Lording It

Gosh, the people who read this site.

I have received a fascinating email from a frighteningly well-placed source, arising out of yesterday's tongue-half-in-cheek post about the European Elections in Northern Ireland.

Apparently, instead of, or possibly even alongside, the 92 elected hereditary peers, consideration is being given to having 120 elected members with six-year terms.

In each of the 12 regions, there would be five lists, and each of us would vote for up to one candidate on each list.

In Great Britain, those would be Conservative candidates, Labour candidates, Liberal Democrat candidates, the names of other registered political parties, and Independent candidates who would be seeking to sit as Crossbenchers.

The two highest scorers from each of the first, second, third and fifth lists would be declared elected, while each the two highest scorers on the fourth list would also be entitled to nominate someone.

But, and hence the email, in Northern Ireland the first, second and third lists would respectively be made up on the UUP, the SDLP and the Alliance Party.

I emailed back saying that if I were designing this, and I should make a few changes. Everyone would have to choose whether to be a Section One, Section Two or Section Three voter.

Section One voters would elect, by each voting for one candidate or party and the requisite number getting in, four Labour (or, in Northern Ireland, SDLP) members, three parties that chose to enter the Section mainly comprised of Labour or SDLP supporters, and three such Independents.

Section Two voters would thus elect four Conservative (or, in Northern Ireland, UUP) members, three parties that chose to enter the Section mainly comprised of Conservative or UUP supporters, and three such Independents.

And Section Three would thus elect four Liberal Democrat (or, in Northern Ireland, Alliance Party) members, three parties that chose to enter the Section mainly comprised of Lib Dem or Alliance supporters, and three such Independents.

All candidates would have to live in the region, but that was already proposed. As was having the relevant party fill vacancies by nomination, with by-elections only for Crossbenchers.

My friend, who is a very busy man, has yet to reply. But he will.

Of course, second chamber reforms are like elves and pixies, believe in them when you see them. Enough proposals have appeared on here over the years. Still, the original idea above is in circulation at the highest levels, it turns out.

Incidentally, now that it is once again allied to the Conservative Party, I should be perfectly happy to see the UUP lose its European seat. The Coalition parties must lose all of their seats in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the North of England. Even UKIP has its uses.

Also, in order to preserve the collective voice of each of the Labour Party's affiliated organisations, let the affiliated members of each elect, every few years, one of their number, whom Labour would then nominate to a peerage.