House of Lords reform is often characterised as unfinished
business: a riddle that has been left unanswered since 1911. But
rarely can an unanswered riddle have had so many answers offered,
even though few have been accepted; indeed, when Viscount Cave was
invited in the mid-1920s to lead a Cabinet committee on Lords
reform, he complained of finding 'the ground covered by an
embarrassing mass of proposals'.That embarrassing mass increased
throughout the twentieth century. Much ink has been spilled on what
should be done with the upper House of Parliament; much less ink
has been expended on why reform has been so difficult to achieve.
This book analyses in detail the principal attempts to reform the
House of Lords. Starting with the Parliament Act of 1911 the book
examines the century of non-reform that followed, drawing upon
substantial archival sources, many of which have been
under-utilised until now. These sources challenge many of the
existing understandings of the history of House of Lords reform and
the reasons for success or failure of reform attempts. The book
begins by arguing against the popular idea that the 1911 Act was
intended by its supporters to be a temporary measure. 'No one -
peers included - should be allowed to pronounce about the future of
the House of Lords without reading Chris Ballinger's authoritative,
shrewd and readable account about reform attempts over the past
century. He punctures several widely-held myths and claims in the
current debate.' Rt Hon Peter Riddell CBE Director, Institute for
Government and former Hansard Society chair 'This is at once an
impeccably researched academic study, and a thoroughly readable
account loaded with lessons for today's would-be Lords reformers.'
Lord (David) Lipsey
General
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