New Welsh Backsides on the Red Benches.

Wales can be proud of the three persons elevated to the ermine by Her Majesty today. Two of them, Jenny Randerson and Dafydd Wigley were colleagues during my period as an Assembly Member, and both were seriously impressive politicians - invariably worth listening to. I always thought that they were the two most able politicians to lead their respective National Assembly groups. All it needed was for the great Sue Essex to have been elevated as a Labour peer for my opposition 'gallery of stars' to be complete (not that I have anything but a high regard for Eluned Morgan as well.) Its just that I haven't worked with her, so cannot comment from close observation. In the past, we have seen individuals elevated for whom we have little respect, but this time the right people have been chosen (in my opinion of course.)

Over the next few months the red benches are going to be intruding into our consciousness rather more than of late - and for two reasons. Firstly, the forensic examination and sheer bloody-mindedness associated with their Lordships will almost certainly come to the fore as they consider constitutional bills. And secondly, there's likely to be much debate about change to the constitution of the House of Lords itself - not a straight forward issue by any means. I've grown to accept the democratisation of their Lordship's House as inevitable (reluctantly) - but I don't believe that enough thought has yet been given to how the relative legitimacies of the two Houses are going to mesh. Jenny, Eluned and Dafydd have arrived next door at almost as interesting a time as when I pulled in at my new House last May.