The House of Lords, is their need for futher reform?

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The House of Lords has always been a talking point in British politics, mainly over the fact that they are an unelected body and have no democratic right to determine the laws of the country. Although their power has been reduced over the years, many would argue that it is just not enough and some would argue that it should be abolished. In this essay I will look at the reasons why people want the Lords to be abolished however I will also look at the key functions that are carried out in the House of Lords. I will then conclude stating whether I feel the House of Lords should be abolished and if not what (if anything) should be done to reform the House of Lords.

The House of Lords is argued to be undemocratic and should not play a part in the British political system. There is also the argument that we cannot claim to be a democracy while the House of Lords hold power to rule the decisions of the elected government.

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The House of Lords can be seen as highly undemocratic and out of date. It can be said that peers, who have inherited the position, often know nothing about the ordinary person and or government politics. It is worth noting also that there is a very small proportion of minorities in the House of Lords. There are also much fewer women than there are men and you cannot be a woman hereditary peer. It was only in 1957 under the Sex Disqualification act when women were first allowed to be a member of Lords. Many people feel due to these ...

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