By Rachael Tearney.
Labour has announced its plans to modernise the House of Lords, aiming to transform it into an entirely elected chamber and to abolish the remaining hereditary peers.
It is striking that Labour has made this one of its immediate priorities, but why is it so important to them?
Presumably, they would argue it needs to be done to make the system more democratic. This would suggest they believe the current system is undemocratic, and yet they find themselves in power with a significant majority, able to pass legislation with relative ease. If the current system isn’t hindering their ability to govern, why the need for change?
Could it be that they are seeking to make it less democratic? Perhaps they want to streamline the process to pass legislation without opposition. The House of Lords, which acts as a reviewing chamber that suggests amendments and ‘waters down’ extreme policies, will no longer present a challenge to a left-wing administration if it is filled with life-appointed, left-leaning peers. The same would apply if it were filled with right-leaning peers, who would never oppose a right-wing administration. The balance and variety of opinion are essential.
One glaring omission from the proposed reforms is the position of the Lords Spiritual. The 26 bishops and archbishops (as well as retired bishops who sit by right of peerage) who occupy seats in the Lords by virtue of tradition and the Church’s established status are neither elected nor appointed in the usual manner. Why have they been excluded from Labour’s proposed legislation?
One glaring omission from the proposed reforms is the position of the Lords Spiritual. The 26 bishops and archbishops… Why have they been excluded from Labour’s proposed legislation?
Do the Lords Spiritual consider themselves exempt from sweeping democratic changes? Do they believe their seats are safeguarded by old laws? If so, they must be incredibly naive, because it is precisely these old laws, which have upheld this democracy for decades, that are being swept away by the Socialist government.
A glance at history shows that the Christian Church has often been persecuted and oppressed by socialist regimes. To push through their policies, these regimes often rely on enablers—those whom they can manipulate to further their radical aims. Such individuals are disparagingly referred to as ‘useful idiots’.
Many of us have watched in disbelief as, over the last thirty years, the Archbishops, Bishops, and the Synod have seemingly hastened their own decline. The crisis in the Church of England continues unabated, and no one has yet provided a satisfactory explanation for why the Church continues to starve its parishes of funding, despite possessing a healthy £10 billion investment fund. There is a dire shortage of churchwardens—those volunteers who manage church affairs, from maintenance to refreshments. Despite this crisis, the Synod refuses to implement changes that would make it easier to recruit wardens and support parishes effectively. And, of course, we are all aware of their refusal to turn on the heating.
One wonders what the Lords Spiritual believe their role will be in a fully elected House of Lords, and what will become of the Church that employs them—remember, it is a livelihood for them—when it has crumbled due to lack of support and funding. The current array of Archbishops and Bishops, who have so feebly defended the scriptures and doctrine, failed to build attendance, and neglected to keep the flame of hope alive on the altars of Anglican churches, will soon be swept away in the tide of reform. Their seats will be filled by secular, socialist peers, and the 26 Lords Spiritual will fade into the annals of history, leaving the United Kingdom without spiritual or religious representation in its legislative process. This will reduce the delicate balance and breadth of philosophy and opinion.
There is still time to save the Church. Clergy have the power to revitalise their parishes.
There is still time to save the Church. Clergy have the power to revitalise their parishes. The leaders of the Church have the authority to release funds and to oppose poorly conceived government policies.
The clock is ticking.
We can only hope and pray that the Lords Spiritual reconsider their positions on these issues before they find themselves without any position at all. For if Labour’s reforms pass through Parliament, the once vibrant and enriching body of thought and morality upon which Christendom was built will soon be just a memory—complicit in its own demise, much like the Ancien Régime, destroyed by its own ignorance and arrogance.
Make no mistake: under a tyrannical socialist government, the resurrection of Christianity will be a long time coming.
Follow Rachel at @WritesRachael
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