House of Lords reform draft bill

House of Lords reform draft bill
Author: Great Britain: Deputy Prime Minister's Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2011-05-17
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780101807722

This is a draft Bill and white paper on proposals to change the House of Lords into a more democratically elected second chamber. A cross-party Committee met seven times from June to December 2010 and considered all reform issues related to the House of Lords. Agreement was reached on a large number of issues but differences in opinion remain on the size of the elected element and the type of electoral system. The Government now wants to take the discussion forward to a debate on the detail. Proposals include an 80 percent elected House of Lords but a wholly elected House of Lords has not been ruled out. The Draft Bill sets out elections using the Single Transferable Vote system but it is recognised that a case can be made for other proportional systems too. Other proposals, name, size, functions, powers and term length are some of several issues discussed.

The Standing Orders of the House of Lords Relating to Public Business [2005]

The Standing Orders of the House of Lords Relating to Public Business [2005]
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Lords
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 56
Release: 2005-05-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780104007082

This publication contains the Standing Orders of the House of Lords which set out information on the procedure and working of the House, under a range of headings including: Lords and the manner of their introduction; excepted hereditary peers; the Speaker; general observances; debates; arrangement of business; bills; divisions; committees; parliamentary papers; public petitions; privilege; making or suspending of Standing Orders.

The UK's Changing Democracy

The UK's Changing Democracy
Author: Patrick Dunleavy
Publisher: LSE Press
Total Pages: 521
Release: 2018-11-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1909890464

The UK’s Changing Democracy presents a uniquely democratic perspective on all aspects of UK politics, at the centre in Westminster and Whitehall, and in all the devolved nations. The 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU marked a turning point in the UK’s political system. In the previous two decades, the country had undergone a series of democratic reforms, during which it seemed to evolve into a more typical European liberal democracy. The establishment of a Supreme Court, adoption of the Human Rights Act, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolution, proportional electoral systems, executive mayors and the growth in multi-party competition all marked profound changes to the British political tradition. Brexit may now bring some of these developments to a juddering halt. The UK’s previous ‘exceptionalism’ from European patterns looks certain to continue indefinitely. ‘Taking back control’ of regulations, trade, immigration and much more is the biggest change in UK governance for half a century. It has already produced enduring crises for the party system, Parliament and the core executive, with uniquely contested governance over critical issues, and a rapidly changing political landscape. Other recent trends are no less fast-moving, such as the revival of two-party dominance in England, the re-creation of some mass membership parties and the disruptive challenges of social media. In this context, an in-depth assessment of the quality of the UK’s democracy is essential. Each of the 2018 Democratic Audit’s 37 short chapters starts with clear criteria for what democracy requires in that part of the nation’s political life and outlines key recent developments before a SWOT analysis (of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) crystallises the current situation. A small number of core issues are then explored in more depth. Set against the global rise of debased semi-democracies, the book’s approach returns our focus firmly to the big issues around the quality and sustainability of the UK’s liberal democracy.

Making Aristocracy Work

Making Aristocracy Work
Author: Andrew Adonis
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 336
Release: 1993
Genre: History
ISBN:

A study of the political role and activities of the peerage both inside and outside Parliament, the late 19th and early 20th century. Andrew Adonis reassesses the strengths and weaknesses of the House of Lords, and shows how its members were able to justify themselves by their work.

A Peerage for Trade

A Peerage for Trade
Author: Tim Heald
Publisher: Sinclair-Stevenson Limited
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2001
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780954047603

This is the official history of an extraordinary institution—the Royal Warrant. Most of us are aware of the Royal Coats of Arms, which appear on everything from pots of marmalade to the shop fronts of fashionable west end stores. These are the outward signs that whoever displays them is "By Appointment" to the Queen, Prince Philip, the Queen Mother, or Prince Charles. There are some terrific individuals—Reginald de Thunderleigh in 1300; Dr. Schweppe, the 18th century mineral water man; and Mr. Crapper who did Royal WCs. For the book, the author has had access to the archives in London and Windsor Castle, and talked to the Keeper of the Privy Purse, the Master of the Royal Household, and such household names as Mr. Twining of Twinings tea.