Ukip and Plaid both want more Peers.

Wales Online report Ukip and Plaid Cymru  are pushing for more members of the House of Lords

Interesting hat  the Mule story  seems to have originated with Ukip leader making  a similar call

Plaid Cymru has not had the opportunity to send new members to the upper house since Lord Wigley entered in 2011. Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid’s parliamentary leader, yesterday said the situation facing his party was “disgraceful”.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats’ programme for government contains a pledge that “Lords appointments will be made with the objective of creating a second chamber that is reflective of the share of the vote secured by the political parties in the last general election.”

Mr Llwyd is due to retire as a MP at the election so some eyebrows might be raised that he is preparing  to rejoin Westminster as Lord Elfyn of Bala..

But maybe not: Lord Wigley, a former Plaid leader who sat in both the Commons and the Assembly, was nominated by his party to enter the Lords in 2008 following an internal poll, alongside economist Eurfyl ap Gwilym - now a member of the Silk Commission - and former AM Janet Davies. So there's already a cue.

Many in Plaid do not feel that there should be Plaid members of an unelected second chamber but it looks like the party leadership can't wait for reform (if it ever comes) and want working peers now.

Mr Llwyd called for the appointment of another Plaid peer, saying: 

“It’s long overdue and I seriously hope that there will be a movement. We keep on pushing this.“It’s actually quite disgraceful considering we have had representation in parliament since the 1960s and we are still having to go sort of cap and hand for these things.”

In a magazine interview, Ukip leader Mr Farage said:

 “What I will say that it’s an absolute outrage that we haven’t been offered any peerages for the party already. Just an outrage.
“Cameron blathers on about wanting a House of Lords that represents the way people in this country vote, well crikey O’Reilly, we’ve been offered nothing, it just goes to show, doesn’t it.”
 

 At present there are 781 members of the Lords, of whom 222 are Conservative, 221 are Labour and 99 are Liberal Democrat. There are 88 remaining hereditary peers and 23 bishops.

So its top heavy and plainly undemocratic.

But it goes to show the problem of an unelected Peers.

On the basis of opinion polls Ukip should have about  the same number of peers as the Liberal Democrats.

But then what if Ukip collapsed? They would have a 100 peers there for life who had no support from the public.

If we are to have members of the second chamber then it must be elected. Politicians have put of this for two long .

A few Plaid or Ukip peers won't make it more democratic. 

The fault is in the system itself.