A parcel of rogues

'Lord Hamilton of Dalzell is one of 1093 peers who sit in the House of Lords (with another 57 on the way courtesy of the dissolution honours) with a licence to pontificate and legislate on - among other matters - Scotland. Most of them don't like the cut of a Scottish parliament. Indeed they exacted two defeats on the Government's referendum Bill although in both cases fewer than 20% of their lords and ladyships bothered to vote. Just as well there wasn't a 40% rule!' Alex salmond in the Herald 7 th August 1997

The Palace of Ignorance that is the House of Lords

by Alex Salmond in The Herald, 6 th August 1997

The noble lord went on to give an extraordinary speech in which he condemned Robert Owen's "disaster" at New Lanark which one of his ancestors had evidently help finance. In a more generous moment he notes that, "The coincidences which led to the poll tax being introduced in Scotland . . . helped fuel the impression that it is a good idea to try political changes on the dog, so to speak, in Scotland, before feeding them to the English." He later concludes on the result of devolution being, "Poor old Scotland. I reckon the dog will die."

Lord Hamilton of Dalzell is one of 1093 peers who sit in the House of Lords (with another 57 on the way courtesy of the dissolution honours) with a licence to pontificate and legislate on - among other matters - Scotland. Most of them don't like the cut of a Scottish parliament. Indeed they exacted two defeats on the Government's referendum Bill although in both cases fewer than 20% of their lords and ladyships bothered to vote. Just as well there wasn't a 40% rule!

There is no place less fit to have power over Scotland than the Palace of Ignorance that is the House of Lords.

The "upper" house is 58% filled by hereditary peers who owe their position in the Mother of Parliaments more to the lottery of centuries of in-breeding than to any expression of democratic will. Among their number are some 75 historic "Scottish" peers whose ancestors were among "Our Noble Families" so brilliantly condemned by Tom Johnston, the finest Secretary of State Scotland has ever had. With a few honourable exceptions these are the direct descendants of the parcel of rogues who sold the nation for the grand total of around £22,500 in 1707.

The remainder is made up of 24 Church of England bishops, two archbishops, and 429 life peers. These life peers are largely a mixture of has-beens and have-never-beens who managed to coorie up to the "establishment" throughout their careers.

Some argue, of course, that their Lordships bring their knowledge and experience to bear on the legislative process in a way that mere elected representatives could never do. To them I offer the following gems, again from last week's devolution debate.

Lord Renton rose and argued that the three-tier system of district councils, regional councils, and Westminster worked very well and there was no need to add a fourth. He knew about this from his many forays north. When it was pointed out to him that two-tier local authorities were abolished some years ago he went on to argue that the two-tier system worked very well and didn't need a third.

He was followed by Lord Onslow who was concerned about the implications of devolution for the Scottish transport network. "What happens to the A9 between Lockerbie and the Border?" he asked. What indeed?

Laughable though the proceedings of the upper house may be, it is no laughing matter that they continue to exert an influence over the legislative process. The Prime Minister's response to this farce was the Heinz solution - to join with the outgoing PM in appointing another 57 of them to bump their gums at our expense.

Even if we have to wait for abolition or reform, wouldn't it be better to equalise the political balance in the Lords by clocking off permanently the ones who seldom clock on? This would seem a better notion than signing up another cast of thousands.

How refreshing then to consider that the Scottish parliament will be completely elected democratically, cost 16 times less than Westminster and be very unlikely to include Lord Hamilton of Dalzell.

Lord Hamilton may thank his lucky stars that his father left Scotland, but that pales beside our own gratitude to his fortunate celestial masters. He may think that Scotland's "dog will surely die", but as far as the dog of Dalzell and its packmates in the Lords are concerned I do wish they would bark elsewhere.

When Balfour called the Lords the "watchdog of the constitution", Lloyd George replied that it was a Tory poodle. On the evidence of last Wednesday night they have turned into Scotland's "wally dug". Time to get them off the mantelpiece and out to the next jumble. - Aug 6