Speaking during a debate on a report into Lords reform, Lord Ashdown said that "at a time when people are dying for democracy", the House of Lords "infringes the fundamental principle of a democratic state, which is that the people's laws are made by the people's representatives".

BBC: Ashdown: Peers are 'creatures of patronage'

Surely what is good enough for the people's representatives is worth trying for the people, too.

ECONOMIST: Will anyone dare touch Medicare?

The REINS Act ensures that the people's representatives are accountable for the laws they pass as well as the major regulatory costs that may follow.

ECONOMIST: Letters