Hereditary peerages must go, says Archer

THE only seanachaí in the British House of Lords wants all members of the British parliament’s upper house to be elected and hereditary peerages abandoned.

Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare, appointed to the House of Lords in 1992, told a charity breakfast, in aid of the St Laurence Cheshire Home in Cork, it is farcical that being appointed to the House of Lords can depend on which cot you were born into.

Addressing the Thomas Crosbie Holdings (TCH)-sponsored event, in Cork’s Clarion Hotel, the controversial author took questions from the floor at the end of his address. Quizzed on the usefulness of the second chambers of the Irish and British parliaments, the Seanad and House of Lords, he said he believed they had a purpose but all members should be elected.

Asked if he thought England would ever beat Ireland again in rugby, he kicked for touch.

He said he really admired the way the attendance in Croke Park gave players kicking for goal when Ireland play rugby the respect of silence.

He believes, however, every Englishman will be cheering for Ireland when they play Wales in the Millennium Stadium for the Grand Slam, assuming Ireland beat Scotland on Saturday.

“You are everyone’s second country, I just hope you don’t end up being second this year. You have one of the greatest Irish teams ever,” he said.

The top-selling author said the greatest compliment he has ever been paid as a writer was to be called a seanachaí by a down-and-out on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, because that is how he regards himself — a storyteller.