Maybe is my acknowledged bias in favor of the American system rearing its head again, but this is all the more reason for Constitutional reform if yuh ask me. All them Senators are party stalwarts who getting rewarded for their partisan allegiances. Nothing wrong with that... but they shouldn't be given a legislative position where they have influence and power over legislation, all without the benefit of ever going to the polls.
Nobody vote for them, they not accountable to anyone but the party hands which feed them. What is their incentive to vote independent of the party which put them in power? These should be elected positions... not rewards for being loyal to party or personality. In the US there are similar rewards handed out every four years... but these are usually ambassadorships... largely ceremonial roles given to rich donors, party loyalists, fundraisers, friends, family etc. This is precisely what going on with these Senators.
And no, I not only now complaining that UNC in power... I guess this is the first time I ever paid attention to it, and it kinda hits home since is somebody I knew as a child, and scion of a longtime ONR/NAR/UNC family.
