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THE newly ennobled Lord Mandelson, bedecked in proud red robes, is the latest Lord to go a-leaping into power in our parliament, bypassing the tedium of elections. For years, I was with those who believed the second chamber is a bastion of unfair privilege. Peers are still largely appointed on winks and nods and too many are elevated for party donations, partisan loyalties or to placate certain interests. It all felt terribly wrong.
If, instead, we had elections to the House of Lords, no doubt people who would never get "chosen" by the chosen would gain entry. But simplistic redress can rebound. You don't just want more women, disabled, black and Asian peers. You want them to be worthy of this seriously responsible job. So I am coming round to the idea that a wholly elected House of Lords would actually diminish Parliament. Mediocre (though ambitious) people would get in and they would be easily manipulated by the ruling party to weaken the processes that ensure our laws are good, just and workable. On Tuesday night our lords and baronesses brilliantly showed how it should work. They threw out the proposed law that would allow an individual to be detained for 42 days without charge.
In the Commons, the Government was able to get a majority by whipping its MPs into line. Muslim MPs were shamefully compliant. The peers, on the other hand, would not be cowed.
I had tea with Baroness Liz Symons in the Lords and it was noticeable that the upper chamber is now impressively diverse and high calibre. There was Lord Desai, the erudite economist, Attorney General Patricia Scotland, Liz Symons herself, a former high-flying civil servant, the Lib-Dem Baroness Faulkner, Tory Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, woman of many portfolios Shriti Vadera, doughty lawyer Helena Kennedy. It is no longer just a white gents' club, nor a retirement home for befuddled aristocrats. Some of those who have served this country best would not have got in playing the electoral game, which rewards populism.
These undemocratically selected patricians fiercely protect our democratic rights. And so this Leftie now salutes the erudite and independent bigwigs, and even the archaic system that put them there. Strange old world.
Reader views (10)
Don't believe I mentioned any other countries Danny boy? In fact I usually do not even deign to speak for the Welsh or Scottish.
Sarcasm is difficult to portray through this medium, so I wouldn't bother dearest.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 16/10/2008 09:30
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quote: "i remember being at school in teh eighties..."
I wish that they had taught about capital letters, sentences, paragraphs and full stops at your school, Jack.
- Robert Zimmerman, London, 15/10/2008 22:20
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Frank, thanks for pointing out that Germany, Italy and Spain were Muslim countries - I'd forgotten that, history lessons in this country being so incisive.
Jack - I'll reply when you learn to write English. Maybe you could ask Yasmin to teach you?
- Danny, Shoreditch, London, 15/10/2008 19:14
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I have always admired the intellect and her stand on civil liberties of Yasmin Alibhai Brown. But it is great to see a leftie like her coming round to see the merit of a second chamber that is not completely obliged to vote on party lines. Even the befuddled hereditary peers had many amongst them who voted only if they thought a bill was workable and in the best interests of our country and our civil liberties. Maby of them were concientious and independent minded. We have been saved from a stupid and unnecessary attack on our civil liberties that an arrogant and stupid Prime Minister was trying to impose on us.
- Simon Wells, BRENTWOOD ENGLAND, 15/10/2008 18:07
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Funny thing for a Muslim to be making sardonic comments about our democracy and elections and all things deeply rooted in our Christian culture.
After all the values of democracy and equality are synonymous with Islam, aren't they? Tell me do you go to a Mosque to pray? Pray with the men do you - female?
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 15/10/2008 14:42
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i remember being at school in teh eighties, when everyone else would read in the sun that labour were like stalin now i would argue they wern't and even though I new in my own mind i was right the hole class woulkd vote at the end of the debate that labour were stalinist, now i may have lost the arguement in terms of converting them but i new i had one the debate in getting across my view rthat htey couldn't argue with my logic that labour wern't stalinist, now i've never read yab's defence when people claim heard one sided views on thing are a recruitment drive for the bnp and if true i compare it to when i would loose the debate in school because i genuinely believed the sun was wicked for saying labour was stalinist, but being anit 42 days for the sake of appearing a liberal seems to strike of just calling people wh oare pro terror dtetntions shamelfully compliant can only be posturing (i'm a bnp recruiter)with my liberal views for teh sake of it
- Jack, london, 15/10/2008 14:18
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"Muslim MPs were shamefully compliant"
It had nothing to do with religion !
You idiot
- Chris, London, 15/10/2008 14:05
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It's only 18 months (if that) till the Resignation Honours List. Patience!
- Gordon, London, UK, 15/10/2008 11:40
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The Upper House,when mainly hereditary was even more independent. The supine conduct of the lower House in the concerted attack by an over mighty Goverment threatens the practice of democratic rule as the elites have gradually seised power from the people,thus bringing democracy into disrepute. Demosthenes the Greek orater claimed that a democratic state could not exist where the numbers of the voters exceeded 5,000 ie the number of auditors in a theatre.What hope for democracy nowadays where millions neither understand or care about the great issues of our time
- Timothy Hardacre, London UK, 15/10/2008 11:35
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Strange old world indeed, Yasmin, but I fully agree with you. The Lords seems to be entering a renaissance. That's a good thing for British politics.
- Miranda Grell, London, UK, 15/10/2008 11:11
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