Former Plaid Cymru leader Dafydd Wigley is set to return to front line politics as one of the first party members to be nominated for a peerage.
He is one of three party members put forward to enter the House of Lords as party nominees for the first time.
The other nominees are another former Assembly Member, Janet Davies, and economic adviser Eurfyl ap Gwilym.
Great stuff.
6 comments:
They are not the first, Lord Elis-Thomas (now the Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly) has been a peer since 1992. He had been a PC MP from 1974-1992.
He is also the SNP's "unofficial" spokesman in the Lords as the SNP refuses to have any members in an unelected chamber. There have been rumours that former Presiding Officer George Reid might take a peerage on the condition that he is not a party member. From what I read he has not revived his membership of the party since he became an independent when elected the Presiding Officer in 2003.
If the SNP had nominated peers, then you would probably have now Lady Ewing (no explanation), Lord (Gordon) Wilson and possibly the former SNP-vice President Paul Scott, the historian and journalist who before his retirement was a leading British diplomat (retired as UK Consul-General and Minister in Milan).
One of the more comical appointments to the Lords I have thought was of Gerry Fitt. He ended up being Lord Fitt despite entering the Commons in the sixties under the official title of being a "Socialist Republican".
He is also the SNP's "unofficial" spokesman in the Lords as the SNP refuses to have any members in an unelected chamber.
Which, in terms of their political philosophy is a more consistent approach although,don't get me wrong, as a Unionist I positively welcome PC's pragmatic approach!!
Gerry Fitt obviously wasn't the first socialist to forget his principles and sit in the Lords, I think it was an attempt to keep him in the frontline of politics after Sinn Fein intimidated him out of politics. He probably achieved more constructive good being there than SF have achieved in twenty years of boycotting the HOC
I'd applaud Fitt and PC over SF and the SNP any day. I don't think it's hypocritical to recognise the reality of working the system in which you find yourself, even if your goal is to ultimately reform it. It doesn't have quite the same romantic appeal, but pragmatic decisions rarely do.
If you quoted the rest of the article you'd see the reason for Plaid sending Lords - namely that the GoW 2006 Act gives the Lords power to veto any Welsh legislation (which it cannot do for Uk legislation).
Plaid still oppose the House of Lords and, as far as I can see,m still campaign for it to be reformed. But while it is there, they should use it. Just as they send MP's to London even though they don;t want an UK Parliament!
If you quoted the rest of the article you'd see the reason for Plaid sending Lords....
It's not like I've tried to hide it though, it is on the link I posted!!
I know, just thought it important to point it out, hardly the indication of Plaid embracing the UK to the detriment of independence is it!
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