Baronesse Lawrence? – What a Farce!

What is happening in Britain that just about anyone can end up in the House of Lords? I cannot believe that the idiot Ed Miliband has decided that the mother of murder victim Stephen Lawrence be made a Baroness and have the right to sit in the House as a peer.

Sorry Ma’am, But No Way Should You Sit In The House Of Lords!

I have no wish to belittle the efforts Mrs Lawrence has made over the past twenty years to get justice for her son, or the charity work she began in his name, but surely, that does not entitle her to a peerage and a seat in the House of Lords. As many commentators on the story have said, what does she know about politics, world affairs and running a country? The simple answer is: Nothing! So in effect she is totally incapable of voting on issues that can affect every man, woman and child in the nation. I might add that this applies to many others who have been handed a peerage.

In my view there are many more people in Britain more deserving of a peerage but will never get one. I think the only reason Miliband has done this is because she is an outspoken critic of David Cameron, and he see’s her as another ally in the Upper Chamber. Its just Labour playing politics.

Miliband – I Wouldn’t Trust Him To look After My Dog!

If this lady can get a peerage then just about anyone can, from a local butcher who has faithfully served the community for thirty years, to many police, firemen and servicemen who have stood out through acts of bravery, down to aid workers who have saved thousands of lives through charity work overseas. You could also include many of our Olympic winners, in fact some are, and the list is in  fact endless.

This is more a case of grabbing headlines and an attempt at ‘one-upmanship’ on the part of Miliband to curry favour with the voting masses. However, I suspect the move will backfire on him if comments on the story are to be believed.

Baroness D’Souza – Speaker of the House

There are already an unbelievable 785 peers in The House, although not all attend and not all have the right to vote on issues, like MEP’s for example. The Speaker of the House, Baroness D’Souza, said last month that she found it “embarrassing to mention how many people are in the House”. She went on to add “the only larger House is the Chinese Politburo. It’s very worrying. We don’t need to be that large. The House is over-large. Of that there is absolutely no doubt.”

Part of the problem is that both Labour and the Conservatives have over the years given peerages to those who have given financial backing to the their party, in fact David Cameron has just handed peerages to 30 new people, half of whom are supporters of the Conservative Party. It is widely known, but not proven, that many financial backers of both Labour and the Conservatives demand a peerage as ‘payment’ for any financial backing they give.

The House – Packed In Like Sardines.

What is further disconcerting is that peerages are handed out for life, and each one has the right to claim £300 for every debate they attend. Current estimates indicate there are 600 too many peers in The House and drastic measures need to be taken to slim it down to a reasonable size of between 150 to 200.

A suggestion has been made to include a mandatory retirement age for all peers, but that will take years to bring results. Whatever happens, there can be little doubt that drastic measures must be taken and soon, for if the House of Lords is to fulfil its function properly in our democracy, many of those members need to be given the boot, and among them Mrs. Lawrence. Sorry dear, no ill will intended!