JOE Biden has said that America's lack of a House of Lords is what "sets this nation apart".
A video of the US President's speech was posted on Twitter and shared by independence campaign group YesScot.
Biden said America's democratic institutions "are not relics of another age".
He added: "We're a government of laws. Not of men, not of the people, of laws. I said it many times in the campaign.
"Our democratic institutions are not relics of another age - they’re what sets this nation apart. They’re the guardrails of our democracy. That’s why there’s no President who’s a King. No Congress that’s a House of Lords.
"A judiciary doesn't serve the will of the president or exist to protect him or her. We have three co, equal branches of government ... Our President is not above the law. Justice serves the people. It doesn't protect the powerful."
US President-elect Joe Biden: “Our democratic institutions are not relics of another age - they’re what sets this nation apart. They’re the guardrails of our democracy.
— Yes (@YesScot) January 8, 2021
That’s why there’s no President who’s a King.
No Congress that’s a House of Lords." https://t.co/oRhc1ZghA6
The press has sometimes compared the US Senate to the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the British Parliament. But senators actually have far greater power than the Lords and are more involved in legislation.
A report by SNP MP Tommy Sheppard published last year found there were 87 Lords whom it would be reasonable to describe as Scottish members of that institution - which is about one in nine.
Only 14% of Scottish Lords are women and 70% are aged over 65. Only one Scottish peer is aged under 45. Only one Scottish peer is from a BAME background.
READ MORE: SNP call for urgent review into Tories handing out life peerages to ‘chums’
Almost three in five went to a private school, compared to just 5% of the general population and 14% of them went to Eton College.
57% of the House of Lords members were privately educated.
— openDemocracy (@openDemocracy) July 8, 2019
Not only is this grossly unrepresentative – new research shows this is actually going up.
(via @openDemocracyUK) https://t.co/3MOoqZoXI6
Earlier this week Boris Johnson said he had no plans to limit the number of peers in the House of Lords after calls for an inquiry into the institution.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson has 'no plans' to limit number of peers in the House of Lords
The system was described by Sheppard as “broken beyond repair”.
Last year the Prime Minister and Keir Starmer came under fire after packing the unelected Chamber with further party donors, friends and apparatchiks.
The appointment of Vote Leave co-founder Peter Cruddas caused controversy as the commission in charge of new peerages raised objections to the candidate.
But Johnson brushed aside concerns from the House of Lords Appointment Commission to elevate him to the upper house.
A statement on the gov.uk website insisted Johnson had “considered the commission’s advice and wider factors and conclude that, exceptionally, the nomination should proceed”.
There were 52 appointments overall last year, taking the number of peers to more than 830 – second in size only to the National People’s Congress of China.
It was recommended in the 2017 Burns Report that the number of peers is limited to 600, which would make it smaller than the elected House of Commons.
Now Cabinet Office minister Lord True has said Johnson doesn’t approve of the idea of limiting numbers in the Lords, and accused peers of having “unfairly attacked” Cruddas.
Lady Hayman, asking a private notice question, said of the Prime Minister: “He has now become the first prime minister to ever overturn the explicit advice of the Appointments Commission in relation to the propriety of an appointment, and this is not an ad hominem issue, it is an issue of real principle.”
In response Lord True said there are “no plans” to change the system, adding: “The House of Lords needs refreshing and the Prime Minister, as other prime ministers, is entitled to do that.”
He also said the reputation of the Lords rests “not on those who might come here soon but those of us who are here” and the way they conduct themselves.
READ MORE: House of Lords to back the Tory government's Brexit deal
Labour’s Baroness Blackstone said Johnson was ignoring a cross-party agreement to stop the size of the Lords from growing each year, with Lord True replying: “So far as the Burns Report numbers, neither this Prime Minister nor the previous prime minister assented to any limit on numbers.”
Lord Jay of Ewelme, a former Holac chairman , said of the watchdog: “Its advice was accepted by all prime ministers from Tony Blair to Theresa May.
“If its advice is discounted, the system pretty quickly falls into disrepute.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel