1957-12-20 — Page 7

F ever there was a caso of

I

much ado about nothing it Is this proposed legislation

for the reform of the House of. Lords,

It is not reform at all, merely Blight variations in the composition of the House. To add a fow life peers and peeressea will make no real dif- ference to its functioning.

The new recruits will HOON settle down to the jog-trot routine or to Indifference as have lone so many of the hereditary peors of the first creation.

The crux of the matter lies in the question of powers and duties.

GREAT POWER

MEN who have held high posts

in the public service or in

business or the professions, the sort of men, it is said,

we want to get into the Lords, are men who have had highly important duties to perform or who have

Is the House

of Lords

WORTH

reforming?

THE SHAM FIGHTS OF TODAY'S

DEBATING SOCIETY ARE VALUELESS

xercised powers, nometimes great powers, Matters have been decided in accordance with their decisions.

They have sold "Go" men have gone, "Come,"

und

and

men have come.

How can they be expected to te an interest in and devote femselves to such work as i carried on in the Lords amid Tews of empty benches?

I

said repeatedly tuil our debates are the admiration of the world. Yet they are ruored completely by the thajority of our newspapers, barely reported in a few, You ay search the world Press in vin for any account of them. So on what evidence does the world base its admiration?

The average dehate fizzies out about 6 pm. without a vision. There are constant complaints of the inadequacy and of Government repiles fuc ali practical purposes nothing is accomplished.

When polities cease to be cussed robustly says Lord Halisham, "They cesse to be interesting,"

Again, I am told, the House of Lorda serves a useful purpose In Berling and amending - fgested legislation sent up from the Commons. If we do i so well then cigarly our perform unce of this work calls for no reform of the House. You can-

POCHET CARTOON By OSBERT LANCASTER

"The House can do what

it likes, Littlehampton, but we want no reformed peers in this club !”

NEW

101 do better than what, it is claimed, is done perfectly.

In any case, that it has to be done is not a rernon for reform ut the Lords but for reform of The Commons, whose methods of

ilk- work lead to this hosty, digested legislation.

THEN WHY

follows tint the brilliant men and women who are to come to the Lords WHI have Lotting more to do than 3 alrerdy being done and, we are fold, done-admitably.

Then why bring them in? will find Diemselves They involved only in the rame shum fights and debating society debates. They will have nothing more to sharpen thelr wils on and get their teeth into than have those who uitend Lords today.

the

And when I contemplate the anticipated brilliance of these new Lequisitions I am reminded of Lord Mountararat in Jolanthe: Peers are to be

"Well, now that the

recruited en tirely from persons of intel- ligence, I really don't see what

use we are,

If you were to take a list of Sockist peers who have been. sent up and strike from it those who never attend, those who come but never speak, and those who speak but have nothing to say, you arrive at the number of those who attend, speak, and have something to say. It is a very small num-

ber

And as there are praefically on tiivisions it cannot be said of the silent peers. as of their counterparts In the Commons, that: "They also serve who only stand and wait."

could

On the Tory Ade name five viscounts who rose to eminence in Tory Governments and played active and effectiv¢ One parts in the Commons,

Liveliest of the lot: Lord Hailsham, who has said, "When politics ccase to be discussed robustly they cease to be interesting."

ference to the House of Lords, where they would have been debated, criticised, and have ellelted a Government reply,

to

Lord Chandos und Lord Weeks are exactly the type of men whom its proposed bring in as fe peers. Neither chonses to use the House as platform.

-

u

Much the same thing may be said of peers from other walles of life. Shipowners do not flock it for shipping debates.

by the Rt. Hon. Lord Winster

As Commander Reginal Fletcher, Lord Winster Arst became an AP. t 1923 when he sat as Liberal Later he sat a Socials! fur le veura.

has not even taken his sent. One has done so but never at- tends. The three others may drop in for an hour or so as to Men with exceptional experi- club, but they have never ence of the aircraft industry do spoken.

not take part in our civil avia- tlon debates,

Lord Chandos had some orl- girl. important,

There are, however and valuable

a small suggestions to make concernlag minority of so-called backwoods industrin relations. He chose

peers who do appear when to develop them before the In- particular subject which 1- stitute of Directors rather than

terests them is down for dis- In the House of Lords, where the subject was debated on the Address and where they would have provoiced most debute.

this does not apply to a great number of peers. The allowance of rallway fares and adequate expenses rules out the "can't afford it" excuse,

old foundations is cattrely in- advisable, and that the Hous with it the of Lords as we know it should hereditary legislator principle,

cease to exist and

need the mem- In that case bers of the new second cham- ber be styled Lords? It is a title the legislative which, point of view, has fallen into

Indeed, disuse if not,

If erstwhile dyed-in-the-wool politicians take no interest in the House of Lords and do not regard partielpation in its work as a duty they owe in retum for the rewards they have received, why should recruits from other repute. equally important walks of life.

they have exercised where powers

commensurato with those of a Cabinet Minister — be expected to do so?

Unless you can give men of. such callbre reni powers and real duties they will soon case" to attend. And, as the Com- mons will neve agree to the Lords having any real powers or duties other than correcting the faulty exercises sent up to us, the present proposal will certainly lead nowhere,

I am doubtful whether any worthwhile reform is practic- able or if such complicated suggestions as have been put forward by Lord Ballsbury would work, They do not yo to the root of the matter - powers.

You must begin de novo; new wine cannot be put in old bottles. The cliche that a second chamber is a vital essential to the Constitution should not be accepted without examination. If this determines that it is in deed essential then the next step is to decide what fune- tions and powers should be allotted to such a chamber.

DISREPUTE?

cussion. For example, on the FINALLY, the method of de- rare occasions when questions ciding the composition of a affecting the arts come up, un second chamber with those

and useful familiar faces appear and make functions

powers would admirable contributions.

have to be determined. It cer talrity should not be a hybrid The fact that we meet only oftair of life and hereditary

the advice in

Afternoon certainly peers.

Lord Weeks receully gave his exceptionally valuable

on the aircraft industry to a makes it difficult for peers with Mansion House audience in pre- a living to earn to attend,

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