General Meeting: September 2023

Lord Vernon Coaker was our guest speaker. A well known character around these parts as our former MP, Leader of Gedling Council and Head Teacher of a local Comprehensive School. Vernon started his talk about “life as a lord” with a comment that his father worked for the lord of the manor and now here he is in the House of Lords.

He noted that no one else there talks like him. There are 777 members of the House of Lords, 262 are Conservative, 180 are Labour and others there for a variety of reasons and expertise in other fields, etc.

In the way the House works within Parliament, the House of Commons has primacy. Blocking Commons proposals is not what the House of Lords does. They seek to suggest changes to the Commons proposals on a sort of basis of “Are you sure you have got it right?” A check on the system is it's main function. the Lords do not block legislation – it tends to look at what is right regardless of the political bent of the proposer.

The House of Lords is composed of people with former expertise from various backgrounds (military, business, politics, etc.). Vernon gave an example of an internationally recognised eminent surgeon. People listen to him. The House of Lords can be controversial but it's important for it's role that, that we don't have a written constitution, so care has to be taken to maintain our non-elected system.

The House of Lords provides a calm discussion and consideration, (which can't always happen in the Commons). There is a lot of talk about reform of the Lords and Vernon mentioned some of the possibilities including having an age limit but that would lose a lot of the expertise. The legal system is also very important, so Lords who are Supreme Court judges are very useful. Reform would be complex. In essence the Lords function is to “stop and reflect”.

Lord Coaker is now an Honorary member of Gedling u3a. Welcome aboard my lord!

Eric Rennie