House of Lords reform since 1911 : must the Lords go? / Peter Dorey [and] Alexandra Kelso.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dorey, Peter, 1959-

Contributor:

Kelso, Alexandra.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords--Reform.

Great Britain.

Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords.

Politics and government.

Great Britain--Politics and government--20th century.

Great Britain--Politics and government--21st century.

Physical Description:

ix, 243 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Summary:

In 1911, the power of the House of Lords was curbed, as a prelude to establishing a more democratic Second Chamber. A century later, the House of Lords is still comprised mostly of appointed peers, with some hereditary peers remaining. This book explains why House of Lords reform has proceeded so erratically since 1911, and why an elected Second Chamber has still not been established 100 years later. Using a range of primary sources, including cabinet papers, ministerial correspondence, the archives of the main political parties and the private papers of various key political figures, this unique study traces the main proposals for reform of the Second Chamber during the last 100 years, and notes that even the apparently simplest measures have raised complex or constitutionally awkward problems when exposed to fuller discussion and examination. Furthermore, the issue of House of Lords reform has not only repeatedly revealed disagreements between the main parties but also marked differences within them, which have exacerbated the problems of securing agreement on proposals for reform. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Firing the First Shots: The 1911 Parliament Act and Inter-War Initiatives 10

2 Labour Learns the Complexities of Lords Reform: The 1949 Parliament Act 56

3 Pouring New Wine into the Old Bottle: The 1958 Life Peerages Act 87

4 A Right of Renunciation: The 1963 Peerage Act 116

5 Crossman can't Convince his Colleagues: The 1969 Parliament (No. 2) Bill 135

6 Out with the Hereditary Peers - or most of them: The 1999 House of Lords Act and Beyond 171.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780230271661

0230271669

OCLC:

692287967