So what if the public deosn't care about House of Lords reform

Commentators and newspapers are telling the Lib Dems should give up on Lords Reform. The reason - that the public doesn't care about it.

I disagree with this argument - just because the public aren't engaged on a particular issue doesn't mean nothing should be done about it. If this argument was continued to it's logical conclusion - then the Government should do nothing for people with diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, becasue the public are only interested in diseases they might get.

It is of course wrong to run Government according to public clamour, yes politicians must take public opinion into account in decision making but the key thing is to do what is right.

There were proposals in each of the main parties manifesto's, and actually in most of the minor parties as well, for Lords reform. The problem at the moment with the Lords is that they have an impact on the laws we obey and yet we have no say in the make up of this body. This is something we would condemn in other countries as non-democratic, mainly because it is. It is also unrepresentative - did you know there are more peers in their 90's than in their 30's. There isn't a single peer who is younger than 34!

But I don't want to rehash the arguments about whether or not we should have an elected house of Lords. What I want to argue is why the Lib Dems should push forward now.

At the recent local elections, it was noticable that we were losing a high percentage of the intellectual liberal left. In wards with a high percentage of this demographic our vote was significantly down. Accross the country support for Lords reform is highest amongst the intellectual liberal left. The coalition has done a number of things this group don't like (tuition fees been number one) so it important that we try and win this group back (lets not forget that we have a large of university seats, where intellectual liberal left have been crucial to our victories.

Secondly, for Lib Dem members and activists, it is very important, especially after the AV referendum. If we are to be electorally succesful then we will need the foot soldiers to go out and deliver leaflets, knock on doors and stuff envelopes. If we can't get any very lib demmy policies through then these people will melt away.

For the position of the party in national politics it is also key, if we can't get this, what changes to the country can we actually trumpet. The change to personal limits is popular, but easily reversable. The pupils premium, which hasn't resonated with the public can also be easily reversed (and in practice already has with the cuts to the education budget). With the loss of the AV referendum we do need things to say to the electorate that we have actually changed. If we don't how do we sell to not tory leaning voters the value of the Lib Dems in Government.

Finally, we are not a populist party. the preamble to the party constitution reads "The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community and in which no-one will be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity." If we are to build this type of society then Lords reform is crucial - the lords is not open, not free and not fair - where better to start than dismantling this anachornostic institution.

I hope Nick Clegg won't duck the clash with the lords and he doesn't end up thinking "I fought the Lords and the Lords won."