Elect the Lords
Encyclopedia
Elect The Lords is a campaign established in September 2004 by the New Politics Network
and Charter88
calling for the United Kingdom
House of Lords
to be replaced by a predominantly elected upper house
. The campaign was established following Charter88 and the Network's decision to establish a partnership agreement called the Democracy Project designed to kick start a number of democratic reform initiatives in the UK.
House of Lords reform was chosen as a key issue following a controversial vote in Parliament
in 2003 when 5 options for reforming the Lords were proposed and all of them were voted down. The least unpopular option however was for an 80% elected / 20% appointed chamber, which fell by three votes in the House of Commons
. The least popular option was for a wholly appointed House. Despite this, the government
went on to pursue the fully appointed option, moving to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords in 2004. This option was strongly opposed in Parliament.
Singer-songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg
went on to receive significant attention for his secondary mandate
system, in which members of the House of Lords would be appointed from party lists in proportion to the number of votes cast for each political party in elections to the House of Commons. This proposal appears to have found favour among a number of government ministers including Peter Hain
and Lord Falconer of Thoroton (though Mr Hain later switched to supporting a system of direct election independent of the choice of the Commons). A secondary mandate has not enjoyed any support outside of the Labour Party
and is opposed by many democratic reformers as it would exclude independent candidates and severely disadvantage smaller parties. On 21 February 2005, at the launch of the cross-party sponsored Second Chamber of Parliament Bill, Tony Wright (Labour MP for Cannock Chase
) described such a system as "dangerous and mad".
Some people favour the idea of an entirely elected Second Chamber, but opponents, such as Betty Boothroyd, say that such a chamber would simply duplicate the Commons and become entirely politicised, losing the independence and specialist knowledge that non-political appointed members could provide. It is often seen that an elected H of L would reduce the quality of debate and reduce the strength of the 'fact check' chamber. It is argued that if they were elected, members would also become less insulated to the pressures of public opinion, and more likely vote in a manner which would appease their voters rather than on the facts of the issues at hand. If members were chosen by their own party rather than elected by the public, then, opponents argue, the pressure to vote in a particular manner would simply come from that party rather than the public, risking the independence of the Lords from the Commons.
New Politics Network
The New Politics Network was an independent political and campaigning think tank in the United Kingdom, concerned with democratic renewal and popular participation in politics...
and Charter88
Charter88
Charter88 was a British pressure group that advocated constitutional and electoral reform and owes its origins to the lack of a written constitution. It began as a special edition of the New Statesman magazine in 1988 and it took its name from Charter 77 - the Czechoslovak dissident movement...
calling for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
to be replaced by a predominantly elected upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
. The campaign was established following Charter88 and the Network's decision to establish a partnership agreement called the Democracy Project designed to kick start a number of democratic reform initiatives in the UK.
House of Lords reform was chosen as a key issue following a controversial vote in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in 2003 when 5 options for reforming the Lords were proposed and all of them were voted down. The least unpopular option however was for an 80% elected / 20% appointed chamber, which fell by three votes in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. The least popular option was for a wholly appointed House. Despite this, the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
went on to pursue the fully appointed option, moving to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords in 2004. This option was strongly opposed in Parliament.
Singer-songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
went on to receive significant attention for his secondary mandate
Secondary mandate
The secondary mandate is a proposed system for indirectly electing the UK parliament's second chamber, as espoused by singer-songwriter-activist Billy Bragg....
system, in which members of the House of Lords would be appointed from party lists in proportion to the number of votes cast for each political party in elections to the House of Commons. This proposal appears to have found favour among a number of government ministers including Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
and Lord Falconer of Thoroton (though Mr Hain later switched to supporting a system of direct election independent of the choice of the Commons). A secondary mandate has not enjoyed any support outside of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and is opposed by many democratic reformers as it would exclude independent candidates and severely disadvantage smaller parties. On 21 February 2005, at the launch of the cross-party sponsored Second Chamber of Parliament Bill, Tony Wright (Labour MP for Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
) described such a system as "dangerous and mad".
Some people favour the idea of an entirely elected Second Chamber, but opponents, such as Betty Boothroyd, say that such a chamber would simply duplicate the Commons and become entirely politicised, losing the independence and specialist knowledge that non-political appointed members could provide. It is often seen that an elected H of L would reduce the quality of debate and reduce the strength of the 'fact check' chamber. It is argued that if they were elected, members would also become less insulated to the pressures of public opinion, and more likely vote in a manner which would appease their voters rather than on the facts of the issues at hand. If members were chosen by their own party rather than elected by the public, then, opponents argue, the pressure to vote in a particular manner would simply come from that party rather than the public, risking the independence of the Lords from the Commons.
Supporting organisations
The following organisations are supporters of the Elect the Lords Campaign:- Active Citizens TransformActive Citizens TransformActive Citizens Transform was founded in 2004 by Charles Secrett, former Executive Director of the environmental organization Friends of the Earth, and Ron Bailey as a new non-party political movement in the United Kingdom. It aims to mobilise citizens to transform the United Kingdom into a...
- Alliance Party of Northern IrelandAlliance Party of Northern IrelandThe Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
- Campaign for a Democratic Upper House
- Charter88Charter88Charter88 was a British pressure group that advocated constitutional and electoral reform and owes its origins to the lack of a written constitution. It began as a special edition of the New Statesman magazine in 1988 and it took its name from Charter 77 - the Czechoslovak dissident movement...
- CompassCompass (think tank)Compass is a left wing pressure group, aligned with the UK Labour Party describing itself as 'An umbrella grouping of the progressive left whose sum is greater than its parts'...
- Cchange
- Electoral Reform SocietyElectoral Reform SocietyThe Electoral Reform Society is a political pressure group based in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It is believed to be the oldest organisation concerned with electoral systems in the world.-Aims:...
- English Democrats PartyEnglish Democrats PartyThe English Democrats are an English federalist political party, committed to the formation of a devolved English Parliament with at least the same powers as those granted to the Scottish Parliament. Whilst not supporting English Independence, the English Democrats consider themselves the English...
- Liberal FutureLiberal FutureLiberal Future was a British market liberal think tank dedicated to the pursuit of encouraging new thinking amongst liberals both within and without the Liberal Democrats party...
- New Politics NetworkNew Politics NetworkThe New Politics Network was an independent political and campaigning think tank in the United Kingdom, concerned with democratic renewal and popular participation in politics...
- Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...