Parliament and the public: What difference does the Lords make?

A very good question indeed. So, what is the answer?

If you happen to be free on the evening of 2 November, you might be more enlightened if you attend the Hansard Society event forming part of Parliament Week, described as a week of planned events and activities which bring the story of Parliament to life and encourage greater engagement with democracy amongst people of all ages, running from 31 October to 6 November (is it me, or is the fact that it includes 5 November curiously symbolic of something?).

The Hansard Society is particularly keen that the work of the Lords is recognised so we have organised this event, with the co-operation of the Lord Speaker, to throw light on the role that the Second Chamber plays in our democracy and how individual peers engage with the public, something that might be seen as of particular interest given Paul Tyler's exchange with Guardian readers this week.

In any event, the event takes place between 6.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, 2 November, in the Attlee Suite at Portcullis House. I recommend getting there a bit earlier than the scheduled start time, because you'll have to clear security.

The event will be introduced by the new Lords Speaker, Baroness D'Souza, the former Convenor of the Crossbench Peers, chaired by Peter Riddell, with panellists Mark Darcy (BBC), Lord Soley (Labour), a regular blogger, Baroness Young of Hornsey (Crossbench) and Ros, batting for the Liberal Democrats (and perhaps occasionally the Coalition).