We don’t need dead wood in the Lords – let’s have the brightest and best instead

Tim Flinn calls for a radical shake-up of the UK’S second chamber to exclude career politicians

All proper democracies have a second chamber to help moderate the first one or, as with the USA, to moderate the President – as Donald Trump is learning to his discomfort.

That Scotland lacks an upper house is regrettable. Two Scottish houses could use Holyrood on alternate days, as that building is rarely busy with anything really worthwhile (it produced no new legislation between March 2015 to March 2016). However, while we do share the House of Lords with the rest of the UK, many of us find that institution less than satisfactory.

One reason why the Lords lacks popular appeal is because it is mainly filled with unelected people, several of whom apparently sign in regularly more to receive the substan- tial daily allowance than to benefit the nation with their experience, wit and wisdom. The Lords has been called ‘God’s Waiting Room’, given that faded politicians, officials and chums of various Prime Ministers end their days there.

One solution proposed is for the public to vote in House of Lords members; however, that is likely to produce the ‘same old, same old’ as parties fail to resist the temptation to put up their own dead wood.

Why not instead give the seats to those who have succeeded in worthwhile activities in the real world, but who have never been politicians?

Surely a five year spell to top off a brilliant career in music, sport, science, art, business, medicine, design, building, engineering, police, education, religion, farming,