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The overall consensus in Britain is the reverse- that it is HEREDITARY peers who should be removed, and not life peers.
About 15 years ago, there was a big change to the House of Lords which massively reduced the number of hereditary peers who were entitled to sit in the Lords. This was because it was recognised that the system was a throwback to pre-Civil War days and was the very thing that Cromwell was fighting against; that it was wrong that somebody should be allowed to hold a position in Government simply by dint of birthright, without having been popularly elected or even having the necessary brains or skills to be involved in politics. Instead, the number of life peers has increased massively- life peers, as oppose to hereditary ones, are people who have been ennobled by the monarchy for services they have rendered to the country. Their position is different, in that they will inevitably have had experiences, accrued knowledge and been involved with issues that make them better equipped to make political assessments and judgements. As such, they are more suited to be in the Lords than somebody who just happens to have been born a Lord or an Earl- the whole change in the system was much more democratic, and representative of society at large.
A few hereditary peers DO remain, but their position is a controversial one and may not remain in place indefinitely. Senior clergy, top judges and top members of the armed forces also can sit in the Lords, but this is because their jobs give them an insight into political decision-making.
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∙ 10y ago
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What type of Lords sit in the House of Lords?
There are three types of Lord: Life Peers (of which Law Lords are members), Hereditary Peers and Spiritual Peers.
How long are people in the house of lords for?
Once elevated to the Lords, peers sit in the House for life
Who is the House of Lords made up?
life peers, hereditory peers. lord chancellor
What is a hereditary Peer?
Hereditary Peers inherit their title and consist of five ranks: Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron. Peerages may become extinct or fall into abeyance, but so long as there is an heir, the title will continue. Stage one of the House of Lords Act 1999 removed the entitlement of most of the hereditary Peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords, and of the 92 hereditary Peers who retain their seat in the Lords, 75 were elected by their fellow hereditary Peers.
How many peers are there in house of lords?
There used to be over 700 hereditary Peers in the House of Commons, but after stage one of the House of Lords Act 1999, passed by the Blair government, there are 92 hereditary peers left. However, some peers have died recently and their number is around high eighties.
What is the difference between life peers and hereditary peers Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual?
A Life Peer is someone who has a noble title but it is not hereditary- the title does not automatically go to his heir when he dies.A Hereditary Peer is someone who has a noble title but it is hereditary- the title will automatically go to his heir (typically his oldest son) upon his death.The Lords Temporal are Peers (Life or Hereditary) who are sitting members of the House of Lords in Parliament.The Lords Spiritual are high ranking bishops from the Anglican Church who also members of the House of Lords.
Why did parliament eliminate the hereditary peers form the house of Lords in response to what?
Parliament argued that the hereditary Peers (or unelected chamber) were undemocratic., Parliament wanted four-fifths of the House of Lords to be elected, which would reduce the number of Peers from 826 to 450.
How do members get to be part of the House of Lords?
by inheriting themThis is wrong. Some do inherit their titles, but in fact the vast majority are created as life peers by the reigning sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. It is a very common misconception that Members of the House of Lords all inherit their titles. An example of a Life peer is Lord Peter Mandelson of Foy. An example of a hereditary peer is Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton.This answer is correct the British Parliament members of the House of Lords got their positions by inheriting them.
How long can you be a member of the house of lords?
There are life peers/lords which means you have the title for your life only, and there are peers/lords that inherited the title from their fathers, and that means they can pass it on to their children.....so one is for a life, and one is forever basically
What is a cross-bench peer?
Cross-bench peers are peers appointed to the House of Lords not to support a political party, but to add their specialist knowledge or expertise. They sit on the cross bench, not on the party benches, and are not subject to the party whip. The Law Lords are included in the cross-bench peers. Full information is available at the web site of the House of Lords.
How many members are there in the House of Lords?
As of April 20, 2012, there are 818 voting members of the House of Lords, of which about 701 are life peers, 92 are hereditary peers who sit in the House due to being elected by their fellows and 25 are bishops . 21 of these are on leave of absence.
What is a House of Lords appointee called?
Life Peer.In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. (Those whose titles are heritable are known as hereditary peers.)The House of Lords consisted of hereditary peers, life peers appointed by the King, peers by virtue of position, representatives of cities and universities, etc.
