FOR my sins, one of my duties at Westminster is to speak on matters to do with the House of Lords.
It’s not an arduous task. In everything they do, their Lordships make the case for their own demise. Usually, when asked for comment on their latest shenanigans, I’m kicking at an open goal.
Suspending for a moment the obvious democratic objections, for this to be true it would surely have to be the case that the Lords in some way reflected the population they were supposedly serving. Okay, not elected, but more or less people like me and you. Like a big jury maybe?Next week, I publish a report on the Scottish contingent in the upper chamber of the Westminster Parliament. It makes grim reading for advocates of democracy.
Others are less well known and have a more tenuous claim to represent a Scottish interest. When we add up all of those who used to have an elected position, those who live in Scotland, those who have made their career here and the few with a hereditary position, we get a bunch of 78 people. We had a look at who they are in more detail. The conclusions will alarm but probably not surprise you.
Guess how many members of the House of Lords believe that too? No, it’s not a trick question. The answer is none. Nada. Zilch. Rien. And this is not something that can be explained by the SNP’s refusal to nominate members to the Lords because less than half of all nominations come from political parties.
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