The Debate On The House Of Lords - 1917 Words

The prospect for change in the House of lords has been an endless debate in British politics. The structure of the Chamber has bought about a significant argument for a transformative change in its composition. The upper chamber has already experienced some reformations over the last 100 years, including the Life Peerages Act (1958) and the Lords Act of 1999. The Lords Act reduced the number of hereditary peers to 92 members. This was seen as a significant amendment but academics claim a greater change is needed to establish a more democratic and effective body (Seidle, 2003). Brazier argues the House of Lords continues to be â€Å"unelected, unrepresentative and unaccountable† (2008, p. 66). The current composition of the Lords consists of mostly appointed peers, known as life peers, whom are appointed by the Prime Minister. There are currently 707 life peers and 88 hereditary peers. Most importantly, the chamber includes only 26 bishops which remain the only elected members (Parliament UK (2015). This significant proportion suggests the necessity for reforming the composition of the Lords. This essay will assess the merits of switching to a fully-elected House of Lords. I will use the elected U.S. Senate to assess whether a fully-elected upper house would be an effective reform. The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2010 agreed â€Å"to bring forward proposals for a wholly or mainly elected upper chamber on the basis of proportional representation† (Russell, 2013, p. 265).Show MoreRelatedMother of Parliaments1637 Words   |  7 Pagessince the downfall of Rome, she was the first to introduce a workable body, an assembly of elected representatives of the people with the authority to resolve social and economic problems by free debate leading to the making of law. The Parliament, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, is the centre of British politics. One of the fundamental principles of the unwritten constitution is the sovereignty of Parliament. It means that Parliament has unlimited power in the legislativeRead MoreThe House of Lords Is Now More Effective Than the House of Commons in Checking Government Power. Discuss1312 Words   |  6 PagesThe House of Lords is now more effective than the House of Commons in checking government power. Discuss In theory the House of Commons is the dominant chamber as it is elected while the House of Lords plays more of a revising role, issues to be considered include the powers of each chambers, the fact the House of Lords is more independently minded and the impact of the whips. It will ultimately be argued that the House of Commons remains far more effective due to having greater powers in checkingRead MoreBill Is A Proposal For A New Law1138 Words   |  5 Pagesknown as bill. Hence, bill is a proposal for a new law, or a proposal to change and existing law, presented for debate before Parliament. Bill has to go through different processes to be enacted into law which is know as an Act or Statute. Green Paper: They are the consultation document prepared by the government with the aim to allow people both inside and outside parliament to debate the subject and give the department feedback on its suggestion. White Paper: They set out the details of futureRead MoreHow The House Of Lords Be Reformed?1119 Words   |  5 PagesHow might the House of Lords be reformed? Britain is the short history of the country in the world. But Britain was the first country to establish a parliamentary system in the world, and was the first national bicameral appear. As the birthplace of modern political system, preserving seven hundred years of the British House of Lords system seems embarrassed. As the second chamber of the British Parliament,the House of Lords members has resigned by queen rather than elected. For a long time, didRead MoreEvaluate the Advantages and Disadvantages of an Elected Second Chamber1012 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Parliament Act 1911 envisaged reforming the composition of the House of Lords to create a fully-elected Chamber.† To date all attempts have been unsuccessful. Explain the difficulties entailed in reforming the composition of the Lords and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of an elected second chamber. In the United Kingdom, the Upper House- the House of Lords is currently an unelected chamber. It argues that the House itself is not democratic or representative at all and this problemRead MoreThe Uk Parliament Is Increasingly Dominated by the Executive1553 Words   |  7 Pages‘Parliament is increasingly dominated by the executive’. Discuss [16] The word parliament derives from a word loosely translated as ‘to talk’ or ‘to deliberate’. The UK Parliament consists officially of the two Houses of Parliament: the Lords and the Commons and the monarch, which by convention, delegates his or her authority to a group of ministers known as the executive. The role of parliament is mainly to legislate and to govern the United Kingdom through elected representatives. However theRead MoreThe Political System Of The Uk1641 Words   |  7 PagesThe Political system in the UK is a Parliamentary democracy and consists of two chambers, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons are democratically elected members of Parliament, whereas, the House of Lords consist of members appointed due to their status, title or contribution to society. Both the House of Commons and Lords are collectively known as Parliament. Parliament is the highest law making body of the land, and is commonly referred to as Parliamentary supremacyRead MoreHow Government Policies Are Developed Unit 1 M4 Public Servicesa745 Words   |  3 Pagesall aspects of the policy making process. There are many different levels of government which exist and have a direct or indirect impact on people’s lives. The levels of government are Central, (which involve the Monarchy, the House of Commons, and the House of Lords), Regional, (which involve Devolved parliaments) and Local, (which involve Local authorities, country councils and Metropolitan councils). Each level contains a variety of different organisations and branches of government which helpRead MoreBritish Parliament And The Lords Of Commons1600 Words   |  7 Pagesto be the ‘heart of UK Government’ (Leach, Coxall, and Robins, 2011) and is made up of three main components: The monarchy, The House Of Commons and The House Of Lords. It has multiple key features which contribute to the successful workings of Government. The role of the MP’s and the functions in which they carry out is a major contribution to UK parliament. The House of Commons are known to be the most dominant chamber in parliament and all 650 members are elected by the British people to speakRead MoreParliamentary Law And The House Of Commons1543 Words   |  7 PagesGovernment has a majority of MPs in the House of Commons it can vote out any private members’ bill that do not fit to their political agenda. Furthermore Very little of Parliamentary time is allocated to private members’ bills. Only a small amount of private members’ bills are enacted each year. In 2000/10 only five private members’ bills made it into the book of statutes. Undemocratic meaning neither the House of Lords or the Queen is elected so therefore they should not both be able to have the