Why we need an elected upper house

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Why we need an elected upper house

01.02.2010 // by Robson Brown

A hundred years ago in 1910, the House of Lords in the UK forcefully tried to prevent the elected government, elected on a popular landslide, from introducing progressive taxation on the extremely wealthy, and a scheme of national insurance for the ill and injured.

The chancellor David Lloyd George said the plans in his 'People's Budget' were part of "a war budget... waging war on poverty, disease and unjustness."

Now it's 2010. One country's legislature has just rejected clauses in an equal rights law that would finally guarantee the right to employment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Not to mention how a multi-cultural nation of Muslims, Jedi Knights, and non-conformists have laws scrutinized looked at exclusively by established Christian bishops; or that an exclusive club of those whom by ancient privilege are born to rule choose amongst themselves who sits in it.

Welcome to today's House of Lords. It is not a legitimate check or a balance on the power of the elected government, and it is not accountable to the people who have laws for them approved by it.

While most Parliaments in the world developed a democratic upper house, from America to Northern Ireland, Britain has always floundered along with a system stuffed with the cronies and sycophants of various political figures.

What's more, it seems perfectly acceptable to buy a seat in this House by simply donating a large sum of money to the government!

We believe as Liberals and Democrats that this is totally unfair. An Upper House elected on an independent-favoured system like the Single Transferrable Vote would break the power of parties and the government to ram through unpopular legislation using its numbers alone, and lessen the corruption that follows the arrogance of not being in danger of losing a seat.

Make 2010 the year power's given to the people: vote to give the United Kingdom an elected upper chamber.

Robson Brown is a Liberal Youth executive member