13 September

Isn't this magnificent? The House of Lords has its problems, but one of them isn't its full name: "The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled." And certainly not the chambers, from the Queen's throne through to the breathtaking architecture. The UK is the real origin of our democracy, and the sophistication of the UK system is one of the wonders of the world, if you spend some time learning it. No written constitution, but a balance between convention, law, the throne, peerage and Church (Lords) and the people (the Commons). Most countries pick one of those aspects and go with it, in the UK it's all there at once, beautifully blended. It's all there in this one chamber to see. And Lords Spiritual (bishops) and Temporal (peers). I work in governance so I'm biased, but if more people understood the magnificence and sophistication of how our countries are governed, they wouldn't be such easy prey for every shonk trying to sell them 'freedom' from government.