House of Lords - abolish the lot?

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Pontius Navigator
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Re: House of Lords - abolish the lot?

#21 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Feb 28, 2019 11:43 am

The Government has form. 1909.

Apparently that is a current ploy too.

How about kicking no hoper MPs of either party that will vite against you upstairs. Nice bribe.

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Re: House of Lords - abolish the lot?

#22 Post by BenThere » Sat Mar 02, 2019 3:09 pm

Last page I came down on peerage and the absence of their elections. Upon further reflection the idea of according the aristocracy a voice doesn't seem to be all bad. They have the most to lose or gain if the nation fails. It follows, then, that they will be most motivated to preserve the society that benefits them. That mechanism, I recognize, is a stabilizing force.

The troubling aspect, to me, is when peerage is granted to rock stars. It should be reserved for those who have served the realm nobly. Maybe if the number of seats were held constant the peerage system would be more functional.

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Re: House of Lords - abolish the lot?

#23 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sat Mar 02, 2019 3:42 pm

Ben, you are right about Life Peers. It seemed a good idea at the as it ensured that unworthy descendants didn't get a free ticket.

Now I have nothing against Lord Wellington, but the first Lord was awarded a fortune a pension in perpetuity by the grateful burgers of Brussels. This pension, AFAIK, is stlll being paid to his successors despite the Belgians appealing to the present Duke that after 200 years it should cease.

Could you translate that to America? Award descendants, by succession, of the founding fathers a special title and a seat in the Senate? You can see immediately why life peerages were better.

OTOH popular acclaim might have had artists or actors elevated to the highest positions.

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Re: House of Lords - abolish the lot?

#24 Post by barkingmad » Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:24 am

Hi there UK citizens, just a reminder of where some of your hard earned tax money is going, especially since BoJo increased the number of hangers-on in the Upper Chamber.

Yes, that’s right, the bunch of doddering old fogeys who tried to stop Brexit, which represented the will of the people.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/08/0 ... -of-lords/

We definitely need a second level of scrutiny on the rank amateurs who now inhabit the House of Common(er)s as the HoL is long overdue for serious revision.

FYI it’s only the Brexit Party which has this aim in it’s manifesto, not even the “Peoples’ Party Of Labour” has reform in mind nor are the inappropriately named “Liberal Democrats” sworn to get rid of an anachronistic relic from previous centuries.

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Re: House of Lords - abolish the lot?

#25 Post by llondel » Fri Aug 07, 2020 8:16 pm

Some years ago I got to meet with some members of the Lords in a more social occasion. While they do have a bunch of ex-MPs and a few celebs, a lot of them are people with experience in a wide range of fields who see the Lords primarily as a revising chamber, attempting to take what the Commons produces and turn it into something workable. They've had a few aberrations from this, true, but there hav ealso been cases where everyone has been calling for them to reverse something bad that the government was trying to do. It's OK having a few celebs in there, as the "experts" on the entertainment industry. Their input for legislation relating to their field is as valid as other experts weighing in on theirs.

If I was going to change it, I'd limit the number of ex-MPs who can sit at any time, let them sort out a rota amongst themselves. If it was necessary to elect members of the second house then I'd make it for a single ten-year term, never to be repeated, so they wouldn't feel it necessary to do things to get re-elected. I'd also introduce them gradually, get the existing peers to stand down a certqain number per year for the next ten years, and each year elect a tenth of the new membership.

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Re: House of Lords - abolish the lot?

#26 Post by G-CPTN » Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:14 pm


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Re: House of Lords - abolish the lot?

#27 Post by barkingmad » Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:56 am

“The way the political Establishment has conspired to frustrate democracy over Brexit has highlighted the need for fundamental political reform. The Brexit Party can deliver real democratic change because we are not part of the Westminster status quo. It is now time for a debate on a written constitution. We pledge to:

• Reform the voting system to make it more representative.

• Abolish the unelected House of Lords.

• Make MPs who switch parties subject to recall petitions.

• Overhaul the postal voting system to combat fraud and abuse.

• Reform the Supreme Court – judges who play a role in politics must be subject to political scrutiny. Ensure political balance by broadening participation in the Selection Commission or conduct interviews by Parliamentary Committee.

• Make the Civil Service more accountable to the public – we would require civil servants to sign an oath to act with political neutrality.

• Phase out the BBC licence fee.

• Require Universities to incorporate an obligation to protect legal free speech.

• Introduce Citizens’ Initiatives to allow people to call referendums, subject to a 5m threshold of registered voter signatures and time limitations on repeat votes“.

Calculate how much you, the taxpayers, are shelling out if each of the proposed 830 turn up, register for the day thereby claiming their £300.00 allowance!

P S. “It is now time though to apply our energy and resources to the other pressing issues facing the nation. That is why we have applied to the Electoral Commission to rename the party. We want to be known as the party of Reform. The proposed name reflects the ambition: Reform UK“. Just in case anyone here gets confused... :-?

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