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3. Role of the House of Lords

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About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we outline the role of the House of Lords, focusing in particular on: (i) the main powers and functions of the House of Lords; (ii) the differences between Lords and Commons; (iii) the extent to which the Lords successfully fulfil their given functions; (iv) the bill process; (v) select committees as a particular strength of the Lords; (vi) the differences in quality between debates in the Lords and debates in the Commons; (vii) the ability of the Lords to block bills and offer amendments; (viii) reasons why the Lords may be hesitant to overuse their veto powers.

Course

In this course, Professor Pete Dorey (Cardiff) explores the UK House of Lords, orienting his discussion around the UK Politics section of the Government and Politics A-Level specifications. We begin in the first lecture by outlining the constitutional position of the House of Lords, focusing in particular on developments such as the 1911, 1949, and 1999 Acts, before moving on in the second lecture to consider the composition of the Lords. Here, we cover the different types of Peers and their various backgrounds, as well as strengths of the Lords, such as how the expertise of Life Peers can improve the quality of their Select Committee work. In the third lecture, we outline the main powers and functions of the House of Lords, before moving on in the fourth lecture to cover the case for Lords reform. Close attention is paid throughout to the relative powers of the two Houses and the question of how relevant House of Lords reform remains as a political issue today.

Lecturer

Prof. Peter Dorey is Professor of British Politics at Cardiff University. His research interests focus on several aspects of British Politics, and public policy, in the period from 1945 to the present day. To date, he has written, co-authored or edited fifteen books on aspects of British politics or public policy, including Comrades in Conflict: Labour, the Trade Unions and 1969's 'In Place of Strife' (2019) and (as co-editor) Choosing Party Leaders: Britain's Conservatives and Labour Compares (2020).