I was recently discussing with a colleague in the House – an accountant by background – how many accountans and engineers we had in the House. I thought it would make the basis for the quiz. All the questions relate to current members of the House of Lords. As usual, the first two readers to supply the correct answers will be the winners.
1. I am a chartered accountant by background and I went on become an MP and Paymaster General. Who am I?
2. I am a Conservative Baroness: I am an accountant and have served as a Director of the Bank of England. Who am I?
3. I am a Liberal Democrat peer: I am a chartered accountant who has been Chair of KPMG International. Who am I?
4. My doctorate is in electrical engineering and I have been a professor of electrical engineering as well as a university vice-chancellor. Who am I?
5. My Master’s degree was in mechancal sciences and I was a civil engineer. I sit on the Labour benches and take a particular interest in transport. Who am I?
1. Baron Cope of Berkeley
2. Baroness Noakes
3. Baron Sharman
4. Baron Broers
5. Baron Gueterbock (aka Baron Berkeley)
1. Lord Cope of Berkeley (the famous Bentley owner)
2. Baroness Noakes
3. Lord Sharman
4. Lord Broers (even more importantly, Chairman of Diamond Light Source Ltd)
5. Lord Berkeley
I bet Lord Blagger will still ask where the hairdressers are!
Beat you to it.
Now will the Lords get their accountants on to the blog to explain why contractual liabilities are hidden off the books for the same reason Bernie Maddoff used a dodgy accountant?
1. Lord Cope
2. Baroness Noakes
3. Lord Sharman
4. Lord Broers
5. Lord Berkeley
How about hairdressers? The original posed question?
Or you could ask how many MPs kicked out by the electorate, then still dictating to us?
The first is zero, the second, too many to count.
Lord Blagger, the best bit is that the comments above only became visible today!
Dear Lord Blagger,
We have had an interesting discussion about this very point on Lord Norton’s own blog. There are 189 former MPs in the House of Lords. That is approximately a quarter of the Lords membership.
Exactly. Take just one example, Knight. Kicked out by the electorate because they didn’t want him. Foisted on the rest of us with no democratic control.
Going forward the plan no doubt will be party lists or party selection of candidates. Or a combination of token ‘democratically elected’ but chosen by the party, combined with appointments. ie. Its a scam and a sham.
At no point do we ever get asked to decide on an issue. The nearest we’ve been asked is to resolve the argument between the parties as to the method by which they get picked.
End result, we aren’t responsible for the mess. No matter how much Cameron says “we’re in it together”, the truth is completely different.
We’re in it, they aren’t.
e.g. Did you know the Peers are exempt from Money Laundering regulations?
Yes, but the majority of those joined the Lords after retiring from the Commons. Lord Blagger asked how many had been “kicked out by the electorate”.
There are 189 former MPs in the House of Lords.
And probably a few more of a similar ilk who jumped the MP role altogether from local authority mayoralty or long time membership,straight to the HofL, Princess?
It is insoluble to suggest that it can be any other way than the one Blagger objects to. If you understand procedure as politicians usually do, then it is a foregone conclusion.
What is surprising is the a certain number who never do see the procedural implications of the HofL membership whilst being in the other place, due to blnkers of one sort or another. Still the recently ennobbled* John Prescott only took about a year of speechifying in the public tea room before he realised that he would have to take his red leathered seat to defend himself from calumny! Ha! Ha! Ha!
*nobbled no less!