Debates about the relative powers of the two houses 2.2 Flashcards
what did the house of lords act 1999 do to hereditary peers
NEW LABOUR = reduced the number of hereditary peers in the House of Lords from over 700 to 92
what was an impact for the HOUSE OF COMMONS once hereditary peers were removed
- the traditional dominance of the House by the Conservative Party came to an end.
- No party now has overall control of the Lords
when was a time the HOL tried to go against the SALISBURY CONVENTION and what was their reason for it
2005 general election,
- opposed Blair’s proposals for identity cards, even though in manifesto.
- argued that the Salisbury convention no longer applied = share of the popular vote (only 35.2 per cent).
who are cross benchers in the HOL and what is their role in legislation
- no party affiliation
- scrutinise legislation based on merit
when HOL and HOC dont get along in legislation, what can the HOC do
use its majority to oveturn Lords ammendments
what is ‘parliamentary ping-pong’
a bill going back and forth between the two houses
what was an extreme case of parliamentary ping-pong
2005 debating Prevention of Terrorism Bill,
- HOL wanted a “sunset clause” = make the law expire after a year
- government ultimately decided no
- After a 30-hour debate in HOL, compromise was reached = government promised a review after a year, HOL backed down
how does parliament force a bill through
The Parliaments Acts of 1911 and 1949
when were three times recently that Parliament used the Parliaments Act to force a bill through
- Changing the voting system for European parliament elections (1999).
- Equalising the age of consent for gay and heterosexual people (2000).
- Banning hunting with dogs (2004).
what will the HOL usually do after expressing their POV on a piece of legislation
drop its opposition = recognising that it lacks
the democratic legitimacy needed to push its case further.
