Greens respond to Mandelson arrest renewing calls to abolish undemocratic House of Lords
Following the arrest of former Cabinet minister and Member of the House of Lords, Peter Mandelson, Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie has renewed calls for the abolition of the House of Lords and its replacement with an elected second chamber.
Scottish Greens Constitutional spokesperson, Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“The arrest of Peter Mandelson shows yet another deeply disturbing development in a scandal that has laid bare how powerful figures at the very top of the British establishment have been able to abuse power, avoiding scrutiny and consequences for far too long.
“This scandal is about more than the behaviour of individuals who were entrusted with influence, public office and access to taxpayer resources from the most powerful institutions in the country. The deeper problem is not any one appointment in particular, it is the system that allows them in the first place.
“Simply put, modern democracy can only function properly when its institutions are democratic and the people who hold power and influence are accountable.
“Few people still believe the pretence that the institutions of the British state are built on integrity and public service. Public trust has been eroded to the core by a system that is designed to shield the powerful from consequence.
“This points to a wider culture in Westminster and beyond, where status and connections count for more than transparency, justice or the safety of victims.
“It’s urgent that we expose how these men were able to remain embedded at the very heart of public life, without meaningful scrutiny or accountability.
“The House of Lords is an unelected, unaccountable relic that has no place in a modern democracy. It is long past time it was abolished and replaced with a genuinely democratic second chamber, with Members that work for the public, not the elitist few.”