The House of Lords

Abstract

It is probable that to criticise the British constitution effectively it is necessary to be a foreigner. Only then would it be possible for the anomalies in the constitution to strike the understanding with full force. To those brought up in Britain familiarity surrounds our apparently curious constitutional habits with a haze, which we seldom attempt to penetrate. A foreigner, unfortified with our mystical certainty in the wisdom of our constitution, might well be baffled by many aspects of our system. We have a monarch who is head of all government, but with virtually no powers; we have a governing party, which, even at election-time, only occasionally represents more than half the voting population; in a democratic country we have a Prime Minister whose influence between elections is comparable to that of a dictator. Above all, we have the House of Lords still with effective powers, but with a membership qualification based on the social order of the Middle Ages.

Long-standing nature of the criticisms of the House of Lords. Modification of the Labour Party view of the House of Lords is significant. The use of Second Chambers in other countries. The functions and value of the Second Chamber in Britain. Attempts at reform of membership 1910–62. Reasons for the reluctance to alter the membership system.

theme: There are anomalies in the present powers and composition of the House of Lords, but the dilemma of reconciling strong membership with limited powers has so far defied solution.