House of Lords Reform

lol lol lol

(also my scratch-card second house is still the best idea)

Benn succeeded to the title of Viscount Stansgate on the death of his father in March 2014, a title he officially accepted prompting speculation that he may take advantage of his entitlement to stand for election as a hereditary peer in the House of Lords upon the next hereditary vacancy.[3][4][5][6][7] His active acceptance of the title was recorded on 10 November 2014 with a note in the minutes of Proceedings from the House of Lords, stating:[8]

"The Lord Chancellor reported that Stephen Michael Wedgwood Benn had established his claim to the Viscount of Stansgate in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The Clerk of the Parliaments was accordingly directed to enter Viscount Stansgate on the register of hereditary peers maintained under Standing Order 10(5)."

I didn't hear Salmond's verdict on that one. Would this have been serious enough to be another "birling in his grave" type incident?

i totally blame the parents

it's a tough life for these kids growing up on benefits with shit parents!

might start a TS Stafford Cripps vs Tony Benn poll. Not that I'm a Cripps expert, but I really enjoyed his appearances in the Maisky Dairies and other bits and bobs I've read.

Glad to hear this loved their early stuff

(xp) Cripps all the way, never liked Benn.

The hereditary peers thing in the House of Lords is insane. 92 places set aside for hereditary peers, almost all Tory or crossbench. When one dies, the remaining ones in his party get to vote on which hereditary peer should replace him. So when a Liberal Democrat peer died in 2016, the three remaining LD peers got to choose which hereditary peer should take his place. Election to parliament, only if you're a lord, and with a constituency of three. Democracy in action!