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I am going to post my thoughts on Jonathan Freedland article in the Guardian about the reforom of the House of Lords, but first this e-mail from Anne Palmer

A thought provoking article on the proposed Lords reform by Jonathan Freedland and his desire for an all elected second chamber. I doubt very much that there will ever be an all elected second chamber because the House of Commons itself will prevent it for it fears for its own superiority and primacy. The Commons will even retain the Parliaments Acts to ensure its cries that “we are the elected Chamber” which would of course have no meaning if the “Lords” were an all elected house. The fact that they may get some legislation WRONG does not even enter their heads. Without the steadying presence of the Law Lords once they are installed in a new “Supreme Court” (which of course will never actually be ’supreme’), will be sorely missed also in the House of Lords.

The Rt Hon Jack Straw suggests ‘how a Hybred House MIGHT work’, so even now this Government does not have a clue, it only MIGHT work. Not once in the Government’s White Paper on the matter does it mention the Treaty and Act of Union 1707 which of course in article XXII requires 16 Peers to sit in the House of Lords, a most important Article to the Scots at that time, and of course, there were only Hereditary Peers then. I am aware of the outcome of Lord Grey’s case on that matter but one cannot get beyond the fact that it was a Treaty that had been observed for hundreds of years until 1997. To remove all the Hereditary Peers may also be seen as discrimination against one particular group of people.

Some people in Scotland wish for complete independence, but the greater danger at this moment in time is not just from the people of Scotland, but the people of England, for they are wanting their own Parliament too for they most certainly do NOT want EU Regions. To damage the Treaty of Union may be just the opportunity the separatists are waiting for. The Act of Union between England and Scotland was a Treaty and a Treaty that was ratified. Article 11 of the Treaty of Union 1707 embodies the substance of the Act of Settlement of 1701. If the Union is destroyed it affects all the Members of the Commonwealth. There would also be no British Government because there would be no United Kingdom of Great Britain left. All this put in jeopardy because a Government is afraid of a challenge?

Mentioned also is the reduction in numbers in the House of Lords from 732 (including Bishops) to 540. Why then have 35 new Members been set on since January last year? Mention of compensation (redundancy) for those that “choose” to stand down rather looks as if they are expecting the tax-payer to foot the Bill. Well I respectfully suggest that any Member of the House of Lords that are made Redundant by this Government’s constant “modernisation” of that once highly respected part of our constitutional arrangements, that any proposed redundancy pay should come out of Labour Party Funds. Anne Palmer