Ninety-two hereditary Peers of the Realm are packing up their ermine and saying farewell to their traditional home from home. As Liberal Democrats we are pleased that Parliament has taken one more step towards the full reform of the House of Lords – although we won’t rest until we have a fully elected Upper House.
But spare a thought for those departing peers. They are the product of families who have served this country for many hundreds of years, with many lifetimes of experience in scrutinising legislation. Many of them have been highly effective members and will be missed as individuals. Some will, no doubt, be returning as appointed life peers but the majority will just have to leave that exciting life behind them and go back to their mundane homes and families. We should acknowledge the contribution they have made to our country and help them to make the transition.
Liberal Democrats are proposing that departing hereditary peers should be offered a Depeerage Package. The exact contents are under debate but are expected to include the following:
- Free lifetime access to the bars and dining rooms in the Palace of Westminster
- Counselling services and yoga therapy for withdrawal symptoms
- Access to a specialist private care home if needed
- Severance lump sum calculated as two daily allowances for each year of service in the Lords.
- Dedicated 24 hour help line – at least for the first year.
- A farewell goodie bag containing aromatherapy oils, Jaffa cakes and a House of Lords teddy bear.
If you have any suggestions for additional items please tell us in the comments below.
We should not forget the families of the departing peers, who will have to listen patiently to endless complaints about issues going through the Lords. Each family member will be entitled to claim a pair of House of Lords ear muffs.
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8 Comments
arf arf
How many April Fool’s will there be before noon?
A very clever April fools joke
So long as they don’t demand a refund from whatever’s left of the Lloyd George fund”……………
Very clever. And I’ll admit that it took me a little while to look at the date.
If I was one of the a Hereditaries being chucked out I would expect a repayment of the money my grandfather paid Lloyd George for the peerage in the first place.
@ David Langshaw. Refund ? You’d have to calculate a deduction for advantages accrued over 104 years, David, and I gather what was left of the old man’s estate in 1945 went to Gwilym LG who joined the Tories under that other claimed former Lib hero WSC.
This may be partly an April Fools’ Day joke, but there is serious content as well. Some peers do come from a tradition of service to the country, and feel the weight of responsibility, much like the current king, and his mother before him. The same applies to Prince William. Peers also benefit from not having to be elected every few years, insulating them from electoral mood swings which can include charlatans like Farage gaining support, and are they are free to disagree with their chosen party in ways MPs dare not, for fear of deselection. Deselection grants a prime minister or party leader the power to overrule the electorate, and undermine democracy.