Stewart Paterson's Holyrood Week: Tax credits fright night

But even Chucky thinks Freddy has gone too far this time and threatens to call the cops.

A grotesquely outrageous creation telling a nasty piece of work to think again before he wreaks even more havoc than usual.

That’s what it feels like this week when the House of Lords voted against George Osborne’s plans to slash tax credits from the lowest households.

The Chancellor’s razor laden glove has had a few of its lethally sharp fingers blunted but he intends to carry on and slash what he can.

The House of Lords reigning in the Chancellor has highlighted the ridiculous system of who governs this country.

We have to rely on an appointed chamber riddled with patronage, which includes some of the most privileged and wealthy people in the country, telling the democratically elected government it is damaging too many of the poorest people.

Normally many would be outraged if the unelected Lords were undermining the democratic right of the Commons.

Normally the Tories would be backing the bloated Lords’ right to have a say in our affairs.

Instead those opposed to the tax credit cuts, which will take vital income from low earning households, will take help wherever it comes from and Mr Osborne and Mr Cameron threaten to ‘flood the Lords’ with new peers that will back their plans.

Peers like the new Baroness, Michelle Mone, who having banged on and on about her humble east end upbringing while she was on the make, voted to rob the very people she claimed to come from.

The old saying two wrongs don’t make a right springs to mind in this episode.

The Chancellor’s tax credits cuts are wrong. Wrong to target the lowest paid in society for billions of pounds worth of cuts.

The House of Lords is wrong to overturn the will of the House of Commons, because the existence of the House of Lords itself if just wrong.

George Osborne thinks the House of Lords crossed a constitutional line.

You have to ask if it can’t amend or stop government at all, what is the point of the Lords other than a rewarding retirement home.

In a supposed democratic country the House of Lords is already miles over the line.

The likely outcome of this sorry episode is Mr Osborne will tinker with his plans and still push through damaging cuts.

Then David Cameron will put more of his like minded pals into the Lords increasing the democratic deficit.

If that doesn’t scare you, I don’t what will. Happy Hallowe’en everyone.