Posted by Damian
on 25/9/2009, 22:12:55, in reply to "Re: PM - Your Excellency?"
195.93.21.99
Thanks for clarifying this for me.So it is only MPs who are Privy Counsellors who are referred to as 'Honourable'.Interesting!
: --Previous Message--
: The correct formal address for a prime
: minister or any other member of parliament
: in the UK is 'The Right Honourable'
: preceding their names.For instance if Gordon
: Brown were to be introduced at a formal
: occasion he would be referred to as 'The
: Prime Minister,The Right Honourable Gordon
: Brown'.
:
: Not exactly. Brown is indeed Rt Hon but that
: has nothing to do with Parliament. The Rt
: Hon is attached to PC not MP. Most senior
: ministers will be members of Her Majesty's
: Privy Council, but the vast majority of MPs
: are not.
:
: Privy Counsellors swear "to be a true
: and faithful Servant unto The Queen’s
: Majesty as one of Her Majesty’s Privy
: Council. You will not know or understand of
: any manner of thing to be attempted, done or
: spoken against Her Majesty’s Person, Honour,
: Crown or Dignity Royal, but you will lett
: and withstand the same to the uttermost of
: your power, and either cause it to be
: revealed to Her Majesty Herself, or to such
: of Her Privy Council as shall advertise Her
: Majesty of the same. You will in all things
: to be moved, treated and debated in Council,
: faithfully and truly declare your Mind and
: Opinion, according to your Heart and
: Conscience; and will keep secret all matters
: committed and revealed unto you, or that
: shall be treated of secretly in Council. And
: if any of the said Treaties or Counsels
: shall touch any of the Counsellors you will
: not reveal it unto him but will keep the
: same until such time as, by the consent of
: Her Majesty or of the Council, Publication
: shall be made thereof. You will to your
: uttermost bear Faith and Allegiance to the
: Queen’s Majesty; and will assist and defend
: all civil and temporal Jurisdictions,
: Pre-eminences, and Authorities, granted to
: Her Majesty and annexed to the Crown by Acts
: of Parliament, or otherwise, against all
: Foreign Princes, Persons, Prelates, States,
: or Potentates. And generally in all things
: you will do as a faithful and true Servant
: ought to do to Her Majesty".
:
: The phrase "will keep secret all
: matters" is important, because it gives
: PCs access to top secret information such as
: military intelligence gathered by espionage
: that cannot be disclosed to mere MPs. There
: is a list of PCs in the list below. Besides
: cabinet ministers, the list includes the
: Speaker of the Commons and the main party
: leaders, so they are entitled to see secret
: documents.
:
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