It is common for a democratic parliamentary system to have a bicameral legislature, with a directly elected lower chamber and a second, revising chamber. The United Kingdom is unusual in that its second chamber is largely nominated rather than elected, and those that are not nominated are drawn from the hereditary aristocracy.
There has been much recent debate about how the House of Lords should be reformed – with the expulsion of most of the hereditaries a notable change – but the British system is still archaic compared with most other countries.
Articles
You can find the archive of Federal Union articles on reform of the House of Lords here.
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Constitutional Reform – End of the Road? (14 July 2011)
Constitutional Reform – End of the Road? 14 July 2011, 4.30pm – 6.30pm, followed by a reception Mary Sumner House, 24 Tufton Street, London SW1P 3RB Robert Hazell, Director of […]
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Moving to an elected House of Lords
By Satish Desai Report on an event sponsored by Unlock Democracy Held at 11.30 am on 26 August 2009 at The Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU The event […]
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Gordon Brown’s constitution
It may be safely said that Gordon Brown must have a strong constitution if he can withstand all that has been thrown at him and still remain prime minister. But […]