-Caveat Lector- Lords Miffed Over Essay Contest By ROBERT BARR .c The Associated Press LONDON (AP) - In 75 words or less, why would you like to be in the House of Lords? That's the question for hereditary members of the Lords before an election this fall to select the lucky few who will keep their seats. To some, it smacks of a cereal-box competition. ``I should remain a lord because ...,'' read Wednesday's headline in The Times. ``The whole thing is ludicrous,'' says Lord Mancroft, a Conservative peer. ``What do I include - my inside leg measurement?'' Brief essays did not win Lord Mancroft his seat in the Lords, the upper house of Parliament. He's there because his grandfather, Arthur Michael Samuel Mancroft, was given a hereditary peerage in 1937 after long service in the House of Commons. The House of Lords has little power. But it can amend bills from the House of Commons, thereby delaying legislation that otherwise might sail through Parliament when the governing party has a huge majority - like Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party. Blair is determined to eliminate all the 755 hereditary peers from the House of Lords. That would leave more than 500 other members of the House - mostly life peers, appointed as a reward for their work, but also archbishops of the Church of England. There are hardly any Labor supporters among the sundry dukes, marquesses, earls, countesses, viscounts, barons, baronesses and other bluebloods who inherited their seats. The 471 Conservatives in the Lords include 299 hereditary peers, compared to 176 Labor members, of whom just 18 inherited their titles. The rest of the hereditary peers are affiliated with other parties or sit independently. The election is an interim step that will allow the hereditary peers to choose 92 of their number to keep their seats for a while. Candidates will not be allowed to print posters, bombard their fellow lords with leaflets or otherwise campaign to keep their seats. They may submit only their 75 words by Oct. 21, to be published in the Lords Library. The election date has yet to be set. News of the 75-word limit naturally inspired some mirth. Columnist Giles Coren, writing in The Times, offered a model essay: ``Am proactive self-starter with good working knowledge of estate management, horsemanship, dithering, dribbling and claret drinking ... Have experience in the intricacies of the tax system - specifically in relation to inheritance tax loopholes - and seller's knowledge of the art market.'' For Earl Ferrers, 13th in a line going back to 1711, even 75 words was a bit much. ``People ought to know the peers for whom they wish to vote without people having to tout themselves around their colleagues to show how eminently electable they are,'' he said. Indeed, some of their noble lords are exceedingly reticent. The diary column of The Guardian newspaper recently has been highlighting some of the 168 lords who have yet to speak in the chamber. They include the Duke of Leinster, silent for 27 years; the Earl of Normanton, who took his seat 32 years ago, and two peers who have been in the house for 45 years - the Earl of Coventry and the Marquess of Abergavenny. Lord Onslow, 7th in a line going back to 1801, accepted the 75-word limit as a challenge. ``There is a great deal to be said for brevity,'' he said. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
