The House of Lords

Abstract

As we saw in Chapter 9, an important — possibly the most important — feature of the British constitution is its capacity gradually to adapt to changing circumstances. In this respect the House of Lords is a microcosm of the British constitution, since throughout its long history it has been able to do just this. In contrast to other Second Chambers elsewhere in the world which have been specifically created with powers and composition clearly defined in basic constitutional documents, the House of Lords is the product of history. It was not created by Founding Fathers or under a Basic Law; it has simply developed and changed organically in the soil of British history. This is not to say that its evolution has been linear or continuous; on the contrary, it has been haphazard, spasmodic and uncertain. Yet it has survived for a very long time and its evolutionary adaptability will probably enable it to survive a good while longer.