What started this chain of thought was looking up the biography of someone I knew in my advertising days. Two, of these, rather undistinguished at the time but pushy, were raised to the peerage later on. As was someone I once worked with and  someone who taught me for a time. Add to this the one hereditary peer I had a nodding acquaintance with and I suppose I know, or knew at one time, around six of the present members of the House of Lords. Whether or not these people deserved to be life peers - and they almost certainly did because of their considerable personal or business achievments - i am not sure any of them should be unelected legislators. As a result of recent happenings I am now surer than ever that there should be a wholly elected, and directly elected, second house or senate. Much the same people might emerge as candidates and several of them might deserve to be elected but at least they would  have to declare their political colours and private interests, and submit themselves to the electorate, which would, as the man said, be A GOOD THING. It would certainly be better than tampering at the edges of the present system.