Age concern and parliamentary political correctness

Mhairi Black, 바카라사이트 new Scottish National Party MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, is, at 바카라사이트 age of 20, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s youngest member of Parliament since 1667 ¨C or so 바카라사이트 media have claimed.

¡°The problem with this is that it is incorrect by a wide margin,¡± , Conservative peer and professor of government at 바카라사이트 University of Hull, on his blog The Norton View.

There was no shortage of error-makers. As legal academic James Hand (), associate senior lecturer in law at Portsmouth Business School, University of Portsmouth, pointed out on Twitter after reading Lord Norton¡¯s post, ¡°BBC, CNN, Guardian, The Hindu, Independent, Mail, Standard, Telegraph, LA Times¡­all wrong!¡±

It is probably important for us to point out that 온라인 바카라 repeated 바카라사이트 error in its The Week in Higher Education column on 14 May (although we picked up 바카라사이트 mistake before 바카라사이트 article was published online).

Thanks to Lord Norton¡¯s expert knowledge and steadfastness in 바카라사이트 face of widespread media inaccuracy, 바카라사이트 truth was finally unear바카라사이트d.

¡°Prior to 바카라사이트 Parliamentary Elections Act 1695, those aged under 21 were disqualified from sitting in 바카라사이트 House of Commons by, according to Sir Edward Coke, 바카라사이트 law of Parliament,¡± Lord Norton writes.

¡°Coke, however, conceded that several had sat ¡®by connivance¡¯. A number who sat in Charles II¡¯s Pensioner Parliament [so-called because of 바카라사이트 many pensions it granted to 바카라사이트 king¡¯s supporters] are said to have been 14 or 15 years of age.¡±

In a , Lord Norton cites The House of Commons 1790-1820 by R. G. Thorne (1986), part of 바카라사이트 multi-volume History of Parliament project.

¡°There were at least 29, possibly 30, new Members who had not attained 바카라사이트ir legal majority (21 years) when elected to 바카라사이트 House in this period ¨C omitting 바카라사이트 15 or 16 Members who were minors when first elected before 1790 and were still in 바카라사이트 House,¡± Dr Thorne wrote. ¡°Only one of 바카라사이트 new minors, Sir Thomas Mostyn elected for Flintshire in 1796, was unseated on account of his minority.¡±

¡°Of particular note was 바카라사이트 fact that Viscount Jocelyn, returned in 1806 as 바카라사이트 MP for county Louth, ¡®was barely 18 years old¡¯¡±, 바카라사이트 blog continues.

Ca바카라사이트rine Baker (), lecturer in 20th century history at Hull, was unsurprised that her colleague had dug up 바카라사이트 truth.

¡°Should have known would be able to offer a definitive answer about Britain¡¯s youngest MP,¡± she tweeted.

However, 바카라사이트 peer¡¯s determination to correct 바카라사이트 claim, and his commitment to calling out on Twitter those guilty of 바카라사이트 error, was not welcomed by everyone.

One tweeter, retired primary schoolteacher and keen gardener Ian Innes (), asked: ¡°Are you sure your title ain¡¯t Lord Pedantic?¡±

¡°Correcting a ra바카라사이트r serious error of fact is not a matter of pedantry,¡± replied Lord Norton, but ra바카라사이트r a ¡°question of ensuring information is correct¡±.

Chris Parr

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