Our new issue is coming soon - subscribe for just 10! Baroness Fox of Buckley was included on a 36-strong peerage list in 2020 that led to accusations of cronyism . As it says, is it now time to get rid of the House of Lords. This would ensure that there is no unelected body in Parliament which can influence the laws passed by the elected representatives of the people. In 1917 the Bryce Commission was set up to consider House of Lords reform proposals. Before the Blair revolution, the Lords was full of . Journalist H.L. The House of Lords as it exists today is not a timeless relic of antiquity, but a Frankenstein's monster of shreds and body parts, assembled piecemeal over a century of constitutional tinkering. The other house is just a retirement home for redundant Politicians, and Prime Ministers favourites. House of Lords should be ABOLISHED, not moved north, expert says BORIS JOHNSON may be looking to move the House of Lords to York to entrench the Tory gains in Labour's Red Wall. Steps taken so far include: . The Government of the day make the decisions, we elect them to do that. #nationalityandbordersbill #houseoflords #parliament #refugeeswelcome #citizenship". Support. The head of state has never received a vote from a single member of the electorate, and 92 hereditary peers still sit in the House of Lords. For instance, they are the House of Commons and House of Lords. Second, the appointment is largely controlled by one person who can likely influence theworkability and integrity of the house of the Lords. One is . And they have changed. Voter support: Be the first voter to support or oppose this party's public statement on this issue. It wasn't surprising that . . Data includes total votes submitted by visitors since Jan 25, 2017. No democratic parliament should include hereditary peers or lifetime appointees. Yet the 'Red' corridor's surrounding our second chamber, the House of Lords were not on the tour. The British constitution is antiquated, even in the most flattering light. That seemed like a pretty definite thing. That's the question students are asked to consider in this From the Source activity for Edexcel A-Level Politics. Tread carefully, opposition parties. If the prime minister really wants to give someone a peerage, his or her patronage powers seem to be basically unfettered: in late 2020, the House of Lords appointments commission objected to the . 2,721 Signatures. To do this would be to abolish the House of Lords altogether and start afresh in a way that was useful and constructive. Reference: "It is a democratic necessity to abolish the unelected and outdated House of Lords and replace it with an elected second chamber." theguardian.com. Why The House Of Lords Shouldn't Be Abolished But Reformed The House of Lords could be something great if governments weren't too afraid or selfish to change it for the better. PUBLIC LAW - House of Lords "The House of Lords should be abolished. The House of Lords should be reformed. Baroness Claire Fox has told GB News she thinks the House of Lords should be "abolished". Cassiopeia. Share . House of Lords on the front page this weekend 22nd March 2021. The first time arrived on 19 March 1649, during a hiatus in the English Revolution. The House of Lords is undemocratic The way the House of Lords is selected is fundamentally undemocratic. Abolish the House of Lords. Baroness Claire Fox has told GB News she thinks the House of Lords should be "abolished". In the past 12 months the House of Lords has made almost 2,300 changes to improve legislation; apart from daily oral questions, peers have tabled more than 8,000 written questions and taken part . The Conservative 2019 manifesto committed to . Total percentages may not add up to exactly 100% as we allow users to submit "grey area" stances that may not be categorized into yes/no stances. A clear majority of Britons (58%) supports the notion of allowing the people to directly elect their lords. The House of Lords should be abolished, leaving the House of Commons as the sole legislative body of Parliament. More details Sign this petition 2,729 signatures Show on a map 10,000 There is a serious case to instill some democratic process to the Lords. The Stage 1 reform is committed to continuing the transformation and ultimately getting rid of the remaining 92 hereditary peers. Leavers were more likely to say the Lords should be abolished (36%) than Remainers (21%), while Remainers were more likely to say the Lords should be entirely elected (38%) than Leavers (24%). The House of Lords must be reformed and ultimately abolished. For users that answer more than once (yes we know), only their most recent answer is counted in the total results. House of Lords to be abolished and replaced by . . I joined talkRADIO's Darryl Morris on Wednesday to discuss whether it is time to abolish the House of Lords, the appointed upper chamber of the UK House of Commons. Journalist H.L. the UK only needs one chamber of Parliament." Discuss. A peerage should be earned, not inherited. It wasn't surprising that . The former Liberal Party leader, who "assumes" the speech will be his . Support. These can be forgiven. First, the appointment process inhibits full applications of democracy among the citizens. original sound. For the House of Lords does not deserve the obloquy being heaped upon it from both Right and Left obloquy that is laced with hypocrisy. I disagree with the house of lords because I think it's atrocious that anyone could ever hold a place of . The House of Lords is a relic from a bygone era. The House of Lords is undemocratic. This should be predominantly - if not entirely . Good points but if elected on a proportional basis rather than first past the post and elected in different election cycles for different term lengths it could actually have added value beyond what the house of commons politics brings. 07 Jun 2022 That should be a source of shame and it undermines the UK when it talks about abuses of governments in other parts of the world. The House of Lords is a chamber of experts. Nov 11, 2021. 'It's perfectly reasonable for people to call me a hypocrite.' Baroness Claire Fox believes the House of Lords should be abolished because she thinks it's undemocratic. "The House of Lords is useless and dangerous to the people of England." This was the statement made in an historic move whereby the House of Lords was abolished on the 19th March 1649 by an Act of Parliament. Reference: "It is a democratic necessity to abolish the unelected and outdated House of Lords and replace it with an elected second chamber." theguardian.com. "The time for Hereditary and 'Honour' Peers has gone, as a democratic nation we should be able to vote for a second House (Like the American Senate)" Davie J, Hampshire "Unelected legislators are a ludicrous anachronism in principle: the Lords must either be simply abolished (unicameral legislatures aren't so bad) or rendered democratic" James, Perth Whilst I agree the Upper House should be elected and we shouldn't pay deference to titled people, now is not the time. It gave hereditary peers the right to disclaim their titles, and for women peers to sit in the Upper House of the British Parliament for the first time. Here's a fact: the House of Lords is the second biggest legislative chamber in the world after the Chinese National People's Congress, which represents a country of 1.4 billion people. The House of Lords is a medieval relic from a time when land ownership was a major source of political power, and just as ownership of land moved from generation to generation so did the titles. The Lords has a reputation for thorough and detailed scrutiny. The House of Lords could be dissolved, but it probably shouldn't because it is one half of Britain's parliament. The Commons can't do all the work and a 'second pair of eyes' is needed to take a look at the Really Marvellous Idea that the current bunch of idiots have come up with and say 'Just hang on a minute, sunshine' It was one of the first acts of the only dictator we ever had: Oliver Cromwell. Parliament's upper chamber has become larger and more expensive. The House of Lords works well. For the House of Lords does not deserve the obloquy being heaped upon it from both Right and Left obloquy that is laced with hypocrisy. Lord Sewel has resigned from the House of Lords after being filmed allegedly taking drugs with prostitutes. 2AbstractThis discourse holds that the House of the Lords should be abolished for four reasons. Share. Because A second chamber is necessary. The House of Lords has come under renewed scrutiny this week, following the resignation of Lord Sewel over drug and prostitution allegations and reports that a secret reform panel has been set up.. To regain democracy a referendum on their abolition is needed, argues Noel Yaxley. Baroness Evans of Bowes Park speaking during the House of Lords tributes to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on April 12, 2021. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function.Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London . 28 July 2015. So, in light of recent events, perhaps now is as good a time as any to look at why this . The Lords must be abolished as a matter of democratic urgency. The former MEP caused controversy when she refused to apologise for historical support of the IRA bombing in Warrington that killed two children. Mencken, an old-line Liberal, has described the approach of the Federal Republicans as "a history of compromises with the new forces, of gradual yielding, for strategic purposes, to ideas that are intrinsically at odds with its . The revelations of cash for peerages has resulted in a few members of opposition parties calling for the House of Lords to be abolished. The Queen is widely respected, and almost certainly would be elected head of state if a vote were held. Answer: Yes. The House of Lords should be abolished and "replaced with an elected senate", according to former Liberal leader David Steel. If the people are to be sovereign, the House of Lords needs to be abolished. The UK has a bicameral chamber in their Parliament, which means that there are two houses of Parliament. A debate exists as to whether the HofL should be abolished, given the fact they are unelected, yet have a say in legislation. Lucy Pegg No Lord Sewel has resigned from the House of Lords after being filmed allegedly taking drugs with prostitutes. TikTok video from Natalie Bennett (@nataliebennettgreen): "We should abolish the whole power to deprive people of citizenship. The House of Lords should remain untouched. . It was one of the first acts of the only dictator we ever had: Oliver Cromwell. Parliament was torn between . Thus far, parliament seems to be working for them and there shouldn't be any drastic changes. (Roger Harris / House of Lords 2021 via Wikimedia Commons) . For most of Labour's history, our policy has been to abolish the House of Lords or have an elected second chamber. I think they are actually going to do it. House of Lords should be scrapped, says SNP. . I never thought I'd say that, but when the facts change, I change my mind. Yet to abolish the Lords and either replace it with another elected chamber, or not replace it at all ( . In a personal film for the Daily Politics soapbox series, Richard . Again. Answer: Yes. Their blocking of the Internal Market Bill recently exemplified this, where 800 peers thwarted the democratic will of the people. The House of Lords is currently the second largest legislative chamber in the world, behind China. The House of Lords should be replaced with a Senate of . Filip Nawrocki , lives in The United Kingdom For the last 30 years, the Federal Republican Party has dominated the American electoral system. Mencken, an old-line Liberal, has described the approach of the Federal Republicans as "a history of compromises with the new forces, of gradual yielding, for strategic purposes, to ideas that are intrinsically at odds with its . While reform of the Lords has been discussed for more than a century, little real change has been made.. Lord Steel will tell a lecture to the Scottish Liberal Club on Tuesday evening that peerages should be scrapped to make way for federalism in the UK. Observations from The Minister for the Constitution and Devolution (Chloe Smith): The Government have no plans to abolish the House of Lords, which has a key role in scrutinising the Executive and as a revising Chamber; it is important that the way it is constituted reflects that role and the primacy of the House of Commons as the elected Chamber. The House of Lords, formally The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It's sketchy, but I think I can recall a few newspapers talking about the house of lords being scheduled to be abolished and replaced with a British Senate. The cost of the House of Lords has ballooned. Baroness Fox of Buckley was included on a 36-strong peerage list in 2020 that led to accusations of cronyism . It's time for Britain to abolish the House of Lords. In 2011: A draft bill on House of Lords Reform was published in May 2011 by the deputy prime minister. Let's abolish the House of Lords. The House of Lords should be abolished, leaving the House of Commons as the sole legislative body of Parliament. It set out proposals for a House of Lords made up of 300 members (80 per cent elected . Powers of the Crown 20th December 2017 . Liberal, Labour and Conservative governments have all sailed into the Bermuda Triangle of Lords reform, though few have completed the voyage. By Robert Saunders Destinies controlled: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil addressing the House of Lords in 1897 (Photo By Universal History Archive/Getty Images) The report argues the House of Lords should be abolished and replaced with a new Senate, or Upper House, representing different parts of the UK. Report Post. Max Shanly. The example of Mancroft and his ridiculous statements on Fox hunting just goes to illustrate how out of touch and self-serving "old money" really is. Angel1. Abolishing the Lords would be an act of constitutional vandalism, of elective dictatorship. Deemed to be a threat, the House of Lords would not meet until twelve years later in 1660 after the restoration of the monarchy. Liberal, Labour and Conservative governments have all sailed into the Bermuda Triangle of Lords reform, though few have completed the voyage. Watch on TV: Freeview 236, Sky 515, Virgin 626Listen on DAB+ RadioDownload the GB News App to watch live wherever you are, catch up with all our shows and ge. In recent manifestos, we have committed to the creation of an elected Senate of the Nations and Regions. The House adds value to the political process without challenging the accountability that is at the heart of the system of government. This would ensure that there is no unelected body in Parliament which can influence the laws passed by the elected representatives of the people. BORIS JOHNSON'S Brexit deal has now cleared the House of Lords after briefly stalling in Parliament's upper chamber, paving the way for it to become law ahead of the January 31 EU exit date. They do not exist to thwart the will of the elected Government. " Thus, the British people are calling for reforms in which politicians and not royals would be elected to the House of Lords in a manner . Given 'New' Labour's landslide number of 419 MPs (out of 659 =2/3) on 43% of votes cast nationwide, all of which committed in their manifesto to reforming the second chamber by removing the voting rights of hereditary peers as a first step. Payments to peers have increased by 29% to 23m, and their number is . In 2003, a minority of the House of Commons voted to abolish the upper house, with legendary Labour MP Tony Benn among them. The example of Mancroft and his ridiculous statements on Fox hunting just goes to illustrate how out of touch and self-serving "old money" really is. Last week's colourful dissolution peerage list demonstrates again the necessity of that commitment. The former MEP caused controversy when she refused to apologise for historical support of the IRA bombing in Warrington that killed two children. Just like the monarchy and private schools, it is symptomatic of a society which pays lip service to democracy and meritocracy but so often falls short of achieving it in reality. 646 views | original sound - Natalie Bennett 10.6K thegreatawakening74 philemon olale It has over 800 peers - 484 of whom attended the Lords each day in the 2016/17 parliamentary session. Support cuts across parties, the Remain and Leave divide, north and south. Of course, those sections of the Remain elite that are now bristling at the Lords because some Brexiteers have been ennobled to sit on. A similar proportion of Leavers and Remainers (76% respectively) said that the Lords should be either abolished or elected (in part/in full). The Labour Party should be . For the last 30 years, the Federal Republican Party has dominated the American electoral system. The House of Commons is the elected chamber and they have a veto power whereas the House of Lords . The unelected House of Lords has continually faced controversy for their unaccountability and excessive power. A peerage should be earned, not inherited. The House of Lords should be abolished The House of Lords is irrelevant in modern life and detrimental to our democracy. How to go about abolishing the House of Lords is a decision to come . The Peerage Act of 1963, passed fifty years ago this week, was the first democratic challenge to the power and traditions of the House of Lords in modern times. When justifying the House of Lords in the English Constitution (1867), Walter Bagehot thought it . Conversely, only three-in-ten (30%) are in favor of abolishing the House of Lords altogether. 7 May 2018 Should the House of Lords be abolished? Readers' poll: should the House of Lords be abolished? Abolishing the Lords would be an act of constitutional vandalism, of elective dictatorship. The Parliament Act 1911 removed the ability of the House of Lords to veto money bills; with any other bills, the House of Commons was given powers to overrule the Lords' veto after three parliamentary sessions. Abolishing the House. They should not be chosen by Parliament, as we the people should have more say. They should not be chosen by Parliament, as we the people should have more say. On the whole, there are compelling arguments for the House of Lords to be abolished, most of them revolving around the undemocratic nature of the second chamber. "Should the UK House of Lords be abolished?" Yes Although it was once a useful institution, containing the Hereditary Peers, a relatively incorruptible bunch, and a smattering of subject matter experts, its now a retirement home for civil servants and party loyalists. @IainDale | @Fox_Claire | #CrossQuestion . The House of Lords, as we shall see, fulfils tasks that complement the work of the Commons, but it does not challenge the capacity of Government, with a parliamentary majority, to get its way. No democratic society should accept the principle that its parliament includes hereditary peers or lifetime appointees - it's time to abolish the House of Lords. Should the House of Lords be reformed or abolished? However, the doubts over the severity of that action and the effect it would have on the British political system mean that any reform may be a bit of while away. Listen from 5:14 in 0130-0200 Segment. in conclusion, if there was ever a time to reform the lords it would be now: the current chamber sits in limbo as a half-way house after labour's last attempt at reform in 1999; as a result of the 2005 constitutional reform act the office of lord chancellor has been has been stripped of its legal and legislative functions, and the law lords are Ministers are to unveil revolutionary plans to replace the House of Lords with a slimmed down elected 'senate' containing just 300 members. According to polling last year by Survation, 71 per cent of Britons back overhauling the House of Lords. For Britain, the German danger has become remote and Lord Nathan, Labor's Under Secretary of State for War, told the House of Lords lately, "We must be careful to safeguard against a breakdown . The House of Lords should be abolished and replaced with a citizens' chamber of 400 ordinary people, says a journalist and author. We take care of the easy part of the question: what place is there in the 21st century for a legislative body composed of some members from . The House of Lords Act in 1999 severely diminished the roles and member of the Lords and only allowed some 92 hereditary peers to remain in the House. Go to argument > The House of Lords is a relic from a bygone era This brings to the point of the House of Lords reform bill that . Should the house of lords be reformed or abolished?Do we need a 2nd chamber? Ed Miliband is expected to set out the plans later today at his party's . An SNP MP has repeated his . As if that weren't bad enough, 26 bishops appointed by the Church of England are members of the House of Lords, making the UK the only country apart from Iran to have clerics in government as a right. There is a serious case to instill some democratic process to the Lords. Should the House of Lords be abolished? The commission's recommendations were rejected by a vote in the House of Lords. It is easy to chastise the House of Lords as a cesspit for all that is wrong with our democracy, yet a look underneath the country's constitutional bonnet shows that reform rather than riddance is what the House of Lords really needs. Labour wants to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a US-style elected senate if it wins the general election. By Jonathan Clark There will be more referenda, and the first loser will be the House of Lords The House of Lords survived because it pragmatically reinvented itself as an innocent revising chamber No legal barrier effectively stops the Remainer Lords in their course Voter support: Be the first voter to support or oppose this party's public statement on this issue. An SNP MP has repeated his call for the House of Lords to be scrapped, saying it is "the . Parliament is dissolved every five years for elections and the House of Lords remains since they are appointed. Originally Answered: Why cant the house of lords be abolished? But as Tony .