The Contemporary House of Lords: Westminster Bicameralism Revived PDF
Preview The Contemporary House of Lords: Westminster Bicameralism Revived
THE CONTEMPORARY HOUSE OF LORDS This page intentionally left blank The Contemporary House of Lords Westminster Bicameralism Revived MEG RUSSELL ReaderinBritishandComparativePolitics ConstitutionUnit,SchoolofPublicPolicy UniversityCollegeLondon 1 3 GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford,OX26DP, UnitedKingdom OxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford. ItfurtherstheUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship, andeducationbypublishingworldwide.Oxfordisaregisteredtrademarkof OxfordUniversityPressintheUKandincertainothercountries #MegRussell2013 Themoralrightsoftheauthorhavebeenasserted FirstEditionpublishedin2013 Impression:1 Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedin aretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,withoutthe priorpermissioninwritingofOxfordUniversityPress,orasexpresslypermitted bylaw,bylicenceorundertermsagreedwiththeappropriatereprographics rightsorganization.Enquiriesconcerningreproductionoutsidethescopeofthe aboveshouldbesenttotheRightsDepartment,OxfordUniversityPress,atthe addressabove Youmustnotcirculatethisworkinanyotherform andyoumustimposethissameconditiononanyacquirer CrowncopyrightmaterialisreproducedunderClassLicence NumberC01P0000148withthepermissionofOPSI andtheQueen’sPrinterforScotland PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyOxfordUniversityPress 198MadisonAvenue,NewYork,NY10016,UnitedStatesofAmerica BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Dataavailable LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2013937832 ISBN 978–0–19–967156–4 PrintedinGreatBritainby CPIGroup(UK)Ltd,Croydon,CR04YY LinkstothirdpartywebsitesareprovidedbyOxfordingoodfaithand forinformationonly.Oxforddisclaimsanyresponsibilityforthematerials containedinanythirdpartywebsitereferencedinthiswork. To Philip This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgements This is a single-authored book, but was only made possible by the help and support of many people over a long period of time. My research on the House of Lords has been funded principally through two grants from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The first (RES-000-23-0597) ran from 2004–07, and supported creation of a database of Lords membership and divisions since 1999, and study of the effectsofthe1999reform.Furtherfundingwasprovidedduring2008–11as partofaFellowship(RES-063-27-0163),whichallowedmaintenanceofthe database and preparation of additional publications. Since the Fellowship ended,thisworkhasbeensupportedatalowerlevelbyagroupofdonorsto the Constitution Unit, for whose generosity I am very grateful. In addition, the research reported in Chapter 7 on the legislative process was funded by theNuffieldFoundation.MythankstotheNuffieldtrustees,andparticularly to the Foundation’s Director, Sharon Witherspoon. Theabilitytoconductthisresearchwasalsodependentonthecooperation of key staff in the House of Lords, and numerous peers. The initial data on membership and divisions during 1999–2004 had been gathered by David Beamish,nowClerkoftheParliaments,whokindlyshareditwithme.Since then David has offered much advice and practical help. Mark Simpson and his team in the House of Lords Information Office have also supplied essential information and guidance regularly over the years, as have Alex Brocklehurst and his colleagues in the House of Lords Library. Large numbers of peers have taken time to respond to my surveys, which arequotedthroughoutthebook:396in2005,381in2007(includingsome replying for the second time), plus 79newly appointed peers since 2009.In addition, well over 100 peers have kindly agreed to be interviewed in connection with the research, as have numerous MPs, parliamentary staff, civilservantsandothers.Itwouldnotbepracticaltomentionallofthemby name,butbackbenchersandfrontbenchersfromallofthechamber’sgroups have helped me build up an understanding of its changing dynamics. I am particularlygratefultothosewithbusycentralrolesintheorganizationofthe chamberanditsgroupsforgivinguptheirtime.Thesehaveincludedgroup leaders and convenorsCathy Ashton,Tom McNally, MargaretJay, Herbert Laming,BillRodgers,JanRoyall,TomStrathclyde,ShirleyWilliams,David Williamson and the late Bernard Weatherill; likewise chief whips Joyce Anelay, Steve Bassam, John Cope, Bruce Grocott, John Roper, David viii Acknowledgements ShuttandthelateDenisCarter;andalsogroupstaffincludingPhilipBassett, Julian Dee, Margaret Ounsley, Carolyn Rampton and Celia Thomas. The firsttwoLordSpeakers—HeleneHaymanandFrancesD’Souza—havebeen particularly supportive and kind. AttheConstitutionUnitatUCL,myworkontheLordshasbeenassisted by some very able researchers. Maria Sciara maintained the database and worked with me on data analysis for three years from 2004, and Meghan Benton did the same for three years from 2008. Both shaped the work in importantways,as wellas beingagreatpleasuretoworkwith.Meghan also contributedtothelegislativeanalysisreportedinChapter7,butmostofthis painstaking work of coding and analysing legislative amendments was con- ductedbyDanielGoverandKristinaWollter.From2011,EimearO’Casey maintained the database, and contributed significantly tothe media analysis inChapter9.TomSemlyenprovidedessentialfactcheckingandworkonthe tables and bibliography. Simon Kaye and Ashley Palmer also helped at the early stages, particularly with historical research for Chapter 2. The Consti- tution Unit in general forms a mutually supportive team environment. Various other Unit colleagues provided useful ideas and help, including Robert Hazell, James Melton, Vicki Spence, Ben Webb, Ben Yong and numerous dedicated research interns. Staff and students in the Department ofPoliticalScience/SchoolofPublicPolicyinturncontributetoabeneficial wider environment. Beyond UCL, fellow members of the Study of Parlia- mentGroup—cruciallyincludingDonaldShell—haveovertheyearsoffered much encouragement and help. While writing the book I have plagued many officials in the Lords for material of various kinds, and their efficiency and kindness has been invalu- able. They include Simon Burton and his team in the Public Bill Office, Benet Hiscock and his colleagues working in public outreach, Christopher Johnson and his team in the Journal Office, Kate Lawrence, Ed Ollard, Michael Torrance, Philippa Tudor, Jake Vaughan and Rhodri Walters. Several of these same people—and also David Beamish, Ruth Paley and Paul Seaward—made time to look over chapters, or parts of chapters, for me in draft. My partner, Philip Carter, then nobly spent a week’s ‘holiday’ readingthroughtheentiredraftwithme,withbothaneditor’seyeandthatof an incisive critic. This helped me to iron out numerous weaknesses, and for thisalone(nevermindmuchelse)hehasearnedthededication.Nonetheless, remainingerrorsoffactorjudgementareofcoursemyown.Last,mythanks toJohnLouth,AlexFlach,NatashaFlemming,OlofEyjolfsdottirandothers at Oxford University Press for efficiently turning the text into an actual published book, and to those who have said such nice things about it on the back cover. Contents ListofTables,FiguresandBoxes xiii ListofAbbreviations xv 1. Introduction 1 SixkeyquestionsabouttheHouseofLords 3 Whatdowealreadyknow? 5 Sources,methodsandstyle 8 Structure,andhowtousethisbook 9 CONTEXT 2. ABriefHistoryoftheHouseofLords 13 Inthebeginning 14 TheLordsandtheoriginsofparliamentarygovernment 15 Controversies,abolitionandanewsettlement:theLordsin the17thcentury 17 AnincreasinglypoliticalHouse:the18thcentury 19 Thegrowthofdemocracy:theLordsinthe19thcentury 21 Pressuresforreform:theLordsinthe20thcentury 26 Reforminthe21stcentury 35 Conclusion:ContinuityandchangeintheLords 35 3. BicameralisminTheoryandComparativePerspective 41 Thehistoryofbicameralisminternationally 42 Modernjustificationsofbicameralism 44 Theextentofbicameralismtoday 46 Thecompositionofsecondchambers 47 Thepowersofsecondchambers 52 Somegenerallessonsaboutbicameralism 57 Conclusion:TheLordsincomparativeperspective 63 THEPOST-1999HOUSEOFLORDS 4. ABriefIntroductiontotheContemporaryHouseofLords 67 MembershipofthecontemporaryHouseofLords 68 RoutesintotheLords 72 WhatkindofpeoplesitintheLords? 76
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