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House of Lords mends its own caterer because Parliament’s Champagne isn’t good enough BoingBoing

Britain’s Parliament website estimates that about 20% of members of the House of Lords — the upper chamber of Britain’s governing body. Today Lord Fowler will handle oral questions on the Number of NHS medical staff trained in Africa. Earl of Clancarty will lead discussion on the devolution of arts and culture within the UK. Lord Sharkey will be talking about the Higher Education Commission’s report Too Good to Fail. And Lord Marks on Henley-on-Thames will be speaking on the appointment of a chairman for the independent panel inquiry into child abuse.

Lord Faulks will report on legislation concerning the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Bill. And Lord Boswell of Aynho will lead debate around the Report of the European Union Committee on The Role of National Parliaments in the European Union.

Champagne is nowhere on the agenda, but in real life the unelected House of Lords is having a bubbly meltdown over plans to merge its catering service with those of the House of Commons.

NPR radio took up this tragic national problem a few days ago and now BoingBloing guarantees that we are all part of the pending national tragedy. During this government (whatever that means) the Lords have drunk 17,000 bittles of champagne — about five bottles each) at a cost of £265,770 to British taxpayers.

There are other problems say the Lords, refusing to agree that they are having an elitist temper tantrum. There are mice in Parliament’s kitchens and problems with pay negotiations, argue the Lords. And they will have none of it — as long as the sun never sets on British soil.

(Image: champagne tower, kenichi nobusue, CC-BY)

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