17 APRIL 1971, Page 7

A motley lot

As usual, the new Life Peers are a motley lot; but interesting for their illumination of

1 'mist do down to al(' sea again

the manner of man the Prime Minister is. Two of the eight are Jeremy Thorpe's liberal nominees. Miss Nancy Seear and Mr Simon Mackay hardly rank as .people of national importance, but if the ,Liberal party is to be privileged by having a say in the allotment of peerages then the pair are as good as any, I dare say. The illuminating interest here is not in them, but in the demonstration that Mr Heath still thinks it to be constitutionally right and proper that the Liberals should from time to time get honours tossed to them from the rich men's table.