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.
58 Responses to “Manor of his departure sees Adams receive apology from Cameron”
Anon E Mouse
Shamik – Sounds good but you’re still avoiding the question: Do you, Shamik Das, think the IRA were fighting a “Guerilla War” or committing criminal acts of terrorism?
And please don’t keep misrepresenting my position re Bush etc. I hate terrorism and the IRA were terrorists to the majority of decent people on both sides of the Irish border and in the UK mainland.
I understand they believe that they are at war. I even understand their grievances against the UK. But I do not accept that the PM in this country, speaking in the Parliament, should have an article written that describes the IRA as fighting a “Guerilla War” in a comparison against his schooling.
This fine blog has every right to criticise someone’s upbringing – I do it all the time about Ed Miliband and the fact he is a tax avoiding millionaire who hasn’t done a single days work in his life but that’s fair game.
To compare “sneering schoolboy critics” which is hardly a crime, with support for an organisation who aimed to; and often did, blow up innocent woman and children to achieve a political aim is shameful.
Do you really not see that Shamik?
Anon E Mouse
Liz – Agreed.
My criticism is against the author not calling violent acts of terrorism, such as the Omagh bombing where 29 people were blown up whilst out shopping, what they were. Violent acts of terrorism…
Anon E Grouse
Mice try Anon E Mouse, i think you’re going ape about this guerilla warfare monkey business for no real reason. Clearly you are intentionally misrepresenting the point of the article. Just because Adams has been a figure behind many deaths which is abhorent, doesn’t mean one can’t write an article that mentions him without pointing that out, he is after all an elected official.
Also….what do you think of the coalition cuts-I’m intrigued if you’re so ‘Labour’?
Mark Stevo
I just don’t see why it was felt necessary to describe it as a guerrilla war. It added nothing to the point supposedly being made and served only to distract (much like the effort to drag coalition cuts into this…)
Anon E Mouse
Anon E Grouse – My problem lies with the comparison of someone who can’t be held responsible for his background with reference to his schooling and one who can by supporting the killing of innocent people.
I’m not misrepresenting anything – I didn’t call a supporter of terrorism as being engaged in a “Guerilla War” – the author did.
It’s the choice of language I object to in the comparison. Ask any victim of the IRA what they think.
But the real problem here seems to be the lack of any sense of humour from the writer – it was funny. That’s why people laughed in the commons. The comments about the speaker being a dwarf and Eric Pickles eating all the sandwiches were also funny and didn’t solicit the (usual) po face response from the left leaning readers here.
I’m not Labour anymore. I’m a Lib Dem supporter (until Clegg defects to the Tories, which he will) and as for the cuts I don’t believe them.
When Thatcher was in the whole country believed she was “Paying the workers not the shirkers” and all that tax cutting stuff when she actually continued to increase public spending. The best party for reducing the tax burden in this country was Labour ironically.
Did you see Andrew Neil last night? I’m like the guy who couldn’t vote Labour because they didn’t have any working class candidates. That’s me…