We must restore faith in politics. Reform of the House of Lords is only one part of the answer, but it is a vital one.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
To restore the trust of the people, we must reform the way the government operates.
I am totally in favour of reform - but it must be reform that changes the nature of British politics, not simply the makeup or operation of parliament.
I am seeking every day to restore faith in Parliament - to ensure we have a House of Commons which is representative, effective and reconnected to the people we serve.
The House of Lords has many fine aspects, but at its heart, it is a betrayal of the core democratic principle that those in the enlightened world hold so dear - that those who make the laws of the land should be elected by those who must obey those laws.
We have to reform the entire political process. It's got to start with leadership by example.
I have kept a steady focus on restoring public faith in our state government since taking office July 1. Now it is time to make even bigger and bolder gains through legislative action.
We can only restore faith in government if the state itself becomes an efficient, effective and transparent ally of the people. Bureaucratic inefficiencies, abuses of power and the misappropriation of public funds must end.
I think we can get respect for Parliament back providing governments and oppositions are frank.
Changes to parliamentary procedure won't transform the lives of the people whom I represent. Decentralising, devolving decision-making and renewing civil society will.
There's much more we can be doing in Parliament, we could be giving more power back to people at local government level, through local referendums.
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