Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything- George Bernard Shaw

Baroness Wheatcroft

Isn't it a pleasure to meet someone who's on Wikipedia? Well, on friday, I got this wish granted, and when the Baroness came at 2 o'clock, I was very keen to what she had to say...

The first thing that she mentioned was the difference in the House of Commons and her position in the House of Lords, and was very keen to mention that the Lords (supposedly) had a greater variation in professions and races than in the Commons. Whilst this bewildered me for a second, simply by the sheer innocence (or more "we're better than them") comment, I listened on and wasn't surprised to hear her say about the average age of the House of Lords. Whilst many have this aged image of the House of Lords, and many believe it wrong, it can be perceived as true, with the average age of a Lord being 70. Now whilst this doesn't surprise me, I did agree with her that this does perhaps need to be changed. Whilst it is stereotypical to think that older people have more conservative views than younger people, in a case such as this, maybe something needs to happen, just to help a new generation get involved and make a difference in British politics.

Another thing that she mentioned, and I agreed on, was the constant legislation passed into the House of Lords. The Conservatives have been accused of making policies too much around public opinion, instead of their ideologies, making them too weak to support their arguments. This reflects in the case of legislation, anything big in the news, and by the time you can say "we don't need another legislation", there's another legislation proposal sitting at your doorstep. What significance does this have? It becomes a nuisance, with unnecessary and flawed legislation that wouldn't stand up to stop a burglar stealing a packet of crisps.

Whilst I would've listened to her story all day, it was pressing to hear a Lord's view on many of the pressing subjects in the news. For example, a subject which I have a strong (biased) opinion on, allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote. I feel very strongly that they should be given the vote, because I believe that if you had the knowledge to vote, your being denied a human right. However it was clear that she didn't share the same views, and used the example of the Scottish Independence Referendum as evidence to support that they shouldn't, as 70% said Yes. However, because they have a different opinion doesn't mean they can't vote, and whilst this is only an interpretation, they still had a strong opinion and knowledge to vote, and I think that if you have those two things, there shouldn't be anything stopping you from voting.

By the end of the Q&A, I'd felt enlightened on the workings of the House of Lords and Parliament, as well as pessimism on the situation in Israel and scandals. But by the end, one question I was keen to get an answer to, took an unexpected twist... "What is your opinion on the House of Commons being able to, in a very rare case, overrule any decision made in the House of Lords? E.g. Fox Hunting". Her response, was interesting... She said that it was the House of Lords job to advise and "educate" the House of Commons, and it was always their decision, the Lords weren't there to overturn anything. This surprised me in many ways, but the sheer innocence of saying that it was their job to "educate" the House of Commons seemed to me, a bit offensive. Admittedly I did point this out to her, but it did make me thinks afterwards. Do Lords feel like they're untouchable, they can't get "sacked" after all, and do they feel more worthy of status than those in the Commons. Maybe that's a step too far, but I do think that some reforms need to be installed in the House of Lords, perhaps a way in which Lords can be sacked, or an elected chamber, which may be rather difficult. But I still agree with her that something needs to change in the House of Lords, or the consequences maybe fatal to a British "democracy".

Jordan Ifield