The Lords, Corruption and Constitutional Reform
26th Jan 2009 12:58:42
The Times reports on the story of the week, that four Labour Lords are accused of, not to put too fine a point on things, corruption.
Let us begin with the rules. The code of conduct for lords is very clear on the issue; Lords:
(d) must not vote on any bill or motion, or ask any question in the House or a committee, or promote any matter, in return for payment or any other material benefit
So, that pretty much clears up the question of whether Lords can accept money in exchange for votes or political influence. They can't.
So what did the Times do? They posed as employees of a fictional foreign company, and approached some lords, from different parties, asking for an ammendment to existing legislation so that the fictional company didn't have to pay the high taxes required of them in this country. 4 Labour Lords responded saying that they would be happy to accept money from the company in exchange for having these ammendments pass.
At this point, I direct the reader to the quoted text above. Lords MUST NOT PROMOTE ANY MATTER IN RETURN FOR PAYMENT. Just in case anyone was confused.
You would be forgiven for thinking there would be some kind of punishment, reprimand, or consequence. Unfortunately, probably not. They can't be suspended, and they can't be deselected by the party. Because the House of Lords are unaccountable to the people, we won't be able to decide on the fate of any members for whom the alleged corruption charges are found to be true.
To arrive at some sort of point? This kind of thing is exactly why this country needs serious constitutional reform. We need leaders accountable to the people. Other systems of Government, and here I look at the American system in particular, have two houses, elected in different ways. Their Senate has rolling elections of a third of the senators every 2 years. This allows for no kneejerk reactions from the public instantly changing the makeup of the whole house, whilst still providing a check and balance against the president's power.
A lot is made of the Liberal Democrat's support for Proportional Representation, but there's more reform necessary to change the House of Commons, the most key issue being fixed terms of office. Currently, the party in power has a massive advantage of being able to gague public mood and call a snap election. They shouldn't be able to do this, and we should know when our next election occurs, without having to second-guess Gordon Brown.
Instead, we have an unelected house, accountable to no-one. This is more than just 4 men who are allegedly corrupt. Constitutional reform is badly needed in this country, and the Liberal Democrats are the only party with any opinion on the matter.
Update (27th Jan): The Guardian reports that the Lords in question may well be prosecuted for their part in the affair, if they are guilty, contrary to BBC reports.
Submit this Story to the following Social Networking Sites:
