EVERY SO OFTEN a debate about the future of the House of Lords flares up.  Opinion can be sharply divided.

Some believe that the House of Lords is an anachronism and belongs to an earlier age. Allegations of elitism – especially in respect of hereditary peers – are also commonplace.

Others seem to venerate the Lords. They point to its history & the unique nature of the institution.  They also question what would replace it.

National Liberals are committed to free thought & free speech.  Therefore, any debate relating to the future of the Lords is one that interests us.

Like many people, we’re in favour of a body that can effectively act as a check and balance to the House of Commons. This is particularly so when one party has such a majority that it can literally bulldoze legislation through.

We should point out that National Liberals believe that governments need to be able to act decisively. But some form of checks & balances are essential to prevent – what could be termed – even a ‘benign’ form of dictatorship emerging.

(As an aside, we believe that serious questions must also be asked about the UKs version of ‘democracy’.

One question relates to the status of both government & opposition.

Here, the opposition appears to spend all its time & energy deliberately trying to derail what the government has been elected to do. This is irrespective of whether the government’s proposal is in the national interest or not!

We know that this is an age-old political tactic to make the government look weak and inept. However, it ignores the fact that action is urgently needed to solve the many social & economic problems we face.  Many folks are suffering hardships, so is it right that the opposition seems happy enough to play a game of political point scoring.)

Returning to the status of the House of Lords, we think that the whole question of – to paraphrase The Clash – should it stay, or should it go? requires deep analysis, thought and debate.

However, before we even start to think about the future of the House of Lords, we must examine its past.  We need to know what oversight body preceded it, if any, and when & why the House of Lords came into being.

A truly informed debate can only proceed once we know the constitutional & historical context (in respect of the Lords).  These facts will then shape any future debate.

•  To be continued.