Sir: The racism and perfidy displayed by the Commons over
the British Citizens (Kenya) Exclusion Act (as it has so aptly been called) are alarming enough. Giving cause for even greater concern is their abdication of their his- torical role as defenders of our liberties against the executive. Presented with a Bill to deprive citizens of their rights, they sheepishly made it law. Thee thus seriously weakened the Con- stitution by bringing into question the reason for their existence.
In this debacle the Lords emerged with infinitely more credit, destroying by their argu- ments the case for the Bill and by their perforrnafice the case against a second chamber. This emerges not as an anachronism, but as an essential bulwark of our freedoms. Strength- ening the Lords' powers. aqd the reforms that will be prerequisite, are now matters of grave urgency.
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