Mr Ed's Grand Idea.......

[Slapshot]

While I don't disagree...I think there are rather more important things that Millibland should be looking at.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29857849

[BlackadderV]

Having an elected Lower House and an elected Upper House only works if you have an elected President (or monarch) with full executive powers. Otherwise it is a recipe for chaos.

[SirOracle]

Why not go the whole hog and get rid of the Lords completely.?

[Svejk]

Sounds an expensive business.

[jno]

that's what he's suggesting. Do you mean just have a single house? I don't know, I think I prefer the idea of a review body that puts a brake on kneejerk legislation demanded by the Daily Mail.

[SirOracle]

jno... Had Scotland voted for independence then we would not have had an Upper House in Scotland.

I do not see the relevance of having non elected peers making decisions for us.

Other countries seem to manage without all this hereditary nonsense.

[jno]

I agree, but so does Miliband, he wants to abolish the Lords and have an elected senate. Sounds okay to me.

[BlackadderV]

You seem to be behind the times, Sir O. Only a tiny number of peers are hereditary, the rest having been abolished by St Tony and replaced with life peers only.

[tonyav]

He gives money to homeless people though.
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/this-miliband-act-of-generosity-just-added-to-his-list-of-seriously-awkward-photo-ops/ar-BBcdxVx

[SirOracle]

Up to a point jno,but to my mind it is having an unnecessary and expensive tier,bearing in mind that there is also EEC tiers which also cost us money.

[BlackadderV]

Well, then, Sir O, let's start at the top first, shall we? That will save a lot more dosh!

[SirOracle]

You are forgetting the C of E bishops Blackadder,and though the number of hereditary peers are diminishing,their replacements are there through "Grace and Favour". They are NOT elected by the people.

[SirOracle]

By the top do you mean the Royal family Blackadder !!?

If you do then I am all for that.

[BlackadderV]

I was talking about the EU tiers. Once we get rid of that lot we may divert our attention to domestics tiers.

[SirOracle]

No no Blackadder....better to start in our own back yard.

You may have gathered that I am a pro European Republican. :-)

[BlackadderV]

Given your obvious egalitarian sympathies I find it it odd that you should incorporate 'Sir' into your user name.

[SirOracle]

Sheer hypocrisy and delusions of grandeur Blackadder.

Never use it to get a better table in restaurants though !! ;-)

[Gromit]

It is almost obigatory for the Labour Party to pledge reform of the House of Lords as they approach a General Election.
They always cock it up and never complete the job. I assume this will be the same.

[mikey4444]

People continually moan there is nothing much to choose between the main two Parties, which is why we see the rise of loony-tunes such as UKIP. I have never thought that Labour and the Tories were the same and we now have evidence that there is a veritable chasm between them.

Labour started the reform of the deeply undemocratic House of Lords years ago, after the landslide victory in May 1997. If they hadn't won power back then, Major would have continued as PM and we would still have old buffers from the Shires thwarting the wishes of the fully elected House of Commons, for no other reason than that they were promoted by a previous corrupt king.

It now appears that they intend to go further, and I wish them every success. As regards there being more important things that they should be looking at, any Government should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

[Zacs-Master]

I love it when you get all masterful Mikey. Good post tho! I might vote Labour now!

(ZM goes to have a cold shower)

[DTCwordfan]

Yes, there are far more important priorities such as tackling the UK's potholes or making more cemetery space available as there will be issues in burying all the immigrants his mob allowed in when they were in government.