The prime minister's office has issued an apology after false claims by David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, writes Kevin Meagher.
The contrasts between David Cameron and Gerry Adams could not be more stark. While Cameron was sitting his A-Levels at Eton, Gerry Adams assumed the presidency of Sinn Fein – after spending is own youth locked in guerrilla war with the British state. In order to lead Sinn Fein’s campaign in the forthcoming general election in the Republic, Adams is standing for the Dail in the Louth constituency. Relinquishing his West Belfast Westminster seat, however, has triggered a frisson of excitement among parliamentary anoraks at the manner of his departure.
As is well known, Sinn Fein Members elect not to sit in the House of Commons due to their refusal to swear the oath of allegiance to the British Crown (and also because they regard it as a ‘foreign’ parliament).
Members retiring their seats between elections are, however, obliged, under archaic parliamentary tradition, to apply for an Office of Profit under The Crown before they can stand down.
These procedural devices see retiring MPs granted the procedural title ‘Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead’ or ‘Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham’. Eschewing the fripperies of British parliamentary tradition, Adams signalled his intention to resign with a simple letter to Speaker Bercow.
Cue much chortling from British politics’ public schoolboy fraternity, with David Cameron telling Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds at yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions:
“I’m not sure that Gerry Adams will be delighted to be Baron of the Manor of Northstead. But nonetheless I’m pleased that tradition has been maintained.”
But it appears that Adams – who neither sought nor accepts the antiquated title – has had the last laugh. Last night the Speaker’s office confirmed that Adams has now been disqualified as a Member of Parliament, as per his original intention. Meanwhile Adams claims that the prime minister’s private secretary apologised to him for David Cameron’s point-scoring.
A statement released by Gerry Adams last night reads:
“The only contact I have had with the British Parliament is a letter I posted to them last Thursday.
“That letter said:
‘A chara [equivalent of “Dear Sir”), I hereby resign as MP for the constituency of west Belfast. Go raibh maith agat [thank-you very much]. Gerry Adams.’
“When I was told of the British Prime Minister’s remarks today this was the first I heard of this development. I understand Mr. Cameron has claimed that ‘The Honourable Member for West Belfast has accepted an office for profit under the Crown.”
“This is untrue. I simply resigned. I was not consulted nor was I asked to accept such an office. I am an Irish republican. I have had no truck whatsoever with these antiquated and quite bizarre aspects of the British parliamentary system.
“I am proud to have represented the people of West Belfast for almost three decades and to have done so without pledging allegiance to the English Queen or accepting British parliamentary claims to jurisdiction in my country.
“Mr. Cameron’s announcement that I have become Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, wherever that is, is a bizarre development. I am sure the burghers of that Manor are as bemused as me. I have spoken to the Prime Minister’s private secretary today and he has apologised for today’s events.”
With Sinn Fein polling strongly south of the border – tying for third place with governing party Fianna Fail – the prospect of Mr Adams’s party making an historic breakthrough and emerging as part of the government in both parts of the island of Ireland is now a real possibility.
Perhaps his sneering schoolboy critics will shortly wish he had stayed where he was.
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58 Responses to “Manor of his departure sees Adams receive apology from Cameron”
Liathain
Ach we all a had a good chuckle and made various jokes about Gerry being more of a C(o)unt than a baron but this story is really about procedure and not actual politics (although the vitriol coming from some SF reps is in itself noteworthy).
Still it’s helpful from SF’s point of view to talk about this as it’s familiar solid ground for them. Less familiar ground for them (as evidenced by Adam’s stunning economic illiteracy) is actual politics.
Less than a week into the election campaign in the Irish Republic;
Gerry revealed that he doesn’t know what the Republics Child Benefit rate is or the Vat rate (or indeed how the budget impacts on it).
He also got the name of the Irish banks wrong and suggested that after acting “unilaterally” SF “would negotiate with the bond market”.
SF agreed to fast track the Finance Bill through in order to secure an early election then u-turned and called the fast tracking a ‘grubby deal’
In fact SF described the negotiations on the Republic’s Finance Bill as being crucial for the Republic, went along to the negotiations and got kicked out. Once kicked out they refused to leave and then having left the meeting they refused to return. This is of course after they voted for the banks to be bailed out in the first place.
SF are flopping more, and have as much economic insight as a hooked fish.
Etonion guffaws are nothing new and nor are they restricted to one side of the HoC.
Mark Stevo
Well quite Liathain. One also suspects that he’ll find the Mexicans a bit less willing to indulge his “I had nothing to do with the IRA” line. Not that it matters much, he’ll be elected easily enough I would have thought.
Anon E Mouse
Shamik – If the PM misled the house then it should, quite rightly, be reported on this fine blog. Just as Gordon Brown and his “Boom and Bust” misleading was also reported.
What I find utterly objectionable is the description of Gerry Adams participating in a “Guerilla War”.
Let me put it back to you Shamik. John Reid the Labour Home Secretary at the time, quite rightly in my opinion, was angered by Hizb ut-Tahrir describing the bombers of the London Underground as “The Fantastic Four”.
So how is it different Shamik? You’re either dead from terrorism or your not.
It took you 9 minutes to respond to my post Shamik so let me ask you.
Do you think it’s right to describe terrorist activities in Britain as a “Guerilla War”?
Shamik Das
You can move forward or live in the past; if even Ian Paisley’s in favour of the peace process, I can’t see why you would have an objection to talking to Adams in the pursuit of peace.
Anon E Mouse
Shamik – I’m not living in the past. Nor am I rewriting history. You though are misrepresenting my position. I have not mentioned not talking to the IRA – you have.
Tony Blair, Labour’s greatest ever leader, deserves massive credit for completing the peace process in Northern Ireland and being half Southern Irish myself I fully endorse any steps along that path. To suggest I wouldn’t speak to a legitimately elected MP is bonkers.
What I do object to is the description of IRA terrorist activities (including the deaths of innocent people being effectively diminished by it) being described as something they are not – a guerilla war.
Since I never fail to answer any of your questions Shamik, please extend the same courtesy to me.
Do you think it’s right to describe terrorist activities in Britain as a “Guerilla War”?