While our democracy burns, Cameron wants to fiddle

By Julian Ware-Lane / @WareLane

2009 has seen the integrity of our Parliament damaged in a way that I have not seen before in all of my 49 years. The response from all major parties is that changes have to be made; it’s been acknowledged that there is a lack of accountability for many of those who grace the green and red leather benches.

The Conservative Party has been the enemy of real reform over the centuries, and they are not yet able to abandon this yoke. They are still in hock to vested interest, and so, despite the fanfare and foofaraw that has accompanied some of their announcements it is clear that nothing will really change if David Cameron gets the keys to Number Ten.

So far they have announced a reduction in the number of MPs, the cutting of ministerial salaries, and are trumping primaries (an exercise in self-promotion that delivers lots of publicity without affecting the cosy little club that is Parliament).

Now, it is reported that David Cameron is preparing to appoint a record number of peers if the Tories win. At a time when there is clamour for reform, and reform has been voted for by Parliament, Mr Cameron’s grand plan is to load the second chamber with cronies.

It is a century since real reform of the House of Lords became an issue, and slow progress has been the story since. We need an elected second chamber, not one that will nod through every Tory idea without a second thought.

With thanks to Unlock Democracy, here is a timeline of House of Lords reform:

1909
The House of Lords causes a national outrage by blocking the government’s “People’s Budget”.

1911
Parliament Act: Asserted the supremacy of the House of Commons by limiting the legislation-blocking powers of the House of Lords.

1949
Parliament Act: Further limited the power of the Lords by reducing the time that they could delay bills, from two years to one.

1945 – 1951
Salisbury Convention: Established the principle that the House of Lords will not oppose the second or third reading of any government legislation promised in its election manifesto.

1958
Life peerages Act: Increased the ability of the Prime Minister to change the composition of the House of Lords and considerably lessened the dominance of hereditary ‘part-time’ peers.

1963
Peerage Act: Allowed the disclaiming of peerages, and permitted female and Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords.

1999
House of Lords Act: Removed right of hereditary peers to sit in House of Lords. However, 92 hereditary peers were kept.

2007
The House of Commons vote overwhelmingly in support of either a 100% or 80% elected House of Lords.

Progress requires a progressive government – Gordon Brown announced further reform last week. But without a Labour Government the transformation of our democracy will be put on hold.