{"id":2337633,"date":"2024-09-06T04:39:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T08:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dont-ditch-the-dukes-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-06T04:45:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T08:45:35","slug":"dont-ditch-the-dukes-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dont-ditch-the-dukes-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t ditch the dukes &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdont-ditch-the-dukes-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2337633&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/economist-rejects-uighur-genocide-determination\/\" title=\"\u2018Economist\u2019 Rejects Uighur Genocide Determination\">article argues<\/a> against \u2063the United Kingdom&#8217;s \u200dproposal to\u2063 phase out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/king-charles-coronation-heres-what-you-should-know-about-saturdays-ceremony\/\" title=\"Saturday&#039;s coronation of King Charles: What you need to know.\">hereditary peers<\/a> from\u200b the House of Lords, specifically the remaining 92 members who inherited their titles. The author reflects \u2064on the \u2063historical significance of the House of Lords, \u2063tracing its origins back to the Magna \u2064Carta and \u200dthe evolution of parliamentary governance in Britain. The piece notes that\u200c the Lords have lost substantial power \u200bsince 1911 and \u200bdiscusses the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/warp-speed-advisor-expects-vaccine-to-ship-mid-december-herd-immunity-by-may\/\" title=\"\u2018Warp Speed\u2019 advisor expects vaccine to ship mid-December, \u2018herd immunity\u2019 by May\">political context<\/a> \u2063of\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arsonist-accused-of-torching-fox-news-christmas-tree-released-under-lenient-bail-reforms\/\" title=\"Arsonist Accused of Torching Fox News&#039; Christmas Tree Released Under Lenient Bail Reforms\">reforms introduced<\/a> by Tony Blair, who initially promised to abolish hereditary peers while also advocating for a replacement with an elected\u200b chamber. <\/p>\n<p>The author critiques\u200c the\u2063 Labour \u200bParty&#8217;s current plans,\u2064 expressing concern that removing hereditary peers \u2063without implementing \u200bpromised democratic reforms\u2064 would\u200c constitute a \u2062betrayal. \u2063They assert that, while\u200b hereditary peers may \u200bnot significantly add \u200cto the\u2064 legislative process, their\u200c presence serves as a\u2063 reminder of stalled\u200d reform efforts and a\u200d lack \u2062of \u200cgenuine democratic representation in the House of\u200c Lords.\u200d Ultimately, the\u200c article argues that maintaining a select few hereditary\u2062 peers could be seen as a form of resistance to the kind of\u2064 political appointment practices that have historically \u2063favored partisanship over representation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Don&rsquo;t ditch the dukes<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1741872\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>I am going to attempt something that might strike you as eccentric. Over the next 750 words, I am going to seek to persuade you, a citizen of the world&rsquo;s greatest republic, that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-kingdom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>United Kingdom<\/a> is wrong to phase out its last hereditary peers &mdash; that is, the last 92 members of the House of Lords who owe their places to being their fathers&rsquo; sons.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Many of my American friends have what I have always found a flattering view of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/britain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Britain<\/a>, seeing us as a country of dowager duchesses, curtseying maids, and steam trains that carry excited children to boarding schools. In reality, we tend to be rougher and ruder than our American cousins. But one of the few ways in which we conform to stereotype is in being only one of two places in the world (along with Lesotho) to have a hereditary element in our legislature.<\/p>\n<p>The House of Lords dates ultimately from the Magna Carta, which laid down limits on royal power, and provided for a council of bishops and barons to enforce those limits. Fifty years later, in 1265, they were joined by an assembly of elected burghers and knights, and, in time, these two chambers developed into the Lords and Commons.<\/p>\n<p>The House of Commons progressively became the more powerful of the two, with the Lords losing their power to block laws in 1911. From 1958, life peers could be created &mdash; that is, Lords who would sit in the Upper House alongside the hereditaries but whose titles would die with them. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tony-blair\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Tony Blair<\/a> won the 1997 election on a promise of two-stage reform: first, abolition of the hereditaries; second, the replacement of the chamber with some kind of senate.<\/p>\n<p>Why two stages, asked suspicious opponents. Why not move straight to an elected chamber? Could it be that, once Blair scrapped the hereditaries, he would never get around to stage two, instead enjoying the unparalleled power of stuffing the Lords with his friends?<\/p>\n<p>Faced with their impending abolition, the hereditaries did a deal with Blair. They would not delay or frustrate his reform provided that, in return, he let some of them (after a bit of haggling, it ended up at 92) remain, with special elections to replace them when they died. It was a bizarre arrangement, but that was the whole point. Those 92 hereds were supposed to be the pebble in the shoe, an uncomfortable reminder that the promised <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-democrats-push-reformed-voting-rights-laws\/\" title=\"Biden administration, Democrats push reformed voting rights laws\">democratic reform<\/a> had not been delivered.<\/p>\n<p>More than a quarter of a century on, we are still waiting. Blair filled the Upper House with his partisans, Tony&rsquo;s cronies; and every prime minister who followed did the same, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/boris-johnson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Boris Johnson<\/a>, one of whose appointments was me. Now, reneging on the original deal, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/labour-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Labour<\/a> plans to tap the pebble from the shoe without delivering the promised democratic reform.<\/p>\n<p>That, ultimately, is the case against scrapping the hereditary peers. Not that they add color, although, with names like the Earl of Cork and Orrery, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, and Lord Willoughby de Broke, they do. Nor that they take on unglamorous jobs that appointed peers, many of them retired ministers, think themselves too grand to do. Nor yet that they are more diverse in their opinions than the appointees, some having even voted for Brexit.<\/p>\n<p>No, the fundamental objection is that Labour, which enjoys an unassailable majority in the Commons despite a low proportion of the popular vote, plans to cement its dominance, removing the last traces of opposition.<\/p>\n<p>Never mind Lesotho. In how many countries does the executive get to fill one of the two legislative chambers with placemen? Imagine if Joe Biden got to hand-pick the Senate. The whole point of the legislature, after all, is to hold the government to account.<\/p>\n<p>In removing the only elected element from the House of Lords &mdash; elected, it is true, by other hereditary peers, but that&rsquo;s still better than nothing &mdash; Labour is removing one of the few checks on its power. All talk of democratic reform has been quietly dropped.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I happen to favor an elected senate, but, frankly, almost anything is better than a government-appointed chamber. A regional congress like Germany&rsquo;s Bundesrat, a House where people are elected for long nonrenewable terms, a chamber selected by lot or, yes, by heredity (which is close to selection by lot) &mdash; all would be preferable.<\/p>\n<p>The House of Lords, as Gilbert and Sullivan put it, &ldquo;does nothing in particular and does it very well.&rdquo; Until they have a proposal for something better, Brits should stick to what works.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1741872\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1741872\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Don&#8217;t Abandon the Dukes**<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m about to embark on what may seem like an unconventional argument. In the next 750 words, I aim to convince you, a citizen of the world\u2019s most esteemed republic, that the United Kingdom is making a mistake by phasing out its remaining hereditary peers\u2014specifically, the last 92 members of the House of Lords who inherit their positions from their fathers. Many of my American friends hold an endearing view of Britain, picturing it as a land filled with elegant duchesses, courteous maids, and steam trains whisking eager children off to boarding schools. However, in reality, we are often more rough around the edges than our American counterparts. Yet one stereotype we do fit is being one of only two countries in the world (the other being Lesotho) with hereditary representation in our legislature.<\/p>\n<p>The House of Lords has its roots in historical documents like Magna Carta which established limits on royal authority and called for a council made up of bishops and barons to uphold those limits. By 1265, this council was joined by elected representatives from towns and knights; over time these groups evolved into what we now know as the Lords and Commons. The House of Commons gradually gained more power while the Lords lost their ability to block legislation back in 1911. Starting in 1958, life peers were introduced\u2014Lords who could serve alongside hereditary peers but whose titles would not be passed down.<\/p>\n<p>Tony Blair campaigned for election in 1997 with a promise for reform: first abolishing hereditary peers and then replacing this chamber with some form of senate. Critics questioned why he didn\u2019t propose an immediate transition to an elected chamber instead; they suspected that once he eliminated hereditary members he might never follow through on stage two reforms but rather fill it with his allies instead.<\/p>\n<p>In response to impending abolition threats from Blair&#8217;s government, hereditary peers struck a deal: they would not obstruct his reforms if he allowed some (ultimately reduced to 92) to remain as part-time members until they died or retired\u2014with special elections held for replacements thereafter. This unusual arrangement was intended as a reminder that promised democratic changes had yet to materialize.<\/p>\n<p>More than twenty-five years later we&#8217;re still waiting; Blair filled the Upper House with loyalists while subsequent prime ministers continued this practice\u2014including Boris Johnson who appointed me among others. Now Labour intends to remove these remaining hereditary peers without delivering any promised democratic reform\u2014a key argument against eliminating them altogether.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not merely about adding flair or color\u2014though names like Earl of Cork and Orrery or Lord Willoughby de Broke certainly do add character\u2014or even about taking on less glamorous roles that appointed members might shy away from performing; nor is it solely because they represent diverse opinions including support for Brexit among some hereditaries.<\/p>\n<p>The core issue lies within Labour&#8217;s intention: despite holding significant power within Commons due largely due low popular vote proportions\u2014they seek further entrenchment by eradicating opposition remnants entirely! Consider how rare it is globally where executives can appoint individuals directly into legislative chambers\u2014imagine if Joe Biden could handpick Senate members!<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately legislatures exist primarily as checks against governmental authority\u2014in removing even this limited elected aspect from House Of Lords (elected albeit indirectly via fellow hereditaries), Labour diminishes accountability measures available against itself! Discussions surrounding genuine democratic reform have quietly faded away too&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>While I personally advocate for establishing an elected senate system\u2014it\u2019s clear almost any alternative would be preferable compared government-appointed chambers! Options such regional congresses akin Germany\u2019s Bundesrat or long-term nonrenewable term elections could work better than current arrangements\u2014even maintaining elements based upon heredity resembles random selection closely enough!<\/p>\n<p>As Gilbert &amp; Sullivan aptly noted regarding The House Of Lords: \u201cdoes nothing particularly well.\u201d Until there exists viable proposals offering improvements over existing structures\u2014it seems prudent Brits should stick with what functions adequately!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3097,"featured_media":2337634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/House-of-Lords-Britain_nn1.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[40259,38975,5894,34832,32076],"class_list":["post-2337633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-dont-ditch-the-dukes","tag-media-commentary","tag-politics","tag-public-opinion","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/House-of-Lords-Britain_nn1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3097"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2337633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2337634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2337633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2337633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2337633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}