Opinion

House of Lords has been allowed to distort democracy for far too long 

The esoteric, unwritten British constitution with its constitutional monarch, unelected House of Lords (HOL) and elected House of Commons (HOC) has proved to be very durable despite its many arcane rituals and anomalies. Ostensibly the function of the unelected UK second chamber, the HOL, is to scrutinise and amend legislation proposed by the HOC. But it is increasingly used by the government as a vehicle for dispensing political patronage, namely peerages.

It has almost 800 members and is still growing. Appointments include a diverse mixture of the spiritual (CoE bishops) and the temporal (life peers and hereditary peers). Clearly it is deeply undemocratic. It has been sardonically referred to as an “expensive and posh care home” for political and other public figures past their sell-by date and now superfluous. In stark contrast the US Senate has only 50 elected members for a much larger country.

However, a more telling censure of the HOL relates to be the alleged selling of peerages. This has been illegal since 1925, when the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act was introduced in response to David Lloyd George’s flogging of hereditary titles for £50k. This toothless legislation has led to only one prosecution.

The semi-feudal HOL should be abolished immediately. It has been allowed to distort UK democracy for too long as a symbol of institutional corruption at the very core of government. Granting peerages is a very lucrative racket reminiscent of the Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences. How could this archaic practice survive into the 21st century in a modern European democracy?

Fortunately a recent constitutional review undertaken by former prime minister Gordon Brown advocates replacing the HOL with an assembly of the devolved nations and regions to provide enhanced devolution – thus breathing life into UK democracy.


Hopefully these reforms will be expedited by a new Labour administration.

GEORGE WORKMAN


Donabate, Co Dublin

Fermanagh should get some credit for new US envoy

Now that Joe Kennedy III – a future American president – has been confirmed by the US Senate as the Northern Ireland Envoy, Fermanagh should get some of the credit long usurped by Co Wexford.

Because the distaff side of Joe III’s family is rooted in Fermanagh, just as surely as the spear side (male side) is rooted in Wexford.

The grandmother of Rose Kennedy (1890-1995) – mother of President Kennedy and the beloved Bobby Kennedy (Joe III’s grandfather) – Rosanna Cox was born in the parish of Knockninny circa 1835. (But her father was from the parish of Kinawley, oops, that just slipped in).

Rosanna Cox emigrated to Boston and in 1857 she married Thomas Fitzgerald. One of their 12 children, John F Fitzgerald – best known as Honey Fitz – became a congressman and later the Mayor of Boston. He and his wife had a daughter named Rose, who would marry Joseph P Kennedy – and thus would be born JFK, Bobby, Teddy, ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, etc, etc.

So  – as I wrote to Joe III a few years ago – a little less about the Boys of Wexford, and much more about the girl from Fermanagh.

And, by the way, speaking of credit, I must credit Fr Ultan McGooghan, formerly parish priest of Knockninny, and now in Co Cavan for all the original research into the truly remarkable story of Roseanna Cox (whose father was a Kinawley man, oops, it happened again).

FR SEAN McMANUS


President Irish National Caucus, Washington

Flawed analysis

Paddy Harte’s depiction of Belfast’s peace walls separating loyalist and nationalist communities seems to suggest the interface walls were keeping warring factions apart – ‘Progress at five peace wall sites’ (December 29). This represented a flawed analysis from Mr Harte, speaking in his capacity as chair of the International Fund for Ireland (IFI). Whereas the walls were undeniably an important ingredient in reducing sectarian attacks, Mr Harte’s view creates the impression that both sides of the religious divide were engaged in tit-for-tat sectarian attacks. The peace walls, despite being testament to political failure, were actually the consolidation of makeshift barriers erected by nationalist communities for protection from loyalist death squads like the Shankill Butchers.

According to a peace monitoring report issued by the Rowntree Trust, the anticipated shared future and ending of religious-based divisions between the two main communities in the north has not just ceased progressing but has actually begun to slide into reverse. The report also states that interface walls between communities have more than doubled since the signing of the Belfast Agreement. Following decades of state-sponsored forced segregation of housing, which in turn spawned single pupil identity schools, is it any surprise that the achievement of reconciliation, tolerance and mutual trust, envisaged emerging from the Good Friday Agreement, still largely eludes us?

TOM COOPER


Irish National Congress,


Dublin 2

Cultural cringers

There are teacher shortages in the north and in GB, as well as in the south. Reasons include underfunding in state schools, managerialist bureaucracy being imposed on teachers and stagnant pay. An additional factor in Dublin is recent spikes in property prices which makes recruitment into sectors with regulated pay levels difficult.

I lived in Dublin for 15 years.  Among older Southsiders in particular, it’s culturally acceptable to express contempt towards traditional music (‘diddley-aye’), Gaelic football (‘bog-ball’) and the Irish language.

Readers should not be too surprised at southern readers who view teacher shortages through a prism of resentment at the Irish language.

SEÁN MAC CANN


Trillick, Co Tyrone