Hereditary legislators sitting in the House of Lords have sabotaged a second attempt to pass a bill that would have ended their right to elect a new legislator when one dies or retires. The bill had been introduced by Bruce Grocott, another unelected legislator.
A previous attempt at reform had been talked out by three “lords”. Francis Baring, David Trefgarne and Malcolm Sinclair. They did it again with the new bill, putting forward 59 wrecking amendments intended to stop the reform and protect a feudal privilege that is an affront to democracy.
At present when one of the 92 hereditary legislators goes the replacement is elected by the other hereditary legislators. The only people allowed to stand for election are “aristocrats.” The only people allowed to vote are themselves hereditary legislators.
In the most recent case there were 14 candidates and 31 voters.
The bill would have ended these elections so that eventually the UK had no more hereditary members of the House of Lords.
This small step towards democracy was too much to stand for other shameless hereditaries. They blocked it, putting the protection of their feudal privileges before the rights of the British people.