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

Abstract

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