Reform of the House of Lords - poll & discussion

[lala]

Please explain your choice and outline alternatives, below.

Points to consider -

- What is the function of a second chamber?
- What powers should it have?
- Who should be in it?
- How do you get people out of it?

[lala]

My opinion is that the House of Lords, in its current form, has to be abolished. Which begs the question, what to put in its place?

I think we need a second chamber, to act as a brake on the Commons. In 1983, 1997 and 2001, landslide victories handed far too much power to major party in the Commons. This was not good for the country or democracy. We need a second chamber to maintain balance, stop bad policy being rammed through on the back of a huge majority and to scrutinise the work of the Commons.

I don't support a directly elected chamber. That would be ineffective as it would mirror the results in the commons. A second chamber elected in 1997 would have been full of Blairites and not able to fulfil its role. At the same time, the second chamber must refelect the different opinions in the nation. Also, I think another layer of elected officials will simply deaden people's interest even more, and create confusion. Who holds the real power, if both are directly elected by the people?

I'm suggesting an appointed second chamber. Members will sit for a term of ten years. The terms are staggered, so every year 10% of the chamber is replaced, meaning the whole chamber is replaced, completely, every ten years.

Rather than hold an election every year to determine who gets into the second chamber - which would just drive people barmy - the parties in the commons appoint members, based on their relative strength in the commons. So if a party holds two thirds of the seats in the commons, it will get to appoint two thirds of the new peers each year that it maintains that postiion in the commons.

This means the second chamber will - gradually - change character to reflect the balance of power in the commons. But whereas the balance of power cna change overnight in the commons, in the second chamber it would take years. Thus, long term changes in the nation's attitude are reflected.

[peakman]

Basically follow the American system. Seats in the House of Commons allocated according to population. For the upper house each county being allocated two seats. Thus while urban areas would be correctly represented in the lower house, in the upper house, the "Shires" or "County folk" would be better able to fight their corner, so to speak.