Tony Benn on House of Lords Reform

Just before the start of the Elect the Lords Rally at Labour Conference, former MP and political activist Tony Benn talks about the 100 year long struggle for House of Lords reform.

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[gagothesith]

> why can't there be more people in politics

> like [Tony Benn]

Because we can only indulge so many sanctimonious hypocrites "because they are endearing when they talk"--have Prescott live a life as privileged and talk as self-righteously, and see mobs trying to set him on fire.

[Anyared]

What a wonderful man why can't there be more people in politics like him.

[petehall1985]

@LightYearsFromHere the queen has sovereignity and the commons has to use the parliament act if it wants to bypass the lords and even then her majesty can stop them in theory. whilst blair and thatcher did start to act like they were invincible the point of the lords is to make sure they don't just need there friends to sign it off.

[petehall1985]

@LightYearsFromHere love it what a great idea

[petehall1985]

@Catholicism777 what about if it was elected so its democratic but to be eligible you had to fit a more experienced criteria much the same as a magistrate. so you may be older, have a profession besides politics and longer terms. life peers are dangerous as is them being chosen by the ruling party. we are a democracy and should have a politics which reflects that not a mish mash.

[moonshoes1000]

JP should be set on fire the mans a big fat bell end who fell into the job by bullying dim wits out of the way..

[rugbyboy198127]

damn you tony - 'any civilised country' ie two elected houses? oh so civilised like USA or australia? i do love tony but he's so wrong on this point - really! and civilised like that bunch of european idiots currently running the eu? ha i'll take my 'uncivilised' house of lords everytime - it is the height of civilisation as far as i'm concerned! dont forget it was us and our system who gave democracy to the world - i think we have far and away best system - constitutional democracy works keepit

[rugbyboy198127]

@Catholicism777 i agree with your sentiment but not the last bit - i believe these 'experienced' ex mps are poisoning the house of lords - you underestimate the lords - they know how politics works lol we all know how politics works and it's the biggest sham going! politics and the house of lords should e kept sacredly separate just as religion and politics - it's the only way - we have the least democratic democracy as we have constitutional one and thank the gods as democracy = mob rule - fact

[rugbyboy198127]

democracy = mob rule - you would really trust the views of the great british public? really? all those tossers who know nothing about anything? what we have is constitutional democracy - and we have the best system in the world i have no doubt! i love tony benn but on this we disagree - all those things he lists at the start, show how the house of lords and therefore our delicate constitutional democracy are undermined by modern politics - i feel so passionately about this issue - cont....

[rugbyboy198127]

house of lords should be made up of hereditary peers - but they should somehow earn the right - ie have a pool of hereditary peers of which say 25% seve at any one time - so we keep out the twits and they must earn their hereditary right through exempolary behaviour or something, then the rest should be experts, like steven hawkin, david attenborough etc top intelectuals,philosophers - reknowned, recognised people of achievement and public standing - not former politicians, keep them out out out

[rugbyboy198127]

tony benn = hero, legend, real man, british never say die spirit and attitude, modest, he is my odin/thor - however i do disagree slightly, i do see the house of lords as a kind of safety net... in this age of television and propaganda and people like murdock about trying to buy up all the news and uk becomming more and more like usa everyday i think politics is dangerous, and i don't trust the 'great british public' either... keep poliicians out of house of lords all together in my view and ex!

[Catholicism777]

If we have an elected House of Lords then the Lords would just be a mirror of the commons, destroying the whole point of the House of Lords.

Also, if there is an elected House of Lords, it will contain a large number of people who just became Lords because they couldn't become MPs. The reason the Lords is successful as a safety net against dodgy government legislation is because it contains experienced and well qualified ex MPs.