New peers reinforce the need for a full constitutional review
IF it wasn’t already, the British parliamentary democracy (so-called) must surely now a laughing-stock around the world (“Criticism as Cameron awards Mone with peerage”, The Herald, August 28). In our elected legislative chamber, the House of Commons, we have a controlling party in government put there by only 37 per cent of those who voted in the recent General Election. Yet because of the unfair voting system it has an overall majority allowing it to drive through every piece of contentious legislation it wishes, and is unlikely to be forced out of power for the next five years.
Even worse, in the House of Lords we already have the second largest legislative chamber in the world, beaten only by the Chinese People’s Congress, with not a single one of the 780 “noble lords” having been elected by the British people. More than 90 hereditary peers are there entirely by accident of birth and ancient privilege, and there is a scattering from the law and the Church of England (but no other religious body).
Almost all the rest were put there by a succession of Prime Ministers, either as a reward for past political loyalty or for making substantial financial contributions to party funds. Some appointees may indeed bring some experience of big business and the outside world, but most are simply political placemen and women put there to ensure that the government of the day gets its legislation through the Upper House without too much fuss.
Now the Prime Minister has had the brass neck to add another 45 ermine-clad members to this bloated chamber, with the majority of course being either past Tory ministers or extremely generous donors to the Conservative Party (I don’t know on what grounds failed businesswoman and self-publicist Michelle Mone qualifies). This may guarantee David Cameron a majority for ensuring that his government’s misguided austerity and welfare measures become law, but what does it say about genuine democracy in the Mother of Parliaments?
It must surely be time for a major constitutional review of the United Kingdom parliamentary structures, producing a comprehensive modernisation of the Palace of Westminster and a written constitution such as almost all modern democracies already have and take for granted. If not (and I accept that that seems highly unlikely), then the sooner Scotland can extract herself from this hopelessly outdated and undemocratic political system the better. Iain AD Mann, 7 Kelvin Court, Glasgow. YOUR editorial (“Case is compelling for root and branch Lords reform) makes for interesting reading. Failed politicians, mediocre entrepreneurs all heading to the Upper House sharing one thing – Team Better Together. So democracy is shamed, David Cameron’s patronage exposed and the winning side of the referendum gloats. No point in “Mone-ing’” about it. Let’s win next time. Roddy MacDonald, 1 Glenmount Place, Ayr. I FIND it difficult to understand the apparent outrage in certain quarters reported concerning the decision to make Michelle Mone a peer. While the House of Lords exists in its present form (and the case for that is extremely doubtful), I believe that we should have more people appointed like her, who have unprivileged backgrounds and have made a worthwhile contribution to society, rather than politicians past their sell-by date , donors to party funds, bishops of the Church of England, and so-called establishment figures.
Why should anyone bother getting into a lather about membership of a body, which has become increasingly disreputable, as time passes, with for example – the unsavoury episode involving Lord Sewel, its own expenses scandal – and many of them turning up to do no more than to claim their allowances and occasionally to have a nap on the wellupholstered benches? It does not even have a proper procedure for ejecting members, who have committed serious crimes, and it now has a member who claimed expenses, while in the House of Commons, to have his moat cleaned up. It is a place beyond parody.
Michelle Mone may in fact bring some class and common sense to the place. Ian W Thomson, 38 Kirkintilloch Road, Lenzie. THOSE complaining that this month’s appointments to the House of Lords are an affront to democracy should also be complaining about the democratic deficit in the House of Commons. At this year’s UK General Election there were 2,415,862 Liberal Democrat voters with only eight Liberal Democrat MPs being elected, whereas there were 1,454,436 SNP voters with 56 SNP MPs being elected.
Further, of the seven former Liberal Democrat MPs created life peers, five - Sir Alan Beith, Sir Malcolm Bruce, Sir Menzies Campbell, Sir Andrew Stunell and Don Foster – had not been rejected by the electorate earlier this year. but had retired from the House of Commons. Dr Alexander S Waugh, 1 Pantoch Gardens, Banchory.