Websites Across the Pond

Further to my post about British politics, here are some key sources for those interested in British political news.

The BBC has a tremendous website, which you should check out, if you haven't done so already. It's often said to have a leftist bias, but it seems about as eager to explore the foibles of the current Labor Party government, as it was with the Conservative Party when they were in power.

Here's a blog which I find intriguing. It's maintained by certain members of the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament. As Britain has increasingly democratized its politics over the course of many centuries, the House of Lords has changed shape, and lost power.

Originally, the House consisted mainly of people who had inherited titles of Lord So-and-So, Duke of This, Earl of That, etc. Legislation needed to be approved by the House of Lords, in addition to the lower, elected, House of Commons. Then, in 1911, the rules were changed to provide, in effect, that the House of Lords could delay passage of legislation, but could not, in the end, prevent the House of Commons from asserting its will. From then on, the legislative role of the Lords has been to give legislation a second look and, without changing the general scope of the Commons' intent, to suggest improvements, that are often accepted by the lower house. Here is the House of Lords' own summary of its current functions.

The monarch has the power to veto legislation, but no monarch has done so since 1707. So, in effect, the House of Commons can do whatever it wants, subject only to the voters' verdict at the next election.

The House of Lords now consists mainly of life peers, who are given titles that cannot be inherited by their children. The others are called hereditary peers. The life peers are usually people who are recognized for their achievements either in politics, or in other fields, including business and entertainment. When politicians retire from Cabinet service, they are often given life peerages. For instance, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has, since 1992, had the title of Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, which gives her a seat in the House of Lords.

In 1999, most of the hereditary peers lost their right to sit in the House of Lords. In accordance with a compromise agreed between the parties, 92 of them remain, to represent the larger body of hereditary peers. That was intended to be but a preliminary step toward a more comprehensive reform of the upper house, perhaps including election of some or all of its members. But no further action has yet been taken.

Back to the subject of the Lords' blog: In one sense, what the Lords have to say is not very relevant, in that their influence is far lower than that of members of the House of Commons (known as "MPs" for "Members of Parliament"). However, I find that the Lords will often be more candid than the MPs, because they don't need to face election. So, in that sense, their writings are often more interesting.