While we are stuck with big government, an important check on the power of the executive is an independent second chamber. Although the undemocratic nature of the House of Lords is much derided, it is noticeable that their Lordships have provided much more substantial and well-reasoned opposition to the worst excesses of the current government than has been provided by the Commons. This is quite significantly related to the fact that many of their Lordships do not owe their positions to conformity with party policy.

Jack Straw's leaked proposal for reform of the Lords would undermine that independence. He proposes that half the peers should be appointed and half should be elected, as though this is a compromise. Indeed, much of the debate seems to consider that there are only two options: appointment or election, and that the only question is what balance there should be between the two. This, indeed, is the quality of the opposition parties' contribution to the debate.