Peter Temple-Morris, who last month joined the anti-sleaze campaigner Martin Bell as the second Independent MP in the 659-seat Commons, was forced off the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body at its meeting in London this week and is now seeking a way back on to it. The 50 backbenchers from the two houses in each jurisdiction meet twice yearly. This week for the first time a Sinn Fein TD, Caoimhghin O Caolain, questioned a NI secretary of state, Mo Mowlam, in public.
The new co-chairmen, David Winnick and Michael O'Kennedy, nominated by the London and Dublin governments to replace Temple-Morris and Paul Bradford, both paid generous tribute to the MP who was co-chairman for 10 years, and hoped he would continue his association. Temple- Morris said that because of various tribulations he had had to resign from a whole lot of things, but the only one that really hurt him was this. "This body represents the happiest days of my political life."
He told Quidnunc that since the Tories would not allow him hold one of their places, someone else might. The Lib/Dems were sympathetic but they had very few places so "if I am to get back Labour will have to find a way to nominate me if there is a vacancy or maybe a new role or position could be found for a co-chairman and founding member".
One of the two Lib/Dem members of the body is the unusually named Lembit Opik who is from Bangor, Co Down and has a Northern accent. His antecedents are Estonian and his grandfather was head of the Armagh Planetarium. He represents Montgomeryshire and came into Westminster via student politics. He says he will try to build McAleese-type bridges in the North.