'The object of the existence of a second House of Parliament is to supply the omissions and correct the defects that occur in the proceedings of the first'. In these eloquent words, Lord Salisbury, a great leader of the Tory Party in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, encapsulated the need for a successful upper chamber in our country. Lord Lexden, the official historian of the Conservative Party, laid emphasis on them in a speech he gave to the British Conservative Association of France whose members entertained him generously to dinner at the French Senate in Paris on 20 May.
Parliament is about to embark on full and careful consideration of the Government's proposals for a new, elected upper chamber. Everyone agrees that the process cannot be rushed. So much is at stake for the future of our country. In 1930 Winston Churchill described our parliamentary institutions 'as precious beyond compare' and praised their ' unlimited capacity of adaptiveness'. It is in that spirit, declared Lord Lexden, that we must approach the forthcoming parliamentary debates on the future of our second chamber. ' I look forward to making my contribution', he added.
Lord Lexden's speech provided the basis for a lively discussion of constitutional and other issues raised by members of the Association. Closing the long discussion at 11pm, the Chairman of the Association, Christopher Chantrey, thanked Lord Lexden for his visit. ' It was wonderful to hear some good common sense being spoken about the House of Lords and its valuable role in our constitution. We really enjoyed having you with us again'.