Lords Reform

[cdtaylornats]

I've had a brilliant idea for Lords reform.

Starting with the next election we scrap the current Lords and everyone who comes second in the election goes to the Lords.

Anyone else think it would be good?

No.

The House of Lords needs a balance of members from each political party plus crossbenchers, not stuffed with labour losers.

And who would sit in the opposition benches in the Commons?.

I would say the Lords should have permanent members based on institution, permanent members based on periodic self-selection, and temporary members by election.

Elections would be held every 5 years, by some sort of party list based proportional voting system. Tenure for elected members would be 15 years; elected members would be ineligible for periodic self-selection.

Each general election, Permament members based on acclamation would be offered the role

Permanent members based on institution should include:

1. Former Prime Ministers, Chancellors, Foreign Secretaries and Home Secretaries, Speakers, First Ministers of Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland
2. Former Governors of the Bank of England
3. Archbishops
4. Presidents of the Royal Society
5. Recipients of the Order of Merit

Permanent members based on periodic selection (say, each outgoing session of the Lords before a election) would allow current Lords to nominate non-partisan experts to sit in the Lords. Each expert would have to have at least 75% support to be able to take their seat, to avoid partisan games.

The Commons should always have supremacy over the Lords.

Silver, I meant the people who came second in each constituency not second overall.

The Lords is a chamber of legislation revision, which across many technical issues of the 21st century, often takes the non partisan technical expertise of older and vastly experienced farts with in depth knowledge of those issues, to get the detail of our legislation/laws right.

However the General Elections make no provision for candidates little grey cells to have the ability to get around the complex issues of today, whether they come 1st, 2nd or even, apparently, a possible Prime Minister - so it makes sense to try and take as much of the politics (and its often dodgy electoral process) out of the Lords. IMO

Starting with the next election we scrap the current Lords and everyone who comes second in the election goes to the Lords.

The the name should be changed to The House of Losers.