BANISHING THE GUARDIANS

'The shouting and the tumult dies, the Captains and the Kings depart. . . .' And with them, some time ago now, went the earls and the marquises, the dukes, the barons and the viscounts, all dancing in their robes out of government and over the edge of history. Following a century and a half of uneasy talk, our Houses of Parliament have ceased to shelter hereditary peers. Some were permitted to hang on for a bit - to linger uncomfortably, like guests at an awkward party - but before very long they, too, were swept away, and in some quarters reactions were euphoric. 'Brilliant!' squealed Cool Britannia. 'Great news!' bubbled the Europhiles. 'Another national embarrassment disposed of! Soon we may even be able to look the enlightened world in the face. Any day now we'll have a proper constitution, a real government. . . .' Like Italy, perhaps.

The fact is that in this country the Hereditary Anomaly never had presented much of a problem. Public opinion inclined to the view that someone needed to keep an eye on the House of Commons, and if the established system wasn't actually broke it might be wise not to fiddle with it. Our current Government, however - supported by intellectual lobbyists - was careful to explain that this was a major problem. The House of Peers (as traditionally constituted) must be considered an anachronistic outrage and an affront to democracy, and it really caught on, that last one. It had been around for a while, but now it was being chanted all over the place like a mantra, and if you didn't agree then there had to be something wrong with you as a person.

Which is curious when you remember that democracy as we know it falls quite a bit short of being democratic. Every few years a majority of adult citizens do get their chance to become involved in choosing the next government, but before any individual gets to vote he or she will have been obliged to endure a period of expensive and frenzied political bludgeoning. Many may emerge from this process with their thinking powers intact, but a significant number will have been brain-washed into going against their personal beliefs and inclinations, and after the Election worse is to come. A majority of new MP's probably resolve to do only what they think and believe to be right and for much of the time many adhere to this principle, but such high-mindedness can infuriate political bosses, which means that many find it hard to go against the

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