Forum Topic

Meritocracy

Just one success after another this bloke. Selfmade man, you know. Well done, Boris. Start as you mean to carry on."Zac Goldsmith handed life peerage and keeps environment role Former Richmond Park MP lost seat in election to Lib Dems by nearly 8,000 votes.""Goldsmith, the son of the billionaire businessman James Goldsmith, is a long-time ally of Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds. His London mayoral campaign was accused of being racist and Islamophobic for trying to suggest that Labour’s Sadiq Khan had links with terrorists and extremists.The shadow cabinet office minister, Jon Trickett, said: “It says everything you need to know about Boris Johnson’s respect for democracy that he has ignored the voters of Richmond Park and appointed Goldsmith to government.”“The public deserve better than a government appointed by ‘jobs for mates’. At a time when the Conservatives are investigating racism in their party, they’ve appointed the person who ran an overtly racist campaign against Sadiq Khan. Zac Goldsmith is not fit to hold any government position.”"https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/19/zac-goldsmith-handed-life-peerage-and-keeps-environment-role

David Ainsworth ● 2518d10 Comments

Yet another Guardian article bashing the Conservatives. 🥱 Your hatred of Boris is becoming an unhealthy obsession.  Give it a rest and stop dominating the forum with your tedious vitriol.

Sue Hammond ● 2518d

I'm sorry Zac lost his seat in Richmond, he is a very decent honest chap and cares very much for the environment.  I'm guessing the Lib Dem vote was because there are a lot of Remainers in his constituency.Getting a bit tired of all this inverted snobbery, just because a person comes from a wealthy family, he (or she) does not HAVE to work as a public servant, they can whatever they like.  But they take an interest in local issues and are doing the bit in paying back for their lucky upbringings. They have also had excellent educations... and before anyone starts, so have many Champagne Socialists who have been to and send their children to fee paying public schools.Can't see the Ecclestones saying and doing the same thing.

Bunny Payne ● 2518d

David I agree with you on this and hopefully Nicky Morgan and that Chackrabati women in the shadow cabinet will also be ditched.

Andy Pike ● 2518d

Irrespective of his background or our own political views surely you can see that it is a tad hypocritical for the leader of the self-styled “people’s parliament” that he himself described as “much more democratic” than the last one in his recent parliamentary speech to be appointing a close ally and apparently personal friend to the Lords so that he can carry on in his ministerial job after being voted out as an MP? I would have thought with all those new Tory MPs Johnson could have found a competent up and coming MP to replace him who had actually been elected?And as you are happy with this appointment I assume you were also happy with the way Tony Blair appointed associates to the Lords so that they could take up Cabinet posts? (Adonis and Falconer come to mind). If not then please explain why Goldsmith’s appointment (and Nicky Morgan’s for that matter) are different in this case. Personally I find all such cronyism detestable and undemocratic whichever party is doing it.BTW for the record I’m a floating voter, I have voted for all three main English political parties (Lib, Lab and Con) in my time, so my comments are not coming from an ideological point of view left or right.

Caroline Woodley ● 2518d

Shami Chakrabarti wasn't made a life peer a few days after being defeated in an election, as Goldsmith was. Obviously political parties can appoint who they like to the Lords, but the Goldsmith case is pretty gross and indicative of the cavalier way this Johnson/Cummings government goes about its business.

Peter Evans ● 2518d

Dead right it was a few days after giving the all clear on her anti semitism report.  No matter what the timing it's a pretty poor show appointing an outsider when there are hundreds of elected members on either side of the house.

Andy Pike ● 2518d

I would have thought Ms Chakrabarti was appointed to the House of Lords because of her knowledge and experience gained from her time as Director of Liberty and as a human rights activist? I'm not sure what Ms Morgan and Mr Goldsmith are bringing to the House of Lords other than their support of the current government, but happy to have that explained and corrected if I'm wrong. Of course, most appointments of this nature have some political aspect to them. Perhaps the real people who add value to the house of Lords are people like Lord Sugar and Baroness Lane-Fox who bring their experience from business and technology to Parliament?

Michael Ixer ● 2518d

I still shudder at the timing of appointing Ms Chakrabarti to the Lords. I thought that it looked too much like a reward, and that this action would actually devalue her report (and her other work). As an expert, she could help the Labour Party in her field, without having to become a Peer. If you are involved in national debates on sensitive and strongly felt questions, I think that you should avoid accepting any such offers, which can be portrayed in a negative light, especially when, over the years, you will have made some political enemies as well as friends.

David Ainsworth ● 2518d

David Be it Morgan chakrabati goldsmith or any other I think wd have found a subject we agree on.Your contributions are always thought provoking and clearly educated. Have a good xmas and new year

Andy Pike ● 2518d

Thank you for that. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too. I found earler that I was agreeing with you over on the discussion of risk in the Whirlpool debate. Obviously such a situation cannot continue. I suggest that we finish the game of football and return to our respective deep trenches as soon as possible.

David Ainsworth ● 2518d