Category: Lords reform and PR

An unelected chamber has no place in a modern democracy, reform of the House of Lords is long overdue

Immediately after being introduced in the Lords she began to use her position to fight for its replacement with a fully elected chamber. She has promoted a Bill that would give the Lords the chance to develop their own reforms

Read on for her latest posts on this topic

Withdrawal Bill debate shows why we need Lords reform

Published on by iwin1961

One of the surprises of life in the Lords is that our laws are partly decided by the bar room stamina of government supporting peers. The Lords defeated the government three times yesterday over the charter of fundamental rights and also earned a good concession from them over the protection of public health. The Opposition was on a roll and not one of the peers in the chamber got up to speak against the amendments sponsored by green NGOs to retain the EU’s environmental protections and principles. No one opposed, but vast numbers of Conservative peers were hanging out in the bars and restaurants, waiting for their whips to call them to vote. In the end, the Minister rose, made concessions and the amendment was withdrawn. Continue reading “Withdrawal Bill debate shows why we need Lords reform” →

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Fewer Lords is no guarantee of improved efficiency

Published on by iwin1961

A recent report by the Electoral Reform Society says that 115 peers claim £1.3m despite not speaking in Lords for nine months. I’m happy to say that I’m not one of them. I spoke nearly a hundred times last year and as the only Green in the room (the only Green Party peer), I’m in a unique position to raise issues that are often ignored. From civil liberties to the use of pesticides, I can influence what issues are discussed. Continue reading “Fewer Lords is no guarantee of improved efficiency” →

Brexit makes Lords reform essential and urgent

Published on by iwin1961

I have written to every member of the Lords outlining the reasons why they should support the transformation to a democratically elected second chamber. This would use proportional representation to elect a new house, but keep many existing peers as non-voting experts.

This is the first Bill to come from the Lords with this mix of proposals. I’m not the only Lord who wants to abolish their right to vote in the second chamber, but I’m aiming to be one of the most energetic peers in making it happen. I’m relatively new to the Lords and I hope my fresh approach will help fast track the various discussions about Lords reform. Continue reading “Brexit makes Lords reform essential and urgent” →