When I first heard that Doreen Lawrence was to be made a life peer in yesterday’s list, I must admit to having mixed emotions. Partly because Doreen’s battle has kept her in the minds of the very same institutions that have a record of upholding institutional racism.
On one hand I have little or no time for unelected individuals meddling in what should be a democratic state. But then again, we can hold these views while not rejecting working within the status quo – the left, after all, does this in so many other ways. I have the upmost respect for Doreen Lawrence and her sheer presence in the lords will bring about hope. And without hope, what do we have?
With the Euro getting ever nearer to collapse, the world economy moving deeper into recession, unemployment in Britain predicted to surge above three million and the IMF warning that we are facing a decade of depression unless the government does a massive u-turn, there are definitely more important matters to deal with than House of Lords reform. The recent Commons vote was a political game designed to give Nick Clegg a little more credibility in his coalition dance with the Conservatives. It did not work. 
