If the House of Lords is a circus, a peerage byelection is the headline act
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Version 0 of 1. As David Cameron has just appointed some 45 new peers, let’s not forget another peer who is shortly to join their Lordships on the red benches. A Lords byelection must be the most bizarre in any legislature pretending to be democratic. An 82-year-old hereditary peer has resigned, a Lord Luke (no, me neither, but apparently his grandfather was made a baron for inventing Bovril). His place is to taken by another hereditary. Since 1999, when Tony Blair managed only minor reform, all but 92 hereditaries were ejected. When one of these few drops off the perch or steps down, the others elect another aristocrat out of Burke’s Peerage. Only those hereditaries of the same party get to vote. Lord Luke was a Tory, so only the other 48 declared Tory hereditaries in the Lords will vote on his successor. Got that? Just 48 people elect a member of our legislature – though that’s still 47 more than select whoever Cameron appoints all on his own. The 92 hereditaries are said to strut about the Lords boasting that they are the only elected peers, sort of. Sixteen peers are standing, each allowed 75-word election statements which make interesting reading. Lord Ampthill wants to abolish the NHS and “find an affordable successor model”. He wants to “confine the word ‘community’ to the bottom drawer” and adds mysteriously “Watch out for Monsieur Chauvelin.” (That’s the Scarlet Pimpernel’s adversary.) Lord Biddulph’s terse statement reads “Older and wiser? Or never too late.” Viscount Massereene and Ferrard just says: “Although I am an arable farmer I feel strongly that the UK would be better off out of Europe. At least we would be able to order our affairs ourselves and not have 75% of our laws foisted on us by unelected bureaucrats from Brussels.” Good grief, unelected! Viscount Mountgarret, born 1961, counts as young: “Youth and vigour, married with wisdom and experience, make enviable companions.” Candidates includes an equestrian, a kitesurfer and the Duke of Wellington who chairs a luxury goods company. Related: Government's peers list publication date prompts allegation of burying bad news This 800-seat absurdity, now swollen by yet more political appointees, is the largest chamber in the world, with a quarter of appointments since 1997 have been former MPs, 54% aged over 70, with even fewer women than the Commons – and 26 bishops. The constitutional complacency of this country is truly astounding. But since the Lords have already rebelled against this new government 10 times in the short time since the election, they may endear themselves to those desperate for opposition to the Cameron-Osborne “long-term plan” now taking a chainsaw to public services. However, if they carry on like that, Cameron is planning to elevate 50 more of his myrmidons before long. |