Direct comparison : Lords vs Commons

• Lords is more effective than the commons: Party discipline

  • Party discipline is the rules, norms + consequences for deviance to ensure relative cohesion of members
  • It is weaker in the Lords, meaning peers are more independent of thought, due to the large number of cross benchers.
  • Meaning that peers have more freedom to debate + express their views:
  • E.G: the Lords defeated the government 14 times in 2018 over the EU Withdraw Bill.
  • Between 2010-2012 the Lords defeated the coalition 48 times, while the Commons did not defeat any executive legislation.
• Lords is more effective than the Commons: Scrutiny

  • Lords spend most of the scrutinising government legislation, unlike MPs in the Commons
  • E.G between 2010-2015 the Lords voted against reforms to constituency boundaries, AV referendum, the NHS and caps on welfare payments
• Lords is more effective than the Commons: Legislation

  • Gov has lost legislation in the Lords: 2012, Welfare Reform Act
  • Lords have also forced the gov to amend bills: Brexit legislation was defeated 14 times.
• Lords is more effective than the Commons: Scrutinisng the gov with expertise

  • Lord Hogan-Howe is the ex-police chief
• The Commons is more effective than the Lords: Parliament Acts

  • 1911 - no more money bills + they cannot veto bills, only delay
  • 1949 - only delay bills for a year - Lords were forced into delaying the (fox) Hunting Act 2004
  • Any Lords amendments rejected 3 times by the Commons become ineffective. E.G: 2012 Lords returned the Welfare Reform Act with 7 amendments, but all 7 were defeated
• The Commons is more effective than the Lords: Salisbury Convention (Constitutional Convention)

  • A bill mentioned in a gov manifesto can not be opposed by the Lords
• The Commons is more effective than the Lords: Legitimacy + representation of Constituents

  • Lords are unelected + lack a mandate
  • Mandate = the authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins an electio
• The Commons is more effective than the Lords: Liasion Committee + scrutiny

  • Part of the Commons that checks the power of the PM, Lords cannot do this
  • Lords are less effective in scrutinising the gov (E.G PMQs, Question Time, only in the commons = direct scrutiny)
• The Commons is more effective than the Lords: Committees + scrutinising gov departments

  • Health Committee initiated changes to the Coalition's Health + Social Care Bill
  • Margaret Hodge (chair of the PAC at the time) called Starbucks and other big businesses to account over the tax they pay.