Clegg limps slowly towards Lords reform

So, just updating myself on Lords reform progress in my day off politics (not sure how that works...) and I see that I had missed the rumours that a draft bill to reform the Lords is due out next month.


According to the Daily Hate Mail Clegg has backed down on a 100% elected upper house and will go for 80% so that he can leave the bishops (and possible law lords plus a few cronies) in there.

From the Mail:
A committee of both Houses will then consider the legislation and report next year. But there are still some issues that have yet been resolved such as whether the elections will take place on the constituency boundaries used for European elections or new ones drawn around cities and groups of counties.

So this suggests that the legislation is going to take over a year to get passed, unlike other legislation that seems to get through in around 6 months. It also suggests that the elections might not be proportional. FPTP elections for the Lords would be a disaster.

Of course it is worth remembering that Clegg promised to form a committee and produce a draft bill late in 2010. Neither have been done and in true Lib Dem style the chance of Clegg actually achieving reform is low.