Comments on: Lords of the South-East: We The People http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/ Politics, Commentary, Culture, Technology. Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:55:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: ThunderDragon http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-10294 ThunderDragon Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:27:10 +0000 http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/#comment-10294 You are correct - we do indeed need Lords who are aware of all the implications for all areas of the country. But that doesn't mean they have to reside there. And I would also argue that <i>geographical</i> representation is of less importance than a wide range of knowledge and experience covering all areas. ThunderDragon's last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheThunderdragon/~3/383081079/chihuahuas-destruction.html" rel="nofollow">Chihuahuas = Destruction</a> You are correct - we do indeed need Lords who are aware of all the implications for all areas of the country. But that doesn’t mean they have to reside there. And I would also argue that geographical representation is of less importance than a wide range of knowledge and experience covering all areas.

ThunderDragon’s last blog post..Chihuahuas = Destruction

]]> By: Matt Wardman http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-10285 Matt Wardman Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:48:15 +0000 http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/#comment-10285 >Matt, my point is that it doesn’t matter where Lords live. They’re not our representatives, but a check on our representatives. Sorry TD; had a trying day. I'd still make the counter point: we need Lords who are aware of all the implications for all areas of the country, otherwise we end up with position where (for example) decisions can get through made out of a London-centric urban view without understanding (say) the implications for the Somerset Levels or coastal defence. Matt Wardman's last blog post..<a href="http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/bbc-website-graphic-design-and-photography/" rel="nofollow">BBC Website Graphic Design and Photography</a> >Matt, my point is that it doesn’t matter where Lords live. They’re not our representatives, but a check on our representatives.

Sorry TD; had a trying day.

I’d still make the counter point: we need Lords who are aware of all the implications for all areas of the country, otherwise we end up with position where (for example) decisions can get through made out of a London-centric urban view without understanding (say) the implications for the Somerset Levels or coastal defence.

Matt Wardman’s last blog post..BBC Website Graphic Design and Photography

]]> By: ThunderDragon http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-10278 ThunderDragon Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:52:07 +0000 http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/#comment-10278 Matt, my point is that it <b>doesn't matter</b> where Lords live. They're not our representatives, but a check on our representatives. Certainly until the skewed representaion of the people in the Commons - with Scoutland, Wales and NI having legislative bodies of their own, but England not, and the constituencies of the Scottish and Welsh MPs being so much smaller than those in England - is fixed, there simply is no mileage in the complaint that the Lords is "unacceptably dominated" by people who reside in the South-East. ThunderDragon's last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheThunderdragon/~3/383081079/chihuahuas-destruction.html" rel="nofollow">Chihuahuas = Destruction</a> Matt, my point is that it doesn’t matter where Lords live. They’re not our representatives, but a check on our representatives.

Certainly until the skewed representaion of the people in the Commons - with Scoutland, Wales and NI having legislative bodies of their own, but England not, and the constituencies of the Scottish and Welsh MPs being so much smaller than those in England - is fixed, there simply is no mileage in the complaint that the Lords is “unacceptably dominated” by people who reside in the South-East.

ThunderDragon’s last blog post..Chihuahuas = Destruction

]]> By: MattWardman http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-10276 MattWardman Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:52:03 +0000 http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/#comment-10276 My thoughts. 1 - The data looks convincing, being based on declared main "place of residence". 2 - Another good reason not to let MPs keep their houses in London bought by the taxpayer. 3 - Read it and weep: "We had initially hoped to analyse the first half of the postcode of each Peer’s address in order to undertake a comprehensive and more detailed analysis of where Peers reside. However, this information is not in the public domain and the request we made to get this information was declined by the Freedom of Information Officer at the House of Lords, on the basis that “it constitutes personal data of which you are not the data subject”." The first half of a postcode identifies something like (around here anyway) 40,000 to 50,000 people. They might as well refuse to tell us who are MPs are. Rgds Matt My thoughts.

1 - The data looks convincing, being based on declared main “place of residence”.
2 - Another good reason not to let MPs keep their houses in London bought by the taxpayer.
3 - Read it and weep:

“We had initially hoped to analyse the first half of the postcode of each Peer’s address in order to undertake a comprehensive and more detailed analysis of where Peers reside. However, this information is not in the public domain and the request we made to get this information was declined by the Freedom of Information Officer at the House of Lords, on the basis that “it constitutes personal data of which you are not the data subject”.”

The first half of a postcode identifies something like (around here anyway) 40,000 to 50,000 people. They might as well refuse to tell us who are MPs are.

Rgds

Matt

]]> By: tally http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/comment-page-1/#comment-10275 tally Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:42:29 +0000 http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/09/05/lords-of-the-south-east-we-the-people/#comment-10275 The West Lothian Question MK11, Why should a non English Peer of the realm scrutinise English only affairs, bearing in mind Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own legislative bodies that are un- accountable to the Lords? The West Lothian Question MK11, Why should a non English Peer of the realm scrutinise English only affairs, bearing in mind Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own legislative bodies that are un- accountable to the Lords?

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