House of Lords abolition – dogma?
House of Lords abolition – dogma?
UK Property Market Insights – Written by Viewber Co-Founder, Ed Mead
After Labour’s victory in 1997, the House of Lords Act 1999 removed automatic seats for hereditary peers in the House of Lords. However, 92 places were kept as part of a compromise agreement. Legislation has been introduced since, but none became law.
Finally, a new Labour Gov’t is saying it’s going to abolish the remining 92 and bring in something else. That means for a quarter of a century politicians have talked about losing something, but not said what’ll replace it – lamentable for such a historical institution.
I have no problem with reform provided any new House is fit for purpose. Being younger and more reactionary, I was inherently against the 1999 reform because it felt like there were a lot of people sitting in the upper chamber with lots of experience of life and business with no political axe to grind. They could therefore look dispassionately at legislation with a long-term view. Even if the remaining 92 have retained that objectivity, the rest of the House has been stuffed with apparatchiks and political appointees over the years and is undoubtedly not fit for purpose anymore.
Short termism is one of the biggest problems in any democracy. Laudable though accountability is, every four/five years mainstream policy is open to a politically driven major shift or U-Turn, often just as the policy is beginning to work. Perhaps just such a change is happening economically now – just as Jeremy Hunt’s policies appear to be reviving the Economy, the new Gov’t risks trashing it.
So how might we want the new House of Lords to look?
It might be me, but the House of Commons seems to be increasingly populated by ‘career’ politicians. Members who’ve never actually worked in the commercial or private sector are less likely to have a handle on what works and what doesn’t and also how people tend to view politicians. If you’ve never been outside the bubble, from local politics to national Government, then you’ve probably never experienced the cynicism with which most inside it are viewed. This is a major worry and one that could be exorcised in the upper chamber.
How about reserving a chunk of this new assembly to experts within various fields. This could encompass industry and business – with experts from across the board, energy, property, finance, manufacturing, building etc., as well as from health, addiction, social services, planning etc..
If members were subject to, say, a ten-year term they’d have a chance to make a genuine difference whilst stemming longer term complacency.
The one thing that must be avoided at all costs is political patronage – and let’s hope, unlike the last Labour administration who appeared to abolish out of dogma with no ideas to follow it up, this Gov’t has a plan.
Think we’d all love to hear it please.
Ed Mead is an FRICS, long term commentator on all things property and an agent since 1979 before launching Viewber in 2016.
Viewber is a tech enabled property services platform giving users access to thousands of Viewber members all over the UK able to do viewings, photographs, inspections and much more. Over 600,000 appts completed.
