HOUSE OF LORDS OVERCROWDED -- Updated 5 Oct., 2019

UPDATED: 5 Oct., 2019 --  The UK has now the second largest Government after China which had in 2013 = 1,3 billion people and UK had 64 million people.

UPDATED:  27 August, 2015 --   David Cameron nominated 45 new peers. There will be  26 Conservatives -- 8 Labour -- 11 LibDem -- the total will be 826
 The House of Commons has 650 MPs. For a small country like the UK it is well over the top. Surely, the USA has not as many in their government and it is half a continent. It is pure madness and every year there will be more Lords and Ladies nominated and costing the taxpayers a fortune. Something has to be done.

UPDATE: 23 November, 2014 --  It is sheer lunacy to have 800 lords and there will be even more every year.  That is the place where austerity should start. The most would be 300 Lords more than enough to  decide and approve a legislation. The Lords on the floor can only vote for it the once in the so called balcony can not even vote but charge £300 a day plus expenses. It is nothing but a waste of taxpayers' money and filling           multi-millionaires pockets even further. 

UPDATED:  11 August, 2014 --- Another 22 newly knighted members had been added. The majority were Tories. Only three from Labour. This will unbalancing it even more. At the moment there are 100 more Tories than Labour. The tactic is that if Labour gets into power the House of Lords will vote against legislation which would improve the working man's life and also to show up Labour being useless. 

Britain was the proud birthplace of democracy. After Oliver Cromwell, in the Middle Ages, overthrew the monarchy and declared Britain a Republic it soon changed back and established the Monarchy again and a House of Parliament which gave a democratic balance. The House of Parliament divides into the House of Commons where public elected Ministers of Parliament establish laws and legislation.  The House of Lords are not elected by the public but nominated by the various Prime Minister.  The House of Lords have the final say in passing on a law.

So far it was a well balanced democracy but in recent years there are more and more nominated Ladies and Lords which reach a huge figure of 774.  Last year the PM David Cameron nominated almost 100 people and they became ladies or lords. The nominees are selected from the House of Commons, party donors or celebrities.  These selections are held every year and the Queen knights them as Ladies or Lords. 

There was already a great uproar last year when around 100 people were honoured and entered the House of Lords.  On account of that £1million had to be spent on the chamber to make it bigger because it ran out of space already. This unnecessary expense paid by the taxpayers added to the anger of the public. A public who struggles with food prices, lowered wages, increased energy bills, all introduced by the government. The public is forced, by the Government, to live below the bread line and rely on food banks yet there is £93million to spend on the House of Lords.

The expenses of members of the House of Lords are in average £120,000 pa and amounts to a sum of £93million. When they sit a peer receives £300 per day, tax-free, whether he contributes to debates or not.

 The new title also gives them an uplift to various executives post.  One Lord was caught signing in and 20 minutes leaving; although he was caught nothing will done and surely he is not the only one.

By now the House of Lords which was once a very respectful institution is becoming undemocratic, crowded with lobbyist and with the only interest in money which buys power. They are not chosen any more for their talent which would contribute to the country. Also one or two newly elected Lords every year would have been fine all those years past.  Now they arrive by the coach loads which cheapen the procedures.

Another condemnation is that Lords who cheated, and were even jailed for perjury or perverting the cause of justice walk straight out of jail and back to the House of Lords. That should never be allowed.  It brings the whole status of being a Lord in disrepute.

Baroness Betty Boothroyd who was the first woman Speaker in the House of Commons has nothing but contempt for the House of Lords.  She points out the PM David Cameron, and other PMs before, nominates people who do his bidding to get a legislation approved. There will be Apprentice star Karen Brady, Mark & Spencer ex-boss Stuart Rose, Hedge fund Boss Michael Farmer or others after donating £6million to the Tory Party.  Baroness Boothroyd does not see them contributing anything to new legislations but vote for the PM who put them there. She calls them “lobby fodder”.

Accordingly the House of Lords is already so overcrowded in spite of having been extended.  There are only 230 red leather benches provided for the lordly behinds. The rest of them have to sit in an overspill pen where they can not add to the debates.  This is another waste of taxpayers' money.

Lady Boothroyd said: “It is so overcrowded that there is not enough space for two thirds of us. It is appalling. There is no commercial enterprise that would put up with what we put up with here.” She recommends a proper reform and a retirement age.  According to Lady Boothroyd at Question Time there are some unseemly fights, competition and resentments.