More insight into British Freemasonry this week, as we learn from Ian Cobain’s post in The Guardian today that 2 lodges operate secretly within Westminster. To clarify, Westminster is a borough within central London but in this case refers to British Parliament, the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, it’s Crown dependencies and overseas territories.
Set up for MP's and political journalists, New Welcome Lodge (for peers and MP’s) and Gallery Lodge (for journalists) are currently active within Parliament. As expected, both members lists are a well guarded secret so we can not know how they interact with each other in public life and what political advantages prominent politicians may hold. Gallery Lodge has been kept so secret, that many lobby journalists apparently had no previous knowledge of it's existence.
David Staples, the chief executive of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), the governing body for Freemasons in England and Wales, said there was no contradiction between the practice of journalism and membership of Freemasonry.
David Staples is a staunch defender of Freemason secrecy rights, citing discrimination as a reason that many members choose to remain unknown.
MP’s, peers and journalists are already known to belong to other British lodges, but whilst current legislation allows them to hold membership covertly, it is difficult to prove any conspiratorial suspicions. In any case, news of these two lodges does little to quash the idea that a conflict of interest exists between the brotherhood and politics.
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My previous writings on the subject of Freemasonary:
Freemasons and the British Police Part 1: The Hillsborough Tragedy
Is Discrimination a Reason to Protect Freemason Identity
Further Freemason reading from The Guardian: Integrity or influence? Inside the world of modern Freemasons
An inside look at Parliament: State Opening of Parliament