62Granny
If the Lords is being done away with , why is a second chamber needed? I don't see the point of adding another level of government that isn't really needed.
but surely we need a body that does actually look at what is being proposed with due diligence before passed onto the statute.
To be honest, that's what MPs and the parliamentary select committees are supposed to do.
Never, ever confuse 'the government' with Parliament. The 'government', in our constitution, represents the crown, as ruler of the country. Parliament is the law making body, consisting of the Commons and the Lords. It is their job to scrutinise proposed legislation, make amendments they think necessary, and say whether or not it should become law.
Because 'the government' is usually compiled from members of the party which wins the most seats in the Commons, with a commons majority they can 'pass' any legislation they want, regardless of its quality, necessity or effect on the country and its citizens. The second chamber, the Lords, is more broadly balanced in the spread of partisan members and Independents. They are also free to scrutinise and amend legislation and can even hold up its passage (if it doesn't relate to a manifesto item).
At present, our House of Lords is our protection against the excesses of our far right government; the government commons majority is too big and the government has both manipulated the Common's timetable to minimise scrutiny of proposed legislation and bypassed it altogether if it possible can.
That's why we need a second, less partisan, legislative chamber.
