Peers shouldn't face questions in the Commons

I have been following the debate over the recent moves to have more Peers as Cabinet Ministers and how the elected House of Commons hold them accountable. Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, has suggested that they ought to face MPs in the chamber of the Commons (click here for more.) I would disagree.

Firstly this wouldn't be an issue if the Prime Minister hasn't taken so many Peers to be members of his cabinet. The system works best if the government of the day is drawn from the elected members (except, of course, those positions which have to sit within the Lords, such as its own Leader) because it keeps the lines of accountability and scrutiny very clear.

Constitutionalists and historians will keenly know what this country has been through to protect the integrity of the elected chamber. The privilidge of being an MP earns you certain rights and sitting in the Commons is one of those. The Monarch isn't allowed in the chamber - echoes of 1642 and all that - and has to address the joint session of both Houses from the House of Lords. And now, in disrespect to the history and traditions of the fight for parliamentary democracy in this country we are now to allow unelected Lords to address the chamber.

So, let's review - we don't allow Monarchs to do it, we don't allow foreign Heads of State to do it and we don't allow great statesmen to do it. But now we are allowing Mandelson and Adonis to do it. Doesn't seem right so far, does it?

Isn't the solution an arrangement with Westminster Hall or some other similar venue? Accountability is very important but we ought not to throw the baby out with the bath water here.

Tories try to encourage defections ... tell us something we don't know!

There shouldn't be anybody who is in the least bit surprised that Team Cameron are actively trying to get moderate figures in other parties to defect, in fact I'd be annoyed if some people somewhere weren't spending every minute of every day planning some high profile swtiches. Admittedly Peter Mandelson is slighly beyond the pale for me, but everyone else seems like they could legitamtely live in Cameorn's big tent.

However, two problems with making this explicit have become apparent. Firstly is how to cope when people like David Laws and Norman Lamb (pictured) say they won't defect due to not being Tories. And secondly how we ask the people of their constituencies to vote Conservatives after heaping praise on them so much! Cameron has basically said these men are so good that we want them in our Shadow Cabinet ... but please now vote for this other chap! Another example of good local activists being shot in the foot by the generals pistol.

Let's focus on winning over defectors ... but let's do it in private please!