The Fixed-term Parliaments Bill received its Second Reading in the Lords yesterday. It attracted over twenty speakers. Very few of them, though, expressed support for the Bill. Some objected to the principle whereas others felt that it was badly constructed. The Opposition line was that it favoured fixed-term parliaments but did not believe that this…
The House achieved a notable success on Monday. As readers will recall, the Public Bodies Bill attracted criticism from all parts of the House. It is a ‘Henry VIII’ Bill, enabling ministers to change primary legislation – in this case, Acts establishing particular public bodies – by order (that is, secondary legislation). A particular focus…
Electoral systems are means to an end. The ends can and do differ, so one selects an electoral system appropriate to the end. We have, as others have already mentioned, the Alternative Vote (AV) system for electing a replacement peer when an hereditary peer in the House dies. My objection is to ends rather than the…
For anyone interested in the history of the House of Lords, the History of Parliament has produced a richly illustrated volume on the House following the Restoration in 1660. Entitled Honour, Interest and Power: An Illustrated History of the House of Lords, 1660-1715, and edited by Ruth Paley and Paul Seaward, it is published by…
I was very sorry to read that Lord Pilkington – or the Reverend Canon Lord Pilkington of Oxenford, to give him his full title – died on Monday at the age of 77. He was an active member of the House and was notable for his voice, which enabled him to be heard throughout the…
