Why the Lords is so bloated? Just ask Clegg

THAt monumental bore Nick Clegg has used a newspaper article to condemn the powerful group of peers who are backing the Leave campaign.

He cited former tory Chancellors Norman Lamont and Nigel Lawson, former Labour foreign Secretary David Owen and former tory leader Michael Howard, who are all in the Upper House. Clegg said: ‘from their lofty perch, they berate the EU for being economically deficient, expensive, bureaucratic and, above all, undemocratic.’

Pots and kettles immediately spring to mind, since Clegg continued: ‘[they are] pontificating about the democratic deficiencies of the EU from one of the most bloated, and unelected, legislative chambers in the world.’

And why is it so bloated? One reason is Nick Clegg, who created a record 51 Lib Dem peers between 2010 and 2015. the number was a fourfold increase on those created by any of his predecessors. He has virtually doubled the total to 108.

So when he complains in print that ‘with more than 800 members, the House of Lords is only second to China’s National People’s Congress in size, and is about as undemocratic’, we know who is at least partly to blame.

even though Calamity Clegg’s Lib Dems were reduced to only eight MPs at the last election under his leadership, he still managed to secure an additional 13 peerages in the summer.

No doubt with such stringent views on the ballooning Upper House, Clegg will for once lead by example and reject a peerage when he quits as an MP.