So, do they need an expert in rare earths and weird metals supplies?
The House of Lords needs more independent, expert peers, the lord speaker has warned, amid growing controversy over plans by Boris Johnson and Liz Truss to pack the chamber with dozens of political allies and donors.
John McFall stressed he was making no direct criticism of recent peerage choices, given his neutral role, but he told the Guardian that the upper house was in danger of becoming “out of sync” with its balance of legislators.
A Lords too full of politicians and former political aides, rather than people with outside expertise, risked jeopardising the chamber’s crucial role in taking a broader view on legislation and wider national policy, said Lord McFall.
Even, someone prone to shouting that jobs are a cost, not a benefit?
You triggering spud for a laugh? 🙂
The House of Lords needs more independent expert peers
Anybody read the novel “The Difference Engine”?
If we need experts to advise on or scrutinise legislation we can call them in as and when we need them, we do not need to grant them spurious titles, privileges and turn up money for the rest of their lives.
And while I’m having a semi rant define expert, because I’m with Gove and I’m fed up with so called experts never being called out when they’re wrong.
Forget the HoL, mandate that MP’s desiring to sit in the House of Commons must have something more than a useless PPE degree or have actually done a proper days work in the private sector for a living for at least 10 years (local government official / Union organiser/ NHS manager /SPAD’s need not apply) before being eligible to stand.
Fuck me, there are 650 of them but ISTR that only half a dozen MP’s have any form of proper science degree (a social / political / environmental kind doesn’t count).
NOw who was it that packed the HoL with Life Peers so as to create an artificial majority for the then government? Beginning with B … Tony something …
@Addolff: ISTR that only half a dozen MP’s have any form of proper science degree
That many? I’m surprised. Any front benchers in there?
BiND: I’m with Gove and I’m fed up with so called experts never being called out when they’re wrong.
Your first three words spoil it for me.
Whose role is it to call out experts if not that of the politicians?
Who could have laughingly dismissed Neil Ferguson and his ludicrous models on the back of an abysmal track record?
Who used (and manipulated) expert advice in order to enforce unwarranted curbs to freedom if not the inner cabinet of four (Johnson, Sunak, Hancock and Gove)?
Who dispenses with expert advice to ban “laughing gas”?
Who is the loathsome authoritarian toad who fawned over Pippy Climatestocking?
TMB, I’m only with Gove because he called it first, but fair point about him not living by it.
AtC: Coffey is a chemist but you wouldn’t know it from her contribution. I think there’s a case for having some people with wide knowledge in important tech fields in the HoL. However what you get is the figureheads in learned societies who were good at climbing that greasy pole rather than people who really understand the stuff.
That also applies to ‘bringing in experts’. The ones who get asked are the ones who network with the great & good rather than the Morlocks who really make stuff happen.
@steve wasn’t that the steampunk novel by William
Gibson and Bruce Sterling, read it when it was published so recollection is a little fuzzy. Think it was about 30 years ago
I like the idea of Lord Tim. He can have up all round for drinkies in the HoL.
Heh. I had a House of Lords pass for a year. My total recipientness of hospitality was a cup of tea off Matt Ridley, Nice tea and nice of him too but……
But that terrace on a summer’s evening, yes,……..
There are two basic options for the dining club they call the House of Lords. Scrap it, or reform it to do that which it is supposed to do – scrutinise and (thus in theory) improve bills coming out of the Commons before they get to old big ears to give the Royal Assent. In practice both the Commons and the Lords fail in their primary function. Too full of loud mouths with a different agenda. I doubt anyone could come up with a convincing reason as to the purpose of Charley boy.
The House of Lords needs to be culled. The USA with five times our population manages to get by with an upper house consisting of 100 members, why do we need 800 or more?