Lord Mandelson of Soho or 'Darling, do you think I look good in ermine?'

The Times reports today that Commissioner Mandeson will be enobled as part of Blair's post resignation honours. (Well put it this way he ain't getting a gong from Gordon).

A friend of Mandelson said: “It will be like an honorary title and he won’t get involved in the day-to-day workings of the House of Lords. He wouldn’t want to anyway. But I’d expect him to make an appearance when things get spicy. I don’t doubt it will be controversial.”

He will no doubt all those other former fonctinaries ofthe EU Institutions who speak and vote on EU related matters in the House of Lords without having to mention their financial remunerations (pensions) from those institutions, (Article 9, Para 2 pg 83)

"Where the official is in receipt of a retirement pension or an invalidity allowance, the Appointing Authority may decide to withhold an amount from the pension or the invalidity allowance for a given period;

but who are, by the EU's code of conduct required not to do anything which might damage the interests of the institutions, (Article 10 b, pg 83)

"The severity of the disciplinary penalties imposed shall be commensurate with the seriousness of the misconduct. To determine the seriousness of the misconduct and to decide upon the disciplinary penalty to be imposed, account shall be taken in particular of:
(b) the extent to which the misconduct adversely affects the integrity, reputation or interests of the institutions,

And what fun indeed he will have got into the Lords in time to talk and vote on the new Constitution. One of the "spicy" things his friend must have been referring to.