Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas, that much we know. But thanks to the wonders of modern
science, we can now poll them on it. Today’s Times carries a survey of the 789 peers who are entitled to sit in the Lords — of whom, 310 responded. It’s not a huge sample size, but the
results, you assume, are representative. 80 per cent oppose a wholly or mainly elected second chamber, including 46 per cent of Lib Dem peers. 81 per cent believe that the Lords works well as it
is. And 74 per cent believe that it wouldn’t be “constitutionally correct” for the Commons to force through a cull of the unelecteds by deploying the notorious Parliament Act. Of those few peers who do back Lords reform, it’s worth noting the self-deprecation of Lord
Lucas of Crudwell and Dingwall: “I’m eminently replaceable,” he tells the Times.
Although the results may be unsurprising, they are also revealing — and not just of how vicious the battle between the coalition and the Lords might be.
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