Is The House Of Lords Defunct?

Do we still need one?

As time goes by, I look at some of our institutions and wonder about their relevance. Just because we have had them for hundreds of years, doesn’t necessarily mean we still need them.

One such relic is the House of Lords which is the unelected political arena where mainly rich people sit around and discuss UK laws being passed.

Can we do without it?

In history, Henry VIII made the tokenism gesture of allowing parliament to have some power. It eased public opinion about his reign and eventually led to the democracy that we experience these days.

Elected Members of Parliament (MPs) meet in the House of Commons to discuss new laws and amend existing ones.

This much makes sense.

In the House of Lords though, newly proposed laws are debated and can be slowed down in their progress to royal approval. The House can effectively send the white papers back to the Commons for further amendments or consideration.

Why are appointed arostocrats preventing laws being signed off?

In the News this month, there was a scandal about a Baroness who allegedly lied about receiving money from a PPE deal which involved her husband’s company. Such backhanded deals place a mist of distrust over the aristocratic House of Lords. They reinforce the fact that the place is dodgy and pointless.

In A Nutshell

It is hard to think of a reason why we should keep The House of Lords when it has nothing to do with democracy. Most Lords or Baronesses (or Peers) are chosen by leaders of political parties such as the Conservatives or Labour. They are often very rich individuals who have sponsored parties and supported them financially in other ways or during elections.

For me, it is a no brainer that we should be looking at removing the House of Lords. Let’s make a museum of it instead.

What are your thoughts on unelected debating chambers?