Five new deputies for Lord Lieutenant, Our local representation strengthened Options

[On the edge]

I must admit I was taken by surprise to find that the purse strings have been loosened and our constitutional Monarch's representative in our ceremonial county of Berkshire will benefit from the assistance of five new helpers. I'm not quite sure how that sits with reducing the Commons by fifty odd seats; even if austerity is becoming a distant memory.

So, I was even more surprised by
http://www.berkshirelieutenancy.org/theber...ieutenancy.html
which explains what the thirty odd deputies get up to. Apparently we also have a Sherif of Berkshire no doubt with deputies too. Gosh, and I thought Alice in Wonderland was fiction!

[JeffG]

Obviously the Sheriff is the one who organises the posses to round up the bad guys.

[Lolly]

I must admit I was taken by surprise to find that the purse strings have been loosened and our constitutional Monarch's representative in our ceremonial county of Berkshire will benefit from the assistance of five new helpers. I'm not quite sure how that sits with reducing the Commons by fifty odd seats; even if austerity is becoming a distant memory.

So, I was even more surprised by
http://www.berkshirelieutenancy.org/theber...ieutenancy.html
which explains what the thirty odd deputies get up to. Apparently we also have a Sherif of Berkshire no doubt with deputies too. Gosh, and I thought Alice in Wonderland was fiction!

Confirms a lot of my suspicions - that the people with real power & influence are not necessarily our elected representatives....

These are two of the 'duties' that leap out at me as being slightly undemocratic:

UK National Honours
The Lord-Lieutenant gives discreet assistance to the Cabinet Office’s Honour and Appointments Secretariat in supporting the assessment of nominations for honours and in encouraging good nominations and increasing public awareness of the honours system.

Magistracy
The Lord-Lieutenant is Chairman of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace for Berkshire. Advisory Committees are responsible for recommending the appointment of Justices of the Peace in the County to the Lord Chancellor and for ensuring the good conduct of magistrates.

[Simon Kirby]

Confirms a lot of my suspicions - that the people with real power & influence are not necessarily our elected representatives....

These are two of the 'duties' that leap out at me as being slightly undemocratic:

UK National Honours
The Lord-Lieutenant gives discreet assistance to the Cabinet Office’s Honour and Appointments Secretariat in supporting the assessment of nominations for honours and in encouraging good nominations and increasing public awareness of the honours system.

Magistracy
The Lord-Lieutenant is Chairman of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace for Berkshire. Advisory Committees are responsible for recommending the appointment of Justices of the Peace in the County to the Lord Chancellor and for ensuring the good conduct of magistrates.

The honours system never was anything other than the establishment rewarding its own. It has no place in a civilised democracy and the sooner we shed ourselves of it the better.

[On the edge]

I love what they do in our Local Communities. Given we have 60 odd elected WBC Councillors and 60 odd parish Councillors, plus an MP and at the moment Euro MPs, all busy, busy busy, doing good things on our behalf, why is everything such a complete shambles.

Presumably, that's why the great and the good are simpering about Theresa May saying Brexit means Brexit. Hinting that she doesn't want to see 'ceremonial MEPs' suddenly appear.

Some hope!

[Simon Kirby]

I love what they do in our Local Communities. Given we have 60 odd elected WBC Councillors and 60 odd parish Councillors, plus an MP and at the moment Euro MPs, all busy, busy busy, doing good things on our behalf, why is everything such a complete shambles.

Presumably, that's why the great and the good are simpering about Theresa May saying Brexit means Brexit. Hinting that she doesn't want to see 'ceremonial MEPs' suddenly appear.

Some hope!

Yes, "Brexit means Brexit" was an odd thing to say, like the time this chap who was living in a tent on the canal tow path came hurrying up to me and assured me he didn't have a gun - I hand't previously assumed it was even a possibility.