Ten Lords a lending and Baron Booth of Bread Street

It has been a bad year for British democracy. The 'loans for peerages' affair has highlighted all too clearly why there should be no place for patronage in Parliament. Some will remember the title I bought off the internet from a campaigning group to highlight this dreadful situation - Baron Booth of Bread Street. I even have a 'Certificate of Inauthenticity' (see below) and the money raised by the campaign is being used to challenge this patronage.

An amazing 80 pence in every pound donated to the Labour party comes from people subsequently honoured. This is totally unacceptable in a modern democracy.

Two-thirds of the public supports a predominantly or wholly elected second chamber, yet politicians have fudged this issue for years. Although there are signs that the Government has finally accepted that the second chamber must have some elected members, much more work must be done to ensure that MPs vote for a wholly elected second chamber.

The great card above comes from the Unlock Democracy website - you can send it as an e-card to family and friends to highlight the campaign - the site also has tips for further campaigning.

According to reports (e.g. The Independent): "in an unprecedented move, when MPs vote on the Lords shake-up in the new year, they will rate the different options in order of preference so that one proposal eventually enjoys majority support after second preferences have been redistributed. The method, similar to the alternative vote system used in elections in Australia, will ensure that the Commons reaches a clear view on how the second chamber should be modernised."

So if MPs now think that simple First Past The Post (FPTP) is no longer suited to their needs, are they finally going to see that FPTP is just as ill-suited to the needs of the country and the electorate? Are we perhaps seeing a recognition for the need to change our electoral system to Proportional Representation?

This Labour Government has immense power yet was elected with support from scarcely one in three of those voting and a little over one in five of the total electorate.

It's not surprising that people are unhappy with the voting system. People want to feel their vote has a value. Proportional representation would completely reinvigorate the dynamics of politics in this Country. Indeed a House of Commons elected under PR would not have supported Tony Blair over the war in Iraq. It would also mean Green voices in Westminister representing the views of substantial sections of the electorate....

But enough of this - time to polish my coronet - yes I've discovered allsorts that I never knew about being a Baron - mostly from people who have delighted in taking the mickey - an English Peerage baron is entitled to a coronet bearing 6 silver balls around the rim and in case you need to know how to address ...non-Scottish barons are styled The Right Honourable The Lord [Barony]....