poor sense of humour. Who would have thought that of lawyers?
However, lets get into the ‘law’ and discuss Jury duty.
A well known lady has to once again face a court trial in order to ‘prove’ she was taken in by an odd vindictive husband. His tastes being decidedly peculiar, one wonders why he didn’t have his mistress take the wrap in points for him. Surely she would have been more willing to oblige. Aren’t mistresses so inclined?
Regardless, this woman must face enormous humiliation again because we do not have those amongst us capapble of understanding the law as it is, or, the fact that a person has a right to be tried by their peers. Twelve good men and true.
Political policy has led this country into a facsimile of a kangaroo court where those who are to bring judgment against one are inadequately educated in both the culture it finds itself within or the language that is spoken within it. Blair and the criminals who brought this situation on our nation, against its will and behind its back, should face the gallows.