The oldest MP in the Commons?
That would be a certain Ian Richard Kyle Paisley…. Found in the members FAQs by Bob Wilson, long a member of this secular parish…
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Propaganda of Peace: Media and culture during the peace process
Extract from Greg McLaughlin and Stephen Baker: The Propaganda of Peace: The Role of Media and Culture in the Northern Ireland Peace Process. Bristol: Intellect Books. 2010. Political opponents Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness were confirmed as First Minister and Deputy First Minister of a new executive in May 2007, closing yet another chapter in [...] read our review »
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Wow, that site was updated quickly. The Rev. is indeed now the oldest, following the death today of Piara Khabra, Indian-born MP for Ealing Southall.
Out of interest Mick, am I allowed to comment on this thread concerning Papa Croc’s age, or will I again be wordlessly banned?
Winable by-election for the LibDems in Southall.
Callous? Cruel? Nope, the more you know about Piara Khabra and the ruthless way he wrested control of the Southall Labour Party and dumped on Labour veteran Reg Varney back in the early ’90s, the less you care about the fact the old @*!# is dead.
Samuel has election fever yet again.
Fill us in on the stats.
He must now be senile?
Well maybe that might explain why he has signed up to the instutitions as laid out per the GFA, the GFA architecture built on the inter-state consultative measures contained within the Anglo-Irish Agreement; both of which deals Paisley Snr walked out over but now he seems to be taking up the reigns of something he has always shouted down as utter anathema to him.
In conclusion: political agitator for political power purposes only. No substance, no principles, no direction; he just wants to hang on in there.
His time will come for a devine dispatchment to the earth. Although, just like ‘peace’ in Northern Ireland it will be 30 years too late for a u-turning agitator of immeasurable proportions.
WN,
You already know the answer to that question, otherwise you would not be asking.
I was playing the “Buzz” with my kids on the Playstation the other night (gameshow style thing). One of the games is to get four words in the right order. One of the sequences that came up was
Kyle Paisley Ian Richard
Forget being First Minister, once you’ve made it onto the Playstation you know you’ve really arrived!
Fill us in on the stats.
Lab 22,937
LD 11,497
Con 10,147
Green 2,175
Workers’ Revolutionary Party 289
The LibDems had a very disappointing set of local elections in 2006 though.
The Lib Dems also had a bad local election in 2007 and are going nowhere under Sir Ming.
I think its bound to go Labour unless Gordon manages to do spectacularly badly in his first days in office.
Don’t rule out the Workers Party
When you score with a chick in a nightclub bar
Drive her home in your groovy little car
Then you find you went to school with her Ma and Pa
You’re the oldest swinger in town
When you daren’t look in a mirror by the light of day
Try to dye it when your hair turns grey
When you zip up your chinos and your belly’s in the way
You’re the oldest swinger in town,
I have just watched him keeping everyone entertained in the Committee. Martin McGuinness laughing away at one of his jokes. Ian Paisley makes for a fascinating character. Who would have predicted what he did this year? And who would have predicted the way he has done it? I don’t think anyone expects him to be into the details, and he has surrounded himself with an able team, so as long as the team get things sorted, and keeps his sense of humour, he seems to do ok.
“he has surrounded himself with an able team, so as long as the team get things sorted, and keeps his sense of humour, he seems to do ok”
He is certainly very affable and has a greater depth of character that will easily dwarf McGuinness’ manoeuvres; but its indicative of the infancy of Northern Ireland politics whereby we have as DFM a former terrorist who has a prosaic personality who has joined at his side an aged relic of Hindenberg proportions, seemingly the leader of Protestant Unionism, yet backed up by his son on the other side to stop any senile slurring from the old man of independent orange order-ism, presbyterian-ism and indeed unionism-ism.
As it is then – nepotism and terrorism side by side on one bench, and that’s Northern Ireland democracy for us or perhaps the use of its mechanisms in order to give us people leadership that we deserve.
Please it’s pathetic to witness such consociational carve-ups which is only serving to curb political vision and innovation.
Time for change.
Funy thing is a Protestant friend of mine said his full name is “Ian Richard Aaron Kyle Paisley” otherwise known as IRA KP or Lundy for short. Seems not everthing is rosey in the Unionist household. The link only names him as Ian Paisley but I’ll take your word and assume that you have checked his name.
On a more important note to all of us here in the North, when Ian moves to cloud base does anyone know if we will all get a day of work? (some to celebrate and some to cry).
I saw paisley being asked if his attitude to his Deputy had changed and he replied, tongue distinctly in cheek: “Nothing has changed. Not an inch. No surrender”
Then he laughed. Marty laughed too.
I think he was taking the piss out of someone. Who?
Himself?
All those who followed him?
..I’ll have some of what Nationalist is smoking..
I WONDER do you not know smoking is bad for you?
Ian has taken the piss out of everyone. He has got what he always wanted – to be the laterday Carson, no matter the cost 3500 lives lost, 1000s going to jail, and many more 1000s injured and a people truely divided.
Paisley’s legacy to the people of the north.
Sammy Sammy Sammy
I’m assuming your post was a challenge not a cock up. Reg Varney was an “actor”. Syd Bidwell was the Labour MP for Southall de-selected at the age of 75.
The Lib Dems also had a bad local election in 2007 and are going nowhere under Sir Ming.
I meant locally in Ealing, where the by-election is taking place.
I think its bound to go Labour unless Gordon manages to do spectacularly badly in his first days in office.
Have you ever been involved in a GB by-election campaign, especially a LibDem one? The Liberals and LibDems have always specialised in these and to some extent the national picture is irrelevant. They have won much less promising seats in much more difficult political times.
I’d make the LibDems favourites for this one at this stage.
And if you think I’m cynical, apparently Labour did a lot of phone canvassing in Southall last weekend, i.e. before Khabra died. Now that’s beyond the pale, even for me.
I’m assuming your post was a challenge not a cock up. Reg Varney was an “actorâ€. Syd Bidwell was the Labour MP for Southall de-selected at the age of 75.
You are much too kind. It was a cock up, pure and simple.
Mind you *On the Buses* was a product of Labour Britain in the late 60s?
Reg Varney did seem too good to be true.
I think everyone will throw the kitchen sink at this one. Labour by 1,500.
For all you history buffs, this is not the first time that the North Antrim constituency has provided the Father of the House of Commons. Following the Westminster Election of 25 October 1951, Sir Robert William Hugh O’Neill became Father of the House. He held the title until he resigned his seat in 1952. The parallels may not end there, O’Neill was succeeded by his son, Phelim, in the subsequent by-election.
There was an Eric Varney, energy sec under Harold Wilson I think.
But Reg Varney…..
Ding Ding!
“Sir Robert William Hugh O’Neill”. The Hugh O’Neill bit was obviously a bit of an embarrassment to the family.
More pedantry from me.
The Doc is not yet Father of the House, that honour falls to Alan Williams. Still it’s only a matter of time.
Father of the House is not a straigtforward doyen d’âge – the title falls to the member with the longest continuous service (I think). In that case Paisley’s claim would only back to January 1986. If actually doing any work in the place were a determining factor…..
“Father of the House is a title which is by tradition given to the most senior backbench Member of the House of Commons. This is usually the MP who has the longest unbroken service in the Commons. If two or more MPs entered the House at the same election each with unbroken service, their seniority is determined by the time of the original taking of the oath. The title is a fairly recent one. The first printed record of the phrase occurs in 1888, though there is an engraved portrait of Whitshed Keen MP by Charles Picart, dated 1st February 1816, subtitled “Father of the House of Commonsâ€. The sole duty of the Father of the House is to preside over the House of Commons at the election of a Speaker but he may also be called upon in debates of an historical or ceremonial nature. Currently the Father of the House is the Rt Hon Alan Williams who has been an MP since 1964. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M3 on the UK Parliament website.”
And as james reminds us, Paisley’s service was broken in 1986 when he resigned to fight his Anglo-Irish Agreement by-election. So he won’t be becoming father of the house any time soon.
In Germany, where it goes to the oldest MP regardless of length of service, he would be. But that’s a different matter.
“Slugger o’toole admin” …. golly gosh, and just when you thought this place couldn’t get any more pompous. Tedious as it must be to have questions asked of you, you could actually try to answer – why was I wordlessly banned from this site?
You never struck me as an On the Buses man, Sammy.
I’d happily bet on a narrow Lib Dem by-election victory in Southall, just as in Brent East. Pity I’m morally opposed to gambling.
Actually, Crow, the Father of the House is the longest continously sitting MP, not the oldest Member.
My mistake. It seems odd that the Baby of the House is the youngest member but the Father is the longest serving. It does seem a title is required for the oldest member, perhaps the Geriatric of the House?
So Whatever Next was banned. That’s good to hear. At least he isn’t being as loopy now he’s back so maybe it worked.
Yeah, yeah, I’m loopy. I’m also still wondering why Mick Fealty (?) wordlessly banned me. Odd business. Still, why bother answering questions you don’t like? If Marty McG won’t, why should anyone?
So still no explanation given for the wordless ban. eh? Fair enough Mick, but that’s at least as telling about you as it is about me.
I mean, was it a fit of pique? Did someone else do it, and you’re blushing on their behalf, hence the absence of an answer? It’s a boring puzzle, but a puzzle nonetheless: so once again, why exactly the wordless ban?