Jonathan Bishop LLM

8 Heol-y-Parc
Efail Isaf
Pontypridd
Mid Glamorgan
CF38 1AN
Phone: 07092107212
Email: jonathan@jonathanbishop.eu
Monday 23 July 2012

Dear Owen,
When Dr Kim Howells was my local MP I would regularly write to him about Houses of Lords reform.
The provisional consensus was that the House of Lords should be independently elected through
professional bodies.
The reason I held this view is the same reason I am proposing what I propose now. That is that the
revising chamber should not be made up of people elected but of those who have achieved
excellence and have a lot of knowledge and experience to contribute. There is no point in an elected
House of Lords, as it would inevitably challenge the democratic legitimacy of the House of Commons.
So some form of independent appointment is needed, to avoid the election of commoners, who we
plebs have to vote for, because of the inescapable party political system in this country. The last thing
we need is another house of Commoners who act like the MPs do at Prime Ministers Question Time,
which describing it as childish would do no justice to young people, who are more ordered, even if
they have emotional and behaviour conditions.
I therefore think there should be created a House of Uncommons people who have actually
achieved something and not just talked about doing things, like most councillors and other politicians I
know of. Except you Owen of course! ;-)
The House of Uncommons would be open for anyone in the following categories to become part of
following the normal checks by the Public Appointments committee in place of the House of Lords
Appointments Commission:
* Anyone with a knighthood, MBE, or other honour from the Monarch, including the Victoria Cross,
etc. * Anyone with the highest honorary rank in their privy council registered professional body (e.g.
Distinguished Fellow of BCS) * Anyone with a higher doctorate (e.g. DSc, LLD) * Anyone who is a
member of the Privy Council (e.g. Rt Hon, Rt Rev)
This Commission would still as the House of Lords Appointment Commission does present be able to
appoint people of merit who might not have been assessed on one of the ways above.

These people could then attend the House of Uncommons on an adhoc basis, whenever some of
interest within their competence comes up to be debated.
In might be that in order to combat unicameralism that with a resolution of a third of the members of
the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, or Northern Ireland Assembly that the House of
Uncommons could convene a meeting of experts to provide a non-judicial recommendation on this
issue where there is concern.
his may mean that even if the Balkanisation of Britain described by Kim Howells ever happened,
then the Union could be held together by these nations/countries sharing House of Uncommons
making non-binding Opinions and maybe also share the Supreme Court, which can make binding
Decisions as with the Courts of Justice of the EU.