Chris Rennard takes the case for Lords reform to the Telegraph

From the letters page:

SIR – Many promises in the Conservative manifesto cannot be delivered by David Cameron because the Conservatives won only 307 of the 650 seats in the Commons. Fortunately, they need not compromise on the democratic principles in their manifesto, which said that they would “work to build a consensus for a mainly elected second chamber to replace the current House of Lords”.

All three main parties made manifesto commitments to reform the House of Lords, and between them they obtained more than 90 per cent of the vote in the general election.

A number of Conservative MPs are now threatening to resign their positions if Mr Cameron does what their party said it would do. How many more of their own commitments which they are perfectly capable of delivering (because they are part of a Coalition agreement) do they consider worth resigning over, if attempts are made to implement them?

As Churchill said: “Democracy is the worst possible system of government, apart from all the other systems that have been tried.” It is time to end both the hereditary system and the means of appointment to the Lords by patronage of the leaders of the political parties.

Commitment to a modern democracy will help to define whether or not we really have a modern Conservative Party or one that in its heart still lives in the 19th century.

Lord Rennard (Lib Dem)
London SW1