I HAVE read several letters in the Bolton News recently questioning the authority and indeed the composition of the House of Lords.

In my view there is certainly a need to shine a light into just who gets to be a Lord, what powers they have, how much taxpayers money do they pick up and are they a force for the good of the country.

Ok. Fair enough, I don’t think anyone would disagree with that but what about the House of Commons. Not perfect by a long way. Last week Tory MP Philip Davies blocked a law that would give carers free parking at hospitals by speaking for over 90 minutes. Two other Conservative MPs also spoke for an hour and 20 minutes, meaning that MPs ran out of time to vote on the law.

There is no limit to the amount of time MPs speak during a Private Member’s Bill debate, which means if they speak for long enough they can effectively "talk out legislation". How on earth can this be the correct way for a civilised country in the 21st century to make and pass laws for the good of the country.

I personally believe that the action of Mr P Davies MP is despicable but my point really, is that there are a great many failings in our so called democratic system and we must always strive for better and criticise strongly when things are not as they should be.

Eric Hyland

Harwood.