The House of Lords

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how, with the UK's transition towards a democratic society, the powers of the House of Lords have been gradually eroded over the years and how complaints that the House was not representative of the populace, and was a hazard to democracy, started leading to proposals for its reform in the 19th century. The paper contends that an unelected House of Lords in our present modern day society is an anachronism, as we compare it with other Western democracies, only to realise how outdated this institution has become. The paper maintains that making the House of Lords a fully elected chamber will solve its problems as a legitimate democratic chamber. The paper also examines any possible detrimental effects of parting with hundreds of years of tradition.

From the Paper:

"Currently, the functions of the House of Lords are to revise legislation passed by the Commons and to keep a check on Government by scrutinising its activities through select committees. The Lords acts in a limited role as a Parliamentary watchdog to ensure that power is not abused, as it still has the ability to veto any legislation aimed to extend the life of Parliament beyond five years. They can also propose amendments to Commons Bills, and many of these amendments are accepted, either because they genuinely improve the quality of the Bill, or for political expediency. Generally, its functions are rather similar to those of the House of Commons in legislating, debating and questioning the executive. The exceptions are that it does not represent constituencies, and are not involved in matters of taxation and finance. It is recognised to play a complementary role to that of the Commons. The Lords is also the final court of appeal for civil cases in the UK and for criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland."

Sample of Sources Used:

• A W Bradley and K D Ewing, Constitutional and Administrative Law, 13th Ed. 2003, Pearson Education Limited
• Neil Parpworth, Constitutional and Administrative Law, 3rd Ed. 2004, LexisNexis Butterworths UK
• Peter Wallington & Robert G. Lee, Statutes on Public Law & Human Rights 2004-2005, 14th Ed. 2004, Oxford: University Press

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