Lord Berkeley

[subcontrabass]

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21599823

[Flosshilde]

I suppose if we have to have Lords he'll be a better Lord than some.

It would be interesting to have a break-down of peers by genre - ie arty types, business types, sporty types etc. Some might be more than one - Lord Rogers (of Riverside) for example would be arty with a touch of business. I'm not sure what category Lord Lloyd-Webber might be

[salymap]

And if he were another branch of his family he would have Berkeley Castle to go with the title. I heard him talk about that once - being,with Lennox, his father, not in the line of succession there.

[Mary Chambers]

I don't know what the criteria are for making someone a peer these days, but he's the godson of the first composer to be given a peerage, Lord Britten of Aldeburgh, so whatever we may think of the system it seems quite fitting.

[Flosshilde]

There is already a Lord Berkeley (Anthony Gueterbock, a Labour Peer), so Michael will have to choose a designation? location? for his title - presumably his home. (just looked at his website to see where that is, & compared with the amount of hair he has in the picture on that the one on the BBC news report must be from a while back )

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

tosh tosh and tosh abolish the peerage!!!!

[Serial_Apologist]

Is Berkeley Square?

[ahinton]

Is Berkeley Square?

Ah, you've beaten me to it - well, almost; as Tony Payne might have said but certainly didn't:
I shot Time's Arrow
Into the air;
It fell to the ground.
Hit Berkeley.
Square.

[salymap]

He used tolive in Wales years ago. Perhaps an unpronounceable Welsh title? [Sorry Anna]

[french frank]

He used tolive in Wales years ago. Perhaps an unpronounceable Welsh title? [Sorry Anna]

Did I miss this? I thought these things were only announced at New Year and the Queen's Birthday in June?

[Historian]

Did I miss this? I thought these things were only announced at New Year and the Queen's Birthday in June?

Life Peerages can be created at other times, as shown by this Wikipedia article. The news item mentioned in the OP mentions the House of Lords Appointments Commission. Self-nominations are permitted if you are interested...

[Flosshilde]

Ooooh yes - we'll nominate you. I can just see it - Baroness French-Frank. That would put RW's nose out of joint

[amateur51]

Lord Passion of Privacy?

[Alain Maréchal]

No reflection on Lord Berkeley, but I can't help feeling that there ought to be some way of distinguishing between the hereditory U.K. aristocracy and the life peers. If I'm introduced to "Lord Folkestone" ( I hope there isn't one, this was just an example) how do I know if he's the 14th Duke of Folkestone or Wayne Folkestone who's received a Life Peerage by donating copious amounts of money to a political party (which I assume doesn't happen often). I need to know just how hard I should be tugging my forelock.

[Nick Armstrong]

No reflection on Lord Berkeley, but I can't help feeling that there ought to be some way of distinguishing between the hereditory U.K. aristocracy and the life peers. If I'm introduced to "Lord Folkestone" ( I hope there isn't one, this was just an example) how do I know if he's the 14th Duke of Folkestone or Wayne Folkestone who's received a Life Peerage by donating copious amounts of money to a political party (which I assume doesn't happen often). I need to know just how hard I should be tugging my forelock.

I know what you mean!!

(In your example, I imagine you might be able to take a pretty good guess if you met Wayne! )