On the out

John Taylor, the Conservative peer, is out of prison (this blog refuses to use his title; he is a criminal) although having to wear an electronic tag. He now proposes to go back into the House of Lords and claim his daily stipend.

Mercy.

I agree that when someone has served his punishment that should be the end of it but such a doctrine shouldn't apply to people making laws over us. The man is a fraudster. He fraudulently claimed expenses he wasn't entitled to, which we, the people, paid.

This system really does need shaking up. He comes out of the nick, expects to be called by the same word we give to the Almighty in Church, and helps make the law of the land.

And they wonder why people have no respect for our institutions.

The House of Lords

Another clutch of semi-celebrities, time servers and political donors are appointed to the ermine. More Conservatives than Labour, of course, because last time there were more Labour than Conservatives. See?

Now there are 700 or so Lords and Ladies, more than there are elected MPs. They have little or no constitutional or moral standing, appointed as they are by politicians. They can't (and shouldn't be able to) override the elected house, so all they can do is make suggestions, a task which could be done by civil servants.

This system desperately needs dragging at least into the last century. I know the government has a lot on its plate but I should have thought it was now urgent.

The only appointment which pleased me was the elevation of former MP Michael Lord, who becomes Lord Lord.

Lord above

I have been trying to think of the last time being a peer actually amounted to something. I think it was the early part of the 19th century, when someone with a title was seriously rich and had thousands of tenants looking up to him, over whom he wielded considerable powers.

Now it is a squalid business, the House of Lords being inhabited by failed politicians, time servers and chancers. A couple of peers, including Lord Taylor of Warwick (pictured) are being investigated by the police for fiddling their expenses.

I once heard Helena (Baroness) Kennedy say that rather than being Lady Kennedy she should simply have ML (Member of the House of Lords) after her name. I disagreed at the time, but now I am not so sure.

If we are not going to abolish it completely, and there is a case for this, when the very necessary move to elected members happens I believe we should change the name of the House to The Senate. I am certainly fed up with using the same name for John Taylor as I do for the Almighty.