The House of Lords

I have just been spending sometime sending the message below out to the Liberal Democrat Peers for whom I could find email addresses.

Dear Lord / Baroness,

I am sure that you will be aware that later today Monday 12th March 2007 the House of Lords will discuss the White Paper The House of Lords: Reform.

I hope that during the debate and votes you will take into account that last week the House of Commons the democratic arm of the UK legislature supported the options of 80% elected / 20% appointed by a relatively large majority of thirty-eight and that the option for a fully elected second chamber passed by a massive majority of one hundred and thirteen.

In the twenty-first century there is no need for a liberal democracy like the United Kingdom to have any legislators who are not elected by the public. Our laws are currently being passed by a chamber of aristocrats, bishops, businessmen, charity workers, judges and ex-MPs.

I would like you think about how we Liberal Democrats would have reacted if the Afghanistani constitutional convention had decided that some members of the legislature should be chosen by their Head of State and political leaders or if the Iraqi constitutional convention had recommended that part of its national legislature should be appointed by the head of government and political leaders because of their wealth, religious affiliation or support of their political leaders in the past. As Liberals Democrats we would have rightly questioned if that was quite the commitment to democracy that we were hoping for. So should we not now reinforce our commitment to democracy by only supporting a predominately or wholly elected second chamber in our country?

I hope that when given the opportunity to vote you will only support options that the House of Commons approved and do all in your power to get your fellow Liberal Democrat Peers to do the same.

Yours sincerely,
Adam Nazir Ahmed Teladia