UK Senate
Jack Straw has just made a statement about reforming the House of Lords. His white paper does not specify that the future 2nd chamber should be called a "Senate". But it does say that membership "would no longer carry with it a peerage nor would it be associated with the award or any other honour". So maybe the SDLP wouldn't have a problem taking a seat?
An annex provides a multiplicity of possible voting systems for a future wholly or mainly elected Lords. So far as Northern Ireland is concerned these could provide 2 places for the DUP and 2 for Sinn Fein ( presumably conspicuous by their absence) in a first past the post four constituency vote. Other systems (STV or a list with NI as one constituency) would give the UUP and SDLP a look in. For details see
Since Jack Straw isn't promising to introduce anything before the next General Election his plan may never see the light of day. But if it does, the taxpayer will have to shell out. The government envisages the new 2nd chamber having 400 to 450 members, and says they should all get salaries (unlike the current Lords). If they do, the White paper argues, they will be members of a UK legislature and so should be paid more than members of the devolved assemblies and parliament. So that's a minimum of about £54,000 each. Jack Straw was asked about dual mandates - he said he didn't see a problem with members of the new chamber holding council seats, but thought dual membership in other bodies would raise issues.
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