United Kingdom – land of tradition. One of the most well-known traditions of the British Isles, the House of Lords, will become history. No more whigs, no more ‘Woolsack’ for the Lord Speaker to sit on and no more Lords addressing each other in third person as ‘my noble Lord’. That is, if reform proposals get through Parliament this time.
Reforms started in 1999 when all but 92 out of 750 hereditary peers lost their right to sit in the House of Lords. In 2003 Members of Parliament and peers failed to agree on further reform, so there was none at all. A new attempt has been launched in 2007. Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw drafted reform proposals, which should lead to a more democratic system. Members of Parliament can choose between seven options, ranging from a fully elected to a fully appointed chamber, or, as mentioned as possible new names ‘reformed House of Lords’ or ‘senate’. However, there is not even agreement on the question if there is a need for reform. Some praise the wisdom of the Lords, others say they sleep most of the time. And while some believe changes will make the system more democratic, others believe that the Lords are truly independent, because they need not take the next election into consideration.
Some of the other key points in the reform proposals are to reduce the number of members in the chamber from 746 to 540 and that members can be elected or appointed for a maximum of 15 years, without the possibility to be re-elected.
Question remains if consensus will be reached on the reform proposals. Opinions within the Parliament on the many different aspects of the plan vary enormously, leading to a heated debate with an open end…..
Suzanne Jansen, IPP, Dutch Centre for Political Participation