Parliamentary Committee Supports Unelected Legislators
The writer of a popular TV soap would lose his seat if the people were allowed to elect the legislators in what is now called the House of Lords. That example of the horrible effects of democracy is taken from a Sunday Telegraph report on a new parliamentary committee’s report on reforming Parliament’s feudal chamber.
Apparently the committee wants the reformed chamber to have 450 legislators, 150 more than the government is proposing. But to prevent the loss of too many soap writers only 360 would represent the people. The main political parties and Church of England would get the other seats by right. How the committee would like these shared was not reported. But under the government’s proposals the Anglican Party would have 12, down from its present 26. The other parties would keep the rest.
In addition to the clerical legislators the committee wants to tie the hands of the people again by requiring a minimum number of “youth peers”. The only concession towards democracy is a recommendation that there be a referendum before the move towards democratic legitimacy is made law.
The committee is chaired by a legislator-for-life and legislators-for-life have half the seats on the committee.