House of Lords to change radically

LONDON – British legislators voted Wednesday to pursue radical reform of the unelected House of Lords, backing a plan for a wholly elected second chamber stripped of the dukes and earls whose predecessors have held political power for centuries.

Jack Straw, leader of the House of Commons, said a panel of lawmakers would draft proposed new laws to authorise changes, raising the prospect of one of the most significant constitutional reforms in British history. “The House of Commons has broken the deadlock,” Straw said.”It is a dramatic result in the history of the British Parliament.”But a draft bill will not be tabled before October, and any law authorising the radical change would need to clear a number of major hurdles – including votes in the Commons and in the House of Lords by the peers the proposal seeks to remove.Straw played down expectations of swift action, saying the vote was a clear indication of the preference of lawmakers, but not a binding resolution.Lawmakers in the Commons voted 337 to 224 in favour of electing all members of the upper chamber – a move which would bring it in line with similar institutions such as the US Senate and chambers in Australia, Japan and Brazil.Campaigners lobbying for an entirely elected second chamber claim only Lesotho – a poor African kingdom – has a system similar to Britain’s, allowing a mix of unelected and hereditary appointees to influence laws.Menzies Campbell, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, said the House of Commons “has at last taken the momentous step to reform the upper house and make it fit for a modern democracy.”Opponents of radical change claim the current Lords composition, with an almost equal number of members aligned to ruling Labour, to opposition parties and those who are not politically affiliated, allows considered debate rather than partisan point scoring.They say members appointed because of their excellence in a particular field are also able to draw on skills an elected Lords would not possess.Legislators also voted – by a smaller margin – in favour of an 80 per cent elected/20 per cent appointed Lords.That option would likely safeguard a small number of seats reserved for Church of England bishops – known as the Lords Spiritual.Prime Minister Tony Blair and his likely successor, Treasury chief Gordon Brown, both voted in favour of a 50-50 split between elected and appointed Lords, but did not take part in the other votes.Nampa-AP”The House of Commons has broken the deadlock,” Straw said.”It is a dramatic result in the history of the British Parliament.”But a draft bill will not be tabled before October, and any law authorising the radical change would need to clear a number of major hurdles – including votes in the Commons and in the House of Lords by the peers the proposal seeks to remove.Straw played down expectations of swift action, saying the vote was a clear indication of the preference of lawmakers, but not a binding resolution.Lawmakers in the Commons voted 337 to 224 in favour of electing all members of the upper chamber – a move which would bring it in line with similar institutions such as the US Senate and chambers in Australia, Japan and Brazil.Campaigners lobbying for an entirely elected second chamber claim only Lesotho – a poor African kingdom – has a system similar to Britain’s, allowing a mix of unelected and hereditary appointees to influence laws.Menzies Campbell, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, said the House of Commons “has at last taken the momentous step to reform the upper house and make it fit for a modern democracy.”Opponents of radical change claim the current Lords composition, with an almost equal number of members aligned to ruling Labour, to opposition parties and those who are not politically affiliated, allows considered debate rather than partisan point scoring.They say members appointed because of their excellence in a particular field are also able to draw on skills an elected Lords would not possess.Legislators also voted – by a smaller margin – in favour of an 80 per cent elected/20 per cent appointed Lords.That option would likely safeguard a small number of seats reserved for Church of England bishops – known as the Lords Spiritual.Prime Minister Tony Blair and his likely successor, Treasury chief Gordon Brown, both voted in favour of a 50-50 split between elected and appointed Lords, but did not take part in the other votes.Nampa-AP