The government’s approach to reforming the House of Lords is 80 per cent of the way there. Nick Clegg needs to take courage and to go the rest of the way to a more democratic and coherent, wholly elected Senate.

Abstract

After more than a century of constitutional reform debates, replacing the indefensible House of Lords with a decent elected Senate is now within sight. The government’s draft Bill is a vast improvement on previous Westminster-elite proposals. It needs only some achievable alterations to become a wholly desirable plan for reform. The key changes needed, Patrick Dunleavy writes, are fewer Senators, able to stand for two terms each, using a simple, open List system of proportional representation, and sitting in an all-elected House