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Derry Irvine

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Politician

The Resume

    (June 23, 1940- )
    Born in Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom
    Birth name was Alexander Andrew Mackey Irvine
    Named Queen’s Counsel (1978)
    Deputy High Court judge (1987-97)
    Legal advisor to the Labour Party
    Named a Life Peer as Baron Irvine of Lairg (1987)
    Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (1997-2003)

Why he might be annoying:

    ‘The Scotsman’ wrote, ‘In his time at the Bar, his name was a byword for arrogance and pomposity.’
    He was roundly mocked after comparing his relationship with Prime Minister Tony Blair to that of Cardinal Wolsey and King Henry VIII.
    He justified spending £650,000 on remodeling his official residence (including £59,000 for hand-printed wallpaper) by arguing it wouldn’t ‘collapse after a year or two’ like products from B&Q (a British chain of DIY stores).
    After those incidents, he was barred from speaking to the media.
    He sent a fundraising letter to lawyers asking for £200 donations to the Labour Party; since one of his duties as Lord Chancellor was to appoint lawyers as Queen’s Counsel, critics dubbed it the ‘cash for wigs’ scandal (2001).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He nicknamed himself Cupid QC for bringing together Tony Blair and Cherie Booth.
    As chair of the cabinet committee that oversaw devolution in Scotland and Wales, he was responsible for the most dramatic constitutional changes in the UK in over 200 years.
    He was responsible for incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights into British law.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying