Meanwhile the Labour Party has given notice of a motion
of censure upon the Government. A Unionist amendment will, of course, be moved and we sincerely hope that the Government will come down on the side of some form of general consultation. If there is a fair hope (as we believe there is) of this important constitu- tional issue being removed from the field of mere contention the chance ought to be eagerly grasped. For the rest, we trust it may never be forgotten in all discussions about the House of Lords that the special function of the House implies a special personnel. The function is to check recklessness, certainly not to rule. For this purpose it is most desirable that the members of the Upper House should not be the servants of any caucus. The Lords have done their work extremely well as a rule just because they are not log-rollers. No peer is in the position of having to say, "Can I desert the people who put me here ? " An elected House of Lords can seriously be wanted only by those who desire that the Lords should take a very real part in governing.
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