Back Home And A Letter From A Lord!

[withnail]

Hi All,
We got back from a few days down on the South Coast, visiting a good friend today (which is why I haven't been posting for a little while). Waiting for me was a letter from Lord Stoddart of Swindon on some rather nice "House of Lords" headed paper. When I first heard about the British Medical Association suggestion that smoking in cars should be banned because they claimed the level of toxins in an enclosed space are much more dangerous, I wrote to both my Member of Parliament and also to Lord Stoddart.
For those interested, his reply was;

Thank you for your communication concerning a proposal by the BMA to ban smoking in private vehicles.
I have, in the past, opposed the various anti smoking legislation introduced by successive governments at the behest of bigoted organisations and individuals and will certainly oppose any future legislation to ban smoking in private vehicles and any other similar proposals. Indeed, I have already made my views on this subject known to Earl Howe, the Spokesman on health in the House of Lords, at a recent meeting I had with him concerning the whole issue of smoking restrictions.
Yours Sincerely,

Lord Stoddart of Swindon

So, it is certainly worth taking the time to get in touch with those in a position to resist such changes to the law. If you live in the UK and want to get involved - see the earlier thread - http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/smoking-ban-in-cars-uk-a-step-too-far

 

[riptide]

Very Cool. All I got back from my Senator is Campaign hype.

 

[withnail]

I know that non British (and for that matter quite a few Brits too) think that having a non-elected House of Lords is a very old fashioned thing to still have in the 21 Century. For me - one HUGE advantage is that they don't need to raise funds and accept donations. They can be about as independent as it is possible to be and vote on issues based on the merits rather than with an eye on future fund raising or a nice job when they leave.

 

[olderthandirt]

Kudos to ya withnail!

Similar efforts frequently meet with results such as riptides, I know most of my letter writing has.
But your effort struck gold in that it provides fuel for a representative already in our corner. And those are all too few!
BTW, what type of representation or influence does a Lord have in your government?
ETA: You answered my question before I even posted it!

 

[withnail]

Even though Lord Stoddart is a non-smoker, he is an associate member of the Houses of Parliament Pipe and Cigar Club and I had read that he has opposed laws that cut into peoples right to choose in the past, which is why I wrote to him.
England has The House of Commons, which is made up of 650 members who are voted for at a general election. The leader of the largest party, or coalition of parties, after an election becomes the Prime Minister and that party sets the agenda of laws and decisions to be made.
Any new law must pass a vote in the House of Commons, and then goes to the House of Lords. The Lords can suggest changes and can even vote against a new law. If that happens, it goes back to the Commons and if the ruling party decides they can overturn the vote of the House of Lords. So, in effect they have very little power as their votes can be overturned. However, the Commons usually take note of what has been said in the debates in the House of Lords and will usually make some changes to make the new legislation more appealing. The House of Lords acts as a check against any extreme measures of the House of Commons. The two together are called the Houses of Parliament.
Hope that very brief description of the English system of Government makes sense! It is more complicated these days as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now all have their own Parliaments that can vote on issues that effect their own countries (eg health, education, transport). Of course, England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland together become the United Kingdom or Great Britain.

 

[admin]

It's great to see there are still a few politicians that have a clue.

 

[baronsamedi]

Quite interesting to know about the British Governmental process too.

 

[lordnoble]

The part I REALLY dig about the British political system is when the MP's call out the Prime Minister in the House of Commons. I wish we had that.
-Jason

 

[tobakenist]

Dam, I'll have to keep the ashtray in my Rolls Royce.

 

[ssjones]

That is an interesting reply and one you would most likely not receive from a US politician (I love the use of "bigoted"). Good point on US politicians spending more time and effort to run for reelection than actual legislative work. My wife works for a MD State Senator, so I've had a firsthand look at what running an election takes (away from legislative efforts....). Our system could use a few tweaks for use. Keep us posted on what happens with this ridiculous and "bigoted" proposal.

 

[withnail]

Ssjones - Sadly my comments about fund raising only apply to the House of Lords rather than the House of Commons (the ones we vote for). Fund raising has become pretty much the same both sides of the Atlantic now.
----------------------------------------------------------
On a slight aside - new laws have come into effect regarding the sale of cigarettes in Europe. They must all now conform to the "reduced ignition propensity" requirements (notice that the initials are RIP - coincidence??). Basically it means that any cigarette that is put down and not actively smoked must go out rather than keep burning. The idea is that it will reduce the number of house fires caused by dropped cigarettes.
Anyone interested in the story should look at the BBC News item - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15754934

 

[tslex]

On the one hand, great that this fellow is on the right side of this issue.
[OTOH, I simply cannot imagine calling another human being "Lord." But I'll hush.]

 

[withnail]

Tslex - Don't want this thread to go off on too much of a tangent, but members of the House of Lords these days have what is called a "Life Peerage". In the old days when someone was made a Lord (or Baroness if female), their oldest male child would inherit the title on their death. Now, someone like Alan Sugar (who made his name with Amstrad and is the business man who fronts the UK version of "The Apprentice") is made a Lord for his services to industry. However, the title wont pass on to anyone after his death.
I agree that the actual word "Lord" is rather old fashioned, but it is, these days, given to people who have excelled in their field.

 

[tslex]

Agreed, Whitnail. I will not hijack the thread with my -- shall we say "ardent"? -- anti-royalist rabble rousing. Great that you've found a supporter in the legislature, whatever it's called.

 

[tobakenist]

I think Lord tslex has a ring to it.

 

[withnail]

:clap: Tobakenist - Lord Tslex of the Pipe.

 

[tobakenist]

Lord of the bog pipe ?