The House of Lords 1911-2011

A Century of Non-Reform

Chris Ballinger

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English

Hart Publishing
01 October 2012

Parliamentary & legislative practice

Series: Hart Studies in Constitutional Law

House of Lords reform is often characterised as unfinished business: a riddle that has been left unanswered since 1911. But rarely can an unanswered riddle have had so many answers offered, even though few have been accepted; indeed, when Viscount Cave was invited in the mid-1920s to lead a Cabinet committee on Lords reform, he complained of finding 'the ground covered by an embarrassing mass of proposals'.

That embarrassing mass increased throughout the twentieth century. Much ink has been spilled on what should be done with the upper House of Parliament; much less ink has been expended on why reform has been so difficult to achieve.

This book analyses in detail the principal attempts to reform the House of Lords. Starting with the Parliament Act of 1911 the book examines the century of non-reform that followed, drawing upon substantial archival sources, many of which have been under-utilised until now. These sources challenge many of the existing understandings of the history of House of Lords reform and the reasons for success or failure of reform attempts. The book begins by arguing against the popular idea that the 1911 Act was intended by its supporters to be a temporary measure.

'No one – peers included – should be allowed to pronounce about the future of the House of Lords without reading Chris Ballinger's authoritative, shrewd and readable account about reform attempts over the past century. He punctures several widely-held myths and claims in the current debate.' Rt Hon Peter Riddell CBE Director, Institute for Government and former Hansard Society chair

'This is at once an impeccably researched academic study, and a thoroughly readable account loaded with lessons for today's would-be Lords reformers.' Lord (David) Lipsey

By: Chris Ballinger
Imprint: Hart Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9781849462891
ISBN 10: 1849462895
Series: Hart Studies in Constitutional Law
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 01 October 2012
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction: Reform and Non-reform Reform and Non-reform A Century of Non-reform The Evolution of the House of Lords Twelve Instances of Reform and Non-reform 1 Veto Limitation over Reform: The Parliament Act 1911 The Political Situation, 1906–07 Cabinet Discussions on Lords Reform, 1907 Budget Rejection, 1909 Between the 1910 Elections The Parliament Bill 1911 Reform following Veto Limitation? 1911–14 Conclusion 2 'The Battle is Over': House of Lords Reform, 1917–45 The Bryce Conference, 1917–18 Cabinet Committees, 1921–22 The Cabinet Committee, 1925–27 Lords reform in the 1920s Avoiding Reform, 1928–45 3 A Pre-emptive Strike: The Parliament Act 1949 Labour and the House of Lords Moves Towards reform, 1943–47 Nationalisation and House of Lords Reform The Parliament Bill 1947 The Party Leaders' Conference 1948 The Parliament Bill Resumed The Iron and Steel Bill Conclusion 4 Diluting the Hereditary Principle?: The Life Peerages Act 1958 Life Peers Inter-Party Discussions Discussions, 1953–55 Limiting the Hereditaries: Proposals Wider Reform: The Cabinet Committee, 1955–56 Short and Long Bills The Life Peerages Bill Limiting the Hereditary Peers Conclusion 5 'The Wedgwood Benn Enabling Bill': The Peerage Act 1963 A Hereditary Life Peerage Earlier Attempts at Renouncing Peerages The Persistent Commoner Fears over Loss of the Hereditary System Party Support for Benn The Committee of Privileges 'Re-election' Seating the 'Defeated' Candidate The Joint Select Committee The Peerage Bill Conclusion 6 Adding to Wilson's Strife: The Inter-Party Conference and the Parliament (No 2) Bill [1968–69] Abandoning the Unilateral, Two-Stage Approach The Inter-Party Conference The Southern Rhodesia (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1968 The White Paper and the Decision to Proceed with the Bill The Parliament (No 2) Bill Abandoning the Bill 1970 Conclusion Epilogue: House of Lords Reform, 1970–74 After 1974 7 Stage One of Two?: The House of Lords Act 1999 Turning the Tide of Constitutional Reform John Smith's Leadership Tony Blair and House of Lords Reform Post-election 1997 Priorities for the First Session The Cabinet Committee The Queen's Speech 1998 The Weatherill Amendment: Origins The House of Lords Bill By-elections for Hereditary Peers Conclusion 8 The Long Stage Two: The Wakeham Commission and Beyond The Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords Follow-up to the Royals Commissions's Report 2001–05: Indecision, then a Surprising Move on Reform Lords Reform in Labour's Third Term 2010: General Election and Coalition Government Conclusion 9 Reasons for Reform and Non-reform How and Why Does House of Lords Reform Reach the Cabinet's Agenda? How Do Proposals Change When Under Consideration? How and Why Do Proposals Succeed or Fail? Conclusion

Chris Ballinger is Academic Dean and Official Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.

Reviews for The House of Lords 1911-2011: A Century of Non-Reform

This excellent book examines House of Lords reform over the 100-year period following the 1911 Parliament Act..Ballinger is very good at contextualising each attempted reform in the immediate politics of the period when it was under development. -- Donald Shell Public Law, No. 1/2014 This work reflects an impressive depth of knowledge and research that is presented in a clear and disciplined writing style. Every chapter commences with arresting quotes that whet the appetite of the general reader as well as the specialist. A blizzard of complex data is made accessible through compression into a number of useful tables. Shrewd analysis challenges entrenched myths concerning House of Lords reform...This work offers much to attract political and legal historians. -- Thomas Mohr Irish Jurist, 2013(2) It would be an understatement to say that reform of the House of Lords (in its legislative capacity) is a holy grail of British politics. This book throws a vast amount of light on the reasons why so little has come of the various attempts at reform since the idea was first mooted more than a century ago. All the relevant arguments and controversies are addressed, comprehensively and competently. Anyone involved in the ongoing efforts at tackling this thorny issue could do worse than consult this book. The Commonwealth Lawyer, Volume 22, No 2 This is a remarkably good book: authoritative, insightful, shrewd, and eminently readable [and] one that I cannot recommend highly enough...The quality of the book is underpinned not only by its scope but also by Chris Ballinger's in-depth, detailed analysis. It is further underpinned by the author's very apparent understanding of the totality of the topic, and especially of the nature - and indeed changing nature - of House of Lords reform over the years...something that is not always possible to say about those who write, let alone speak, on this topic...Quite clearly this book should be mandatory reading for anyone with any interest in the subject of the House of Lords...Certainly anyone either thinking about, or determined to embark upon, House of Lords reform in the future will be well served by having read - and inwardly digested - Chris Ballinger's study. -- Nicholas D.J. Baldwin The Journal of Legislative Studies Well researched, it is no dry academic treatise, but provides real insight into how and why all attempts at fundamental change have failed. -- Bob Hughes (Lord Hughes of Woodside) Progress Online