Word: wedgwood
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
When his father's death made him a viscount in 1960, a popular, promising Labor M.P. named Anthony Wedgwood Benn rocked the Debrett set by declaring vehemently that he wanted no part of the peerage. Reason: lords, lunatics, criminals and minors are barred from sitting in the House of Commons, where political careers are made and most Cabinet ministers chosen...
...Wedgy" Benn. then 35. refused to become Lord Stansgate and take his seat in the House of Lords, the largely ceremonial upper house that has been called "the last infirmary of noble minds." Instead, Mister Wedgwood Benn, as he insisted on calling himself, ran for re-election from Bristol South-East, and easily won. But the High Court ruled that a peer's male heir, ''lawfully begotten," may not renounce his title. Protesting that he was thus ''the victim of my father's virtue." "the Reluctant Peer'' was forced to stand aside...
...Commonwealth, in which fewer than 90 million citizens have any real purchasing power. Even Australia, Britain's best Commonwealth customer, has a population only slightly larger than Paris and Rome combined. Despite high tariffs on British imports, Europeans already have a healthy appetite for marmalade and Jaguars, Wedgwood china and Scotch whisky (which chic Frenchmen fancy in le long drink}. British sweaters and men's shoes, chocolates and cloth-but not what Parisians call "weedytweedy"-also rate high with Continentals. The British, in turn, have shown a growing desire for Continental products and even customs. British import...
...House of Lords, Tony first asked for permission to renounce his peerage. The lords refused. Next his father offered the Wedgwood Benn (Renunciation) bill, which would allow the title to remain in abeyance at least in his lifetime. "My son is not of noble blood," Lord Stansgate pleaded. "He is a commoner and wants to remain a commoner...
Life or Death. Late last month, when the first Viscount Stansgate finally died at 83, Tony Wedgwood Benn found himself in limbo. The very day the old viscount breathed his last, the Commons cut off his now titled son's pay; all the young Benns, including four small children, were left without means of support. Tony's unemployment status was made official when his national insurance cards were returned. Nobody listened when the hapless peer insisted that everyone keep calling him just plain Mr. Anthony Wedgwood Benn. When he applied for the usual M.P.'s railroad pass...