Page 55 - The KRH Year of 2023 (CREST Sharing)

Mr Sweeney’s motto is ‘I poke crocodiles, if crocodiles they be, in the eye with a stick.’ His courage, charm and likeability were impressed upon all the audience. Mr Sweeney also gave the subbies a good run for their money of who could last the longest.
The Officers’ Mess welcomed the Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle in November. An incredibly proud northerner and as mem- ber of parliament and representative for Chorley, a part of the Regiment’s traditional recruiting area. The Speaker was fur- nished with a KRH branded smock and given a tour and ride of a Challenger 2 hosted by Sgt Winstanley and his band of ‘northern’ men. After a small sizing error by Lt Allen (appar- ently the 66-year-old Speaker did not have the same torso as a freshly minted subbie), The Speaker was back on hard stand- ing and showing his appreciation to the lads by handing out his signature whiskey. Fair to say he was a hit with the crew.
The lecture, in a Flashman first, was conducted as an Evening with Sir Lindsay Hoyle hosted and interviewed by Major Wade
(the C squadron leader may have a promising career as a pod- caster ahead of him...). The Speaker spoke in detail of life inside the Commons and the wider Palace of Westminster and his role and duty in upholding and defending the liberties of the institution.
The Speaker also reflected on his time in politics. In 1980, at the age of 22, The Speaker became Chorley’s youngest ever coun- cillor; for the next 44 years he dedicated his life to politics and the service to the people of Chorley. A significant high point the Speaker claimed was when he was able to host the G7 speak- ers’ conference in Chorley in 2021. In particular, being able to take many of the world’s most powerful politicians, including the then Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, to the Coronation Street studios.
The Speaker was encaptivating, honest and straightforward. One LE remarked ‘I’d vote for ya!’ AW
The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars 55
(Inset) Mr Sweeney, disguised as a professor of mammotholgy, ambushes President Putin with question over MH17 in Siberia. (Main) Mr Sweeney with some of C squadron’s finest
Mr Speaker winning the approval of lads with his signature whiskey
Mr Speaker insecting the KRH bubbly...