It seems that the Prime Minister is on the point of calling on the Queen at Buckingham Palace to ask her for a dissolution of Parliament. From that event there follow a number of other events, mostably the General Election on the 6th of May.
In the meantime, this coming week at Westminster is commonly called 'wash-up' week, during which the Government and the Opposition will attempt to agree on getting urgent Government legislation through both Houses of Parliament. Mr Boulton said that this will be 'in negotiation with the Conservative leader in the House of Lords.' That Conservative leader is Thomas Galloway Dunlop du Roy de Blicquy Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde, otherwise known as Lord 'Tom' Strathclyde. I have nothing personal against Lord 'Tom' Strathclyde, but Lord 'Tom' Strathclyde is a powerful member of the House of Lords and Lord 'Tom' Strathclyde would not be in the House of Lords at all were it not for his late grandfather having been the 1st Baron Strathclyde. Lord 'Tom' Strathclyde holds office through the hereditary principle. It's as if there were in the United States an hereditary Lord Thurmond of South Carolina or an hereditary Lord Kennedy of Massachusetts. (Of course, I know that Massachusetts was very nearly hereditary for the Kennedy family!).
We need an elected second chamber. But the Conservatives want the hereditary Lords to stay. We need change.
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