Lording it over us

Following the dramatic results of this month’s General Election, I recently took the opportunity in the Scottish Parliament to highlight the absurd reality that MPs who failed to be elected at the public ballot could indeed make it back into the Palace of Westminster via the House of Lords.

The House of Lords is nothing other than a chamber of entitlement – unelected and accountable to no one. With different priorities and a tax free income for members – it is an anathema that a country which prides itself on democracy keeps this tier of government in place.

LibDem Lord Purvis defeated in 2011
then appointed to the Lords

To illustrate the deeply undemocratic nature of the second chamber, there are currently 101 Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. In contrast there are now only eight Liberal Democrat MPs, following the recent cull. This means that there are now more Lib Dem Lords than the entire membership of the US Senate.

Since the election, Scotland’s First Minister has asked for a commitment from the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats across the chamber to ensure that MPs who lost their seats or retired from the Commons are not given a free pass to the House of Lords. Altogether, there are over 800 members of the second chamber, with running costs that go into the millions of pounds.

To add insult to injury, peers currently do not pay tax or National Insurance Contributions on their expenses. This should be changed. The main parties have failed to bring about any kind of significant reform to the House of Lords in recent years - but the SNP remain committed to its replacement. Only a fully elected second chamber will do - a completely reformed body that can truly reflect the priorities of the people that it represents.

It is unacceptable in the modern age when the electorate have proven to be fully engaged and willing to execute significant change when given the opportunity - that a chamber exists which is in essence a well-equipped club, from which too many of its members can pursue their private interests at public expense.

I was heartened to hear that Labour MP John Mann supported the SNP’s lead on the call to refrain from appointing any Lords for the duration of this Westminster Parliament. But it will be interesting to see if he has the support of his whole party.

As for the SNP, we now have 56 of our own MPs down in Westminster pressing the case for change – and we will hold fast to our principles that the time is up for this outdated and institution

To reiterate the words of the First Minister – “People with no democratic mandate should not be writing the laws of our land.”