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Once again, Jack Straw prattling on about reforming the Lords is about as useful an exercise as rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Apart from simple spite, the Labour party believes that in reforming things, they are creating a “modern state” and all that malarkey. The problem is as events have shown so often in these past 11 years. “modern Labour” just equals the “current corruption” as it always has over the centuries.

The reality is that all constitutions wherever they come from and by whoever drafted are and should be, designed to restrain the natural propensity of human beings to become corrupted by power.

A British Historical Example.

Oliver Cromwell decapitated a King, established the supremacy of Parliament and set up his son to become a de-facto king come dictator on his death. Fortunately his son was a weak creature who became very rapidly deposed by the establishment and from thence, Charles II restored to the throne. I could not recommend strongly enough that those who hanker for radical constitutional reform, to study the events surrounding the “Restoration”, they are thought provoking times.

Given the chance, our current “political elite” would do the same. For those who want a “modern constitution” I would advise that you should wait upon the arrival of “modern people”…but then again don’t hold your breath, you will never see them humanity is far too slow to learn and especially from history. Consider the appalling events of WWII and ask just how decades later in the Balkans, so called intelligent people acted just the same, committed atrocities just the same…

Sadly But Now a British Requirement

Before any so called further “Constitutional Reforms” are undertaken by any political party, we should create over a period of say 20 years a new constitutional authority, possibly called something like “The Court of Runnymede “charged with collating together all the details of our existing Constitution and Laws. Although people say that we don’t have a written constitution in fact we do but it is scattered across very many documents and historical periods.

Obviously and I can make no apologies for it, this all assumes that the UK shall leave/renegotiate its relationship with the EU to “Trade Only” and Parliament will reclaim its “sovereignty” in the Rule of Law over these islands with preference via the elective process of the inhabitants of these self same islands.

Where Reform is Needed

Neither the Lords nor the Monarchy need any reform at this time although the House of Commons and Prime Ministerial patronage most certainly need severe scrutiny.

The Commons is where all executive powers lie and therefore where any reform should be concentrated because in both the Lords, the Courts, the Monarchy and some might say over the EU Constitution non referendum, even with the electorate, the Commons has already totally neutralised any checks upon it’s powers right now. As Labour has demonstrated all too clearly since 1997, given a good majority in the House by any party, we citizens of the UK may just as well be living in a one-party state like Zimbabwe for all the notice the inhabitants of “Village of Westminster” take of us.

The Nonsense of the Straw Man…

I understand that Straw wants the “second chamber” to be 100% elected, their numbers reduced from the current c. 755 to 400 and all elected for 15 years at a salary of £60k pa. Okay and despite the fact I quite like eccentric old duffers sitting in the Lords, can you just explain this to me:

Why is Jack the Straw concentrating on “how many”, “how long they serve” and “how much they get paid” ? Now what I want to know is what they will do in your numpty world, what powers to control current legislation going through the House, in simple terms what according to the Labour Poliburo, exactly is their purpose ? You are a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing !

NIMBY – Not In My Back Yard

I read a report that Straw has apparently discussed in Cabinet introducing to his “reformed and totally elected Lords/Senators Chamber”, the possibility of an American style “recall processes” whereby an sitting incumbent to elected office who is clearly incompetent, can be recalled by petition to face a new election and therefore potentially be replaced by the electorate any time during the ‘term’. Now if people are elected for 15 years, this might just be a good idea but…

Who on Earth would give someone an open cheque of £60k pa plus, no doubt pension benefits for a 15 year duration ? Ignoring salary increases over the period, it is a £1 million job plus perks and, an inducement for total corruption of that individual. It is also a sign that Jack Straw is intellectually as naive as he is politically stupid. There is absolutely no way that you copper plate any public appointment in this way, it is sheer lunacy as the next bit shows.

Recall

The American system works on a simple 4 Year Term, in other words, a fixed time period or very defined period of time. The whole American system -Constitution runs on the 2/4 year time span so, a “recall” is never initiated randomly it probably takes 12 to 24 months to find out the guy is useless so, for the time it takes and the next election, is it worth doing, do I feel that angry and so on…

In other words, although a potential “recall situation” always exists, because of the short terms – 2/4 years, the effort to enforce set against the fact the guy will not get re-elected come the next election, acts as a brake on frivolous challenges. Put in a 15 year ‘term’ and frankly, every ‘challenge’ is valid and “why not”…

Apparently although discussed as a concept for the Commons too, it was turned down because it would “interrupt people’s political careers”. Well if so, just like the MPs Expenses stuff, Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas or Thanksgiving but the Commons needs its wings clipped !