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Post by timrollpickering on Mar 17, 2018 15:48:16 GMT
A time limit to call a by election would be a good idea. While we're at it, it seems to me that setting the date ought not to be a political decision, and ought to be made by someone impartial e.g. the Speaker or maybe the returning officer. And the ability to simply resign rather than request to be appointed to some bizarre office. But only if one took the seat in the first place. |
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peterl
Green
Congratulations President Trump
Posts: 8,473 
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Post by peterl on Mar 17, 2018 16:09:41 GMT
That would be fair. How can you resign an office you never accepted?
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Post by timrollpickering on Mar 17, 2018 16:21:16 GMT
You could keep the Chilterns in anyway. Something that doesn't get much attention is that there are a whole host of public sector appointments that are legally incompatible with membership of parliament and in theory taking those would directly vacate a seat, though in practice the time factor makes it easier to apply for the Chilterns anyway. (When this problem first arose with Gerry Adams there was a perfectly workable solution but nobody wanted to ask if he has what it takes to be a director of Northern Ireland Water.) But as the incompatible offices would remain regardless there's no reason why the office of profit option couldn't be left on the statute books for abstentionist MPs and those with a sense of history (you just know which option JRM would take given the chance).
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peterl
Green
Congratulations President Trump
Posts: 8,473
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Post by peterl on Mar 17, 2018 18:59:46 GMT
It would be rather amusing actually if all MPs who wanted to quit were first offered the chance to apply for a real public sector appointment.
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Post by timrollpickering on Mar 17, 2018 22:48:12 GMT
If memory serves correct at the time this would have been an incredibly poisoned chalice.
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maxque
Non-Aligned
Posts: 9,301
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Post by maxque on Mar 18, 2018 1:18:10 GMT
And if Gerry Adams applied to be Director of NI Water and was unsuccessful The brother of the Lagan Valley DUP MP is a director of NI Water. |
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Post by therealriga on Mar 19, 2018 20:38:38 GMT
ISTR a court case after a TD was elected an MEP in 2009 and the seat was vacant for nearly 18 months. Sinn Fein won both the case and the by-election. Correct. Donegal South-West had a vacancy for 17 months. In the same Dáil, the vacancy in Waterford (where the government also expected to lose) was approaching a year when it was dissolved for the 2011 general election. There had been a longstanding gentleman's agreement that by-elections would be held within six months, so when the Fianna Fáil government started pratting about abusing that for partisan interests, the Fine Gael government which replaced it formalised the convention, as so often happens in these cases. |
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Chris from Brum
Lib Dem
What I need is a strong drink and a peer group.
Posts: 9,730
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Post by Chris from Brum on Mar 23, 2018 18:49:14 GMT
So, is there any danger of this one actually being called any time soon?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2018 14:40:33 GMT
So, is there any danger of this one actually being called any time soon? Northern Irish by-elections are a law unto and upto themselves. |
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neilm
Non-Aligned
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Post by neilm on Mar 24, 2018 15:02:00 GMT
I wonder if anyone will move the writ? Personally I'd do it just to wind up the Northern Irish parties.
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Tom
Unionist
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Post by Tom on Mar 24, 2018 20:02:54 GMT
I wonder if anyone will move the writ? Personally I'd do it just to wind up the Northern Irish parties. The Northern Ireland Office is still keeping another Assembly election under review, so it's likely they are holding off on this one until they have made a final decision on that. |
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Post by samdwebber on Mar 28, 2018 13:51:45 GMT
Writ moved:
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Mar 28, 2018 14:09:31 GMT
Must mean polling on Thursday 3 May (only Thursday in the window).
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Post by timrollpickering on Mar 28, 2018 14:27:21 GMT
Okay now it's been moved it's academic for the moment but is it still possible to seek to move a writ as a way to filibuster?
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Mar 28, 2018 15:47:15 GMT
Okay now it's been moved it's academic for the moment but is it still possible to seek to move a writ as a way to filibuster? It is still possible to move a writ for a byelection as a way of filibustering debate. It has to be done at the start of the day's proceedings, and doesn't interrupt Question Time or any statements, so only disrupts the main business. But there would have to be a vacancy available, which there no longer is. |
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Post by timrollpickering on Mar 28, 2018 15:54:50 GMT
When was the last time it was tried?
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Mar 28, 2018 15:56:41 GMT
When was the last time it was tried? Don't think it's been done since Dennis Skinner in 1989 with the Richmond byelection. |
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Post by LDCaerdydd on Mar 28, 2018 16:39:41 GMT
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Mar 28, 2018 18:17:09 GMT
I notice that exactly one calendar year has elapsed between the last two byelection writs being moved. The Manchester Gorton byelection writ was moved on 28 March 2017.
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Post by John Chanin on Mar 28, 2018 18:38:16 GMT
So why has the MP for Skipton & Ripon chosen to act on this, and why now? Obviously the convention that the outgoing party moves the writ is irrelevant here.
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