With A Little Help From Their Friends

The Government has shown its commitment to electoral reform by compensating for the proposed cuts of fifty MPs from the House of Commons with fifty-four appointments to the House of Lords. The Lords were an occasional source of welcome restraint on some of New Labour's more lunatic whims; but there is room for doubt as to whether this is the reason for their present engorgement. As might be expected from the new cleaned-up politics, party donors and campaign managers are prominent among the beneficiaries, along with the likes of Oona King, who lost Bethnal Green and Bow to George Galloway and the candidacy for mayor of London to Ken Livingstone, but has evidently done something or other to deserve a seat in Parliament.

The Liberal Democrats also opposed a good many of New Labour's idiocies, and used to be in favour of reforming the Lords; but, as Vince Cable might say when signing a pledge, that was before the election.