The House Of Lords Undermine Democracy In The UK

Words: 1500
Pages: 6

Over the years there has been much debate surrounding the composition of the House of Lords, a second Chamber in the UK Parliament. Their role is to balance the accountability of the executive and allow laws to be passed or bills to be delayed (if necessary). In the last century there has been attempts to reform the upper House to change the method that Lords come into being including the Life Peerages Act 1958 and the House of Lords Act 1999 but despite this the House of Lords is still seen by many as “unelected, unrepresentative and unaccountable.” In this essay I will analyse how a wholly appointed House of Lords undermines democracy in modern Britain but also how a wholly elected House of Lords will be unrealistic to implement. I will explore the reform suggestions that could come into place to address these issues. By discussing ways to retain the expertise of the Chamber and its democratic legitimacy. …show more content…
By doing its job in various forms; from scrutinizing, revising and if necessary delaying the legislation that is proposed by the lower Chamber which is evidenced on many occasions i.e. The Prevention of Terrorist Act 2005 . Currently the upper Chamber is made up of experts in a ray of fields appointed specifically for their experiences and knowledge and also (last cohort) hereditary peers. However, the method of selecting these peers has received much condemnation in recent years, due its failure to adapt to ‘contemporary democracy’ and modern