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European Union (Amendment) Bill

When I first came to this Chamber, experts such as the noble and learned Lord, Lord Slynn, on my left were not present. The noble Lord, Lord Williamson of Horton, was the first in, then the noble Lords, Lord Grenfell, Lord Kerr and Lord Hannay. Most of your Lordships are probably too young to remember the cricket match that was played at Lord’s every year—it is now rather embarrassing to recall it—called Gentlemen v Players. I have no doubt that I will be hearing from the noble Lord, Lord Lester, about how many discriminatory observations I have made by even referring to the title. It was an almost unbelievable class system. The gentlemen came down the central staircase at Lord’s from the Long Room on to the cricket pitch when they came out to bat. The players came out of a sort of tunnel in a remote ignominious part. To crown it all, on the order of play where the names were, gentlemen had their initials and occasionally an ““hon”” and players had no initials. I am not pressing this too hard: I am simply saying that there are gentlemen, if you take my meaning, and there are players, and a lot of very expert people, so it is rather inhibiting.