UK Parliament / Open data

House of Lords Reform

As my hon. Friend makes that point, I cannot help but think about what happens in Canada, where the predilection for having constant referendums is such that they are now known as ““neverendums””. I do not agree with my hon. Friend; it would not be appropriate for this to be the subject of a referendum. There are those who argue that strengthening the upper House by increasing its democratic legitimacy would threaten the primacy of this House. I do not accept that argument and I ask hon. Members not to be seduced by it. As the Leader of the House made it clear, one thing on which all who participated in the cross-party talks were agreed was that the primacy of the Commons should remain as the basis of our democracy. However, the primacy of this place comes from its powers, not merely the process by which its membership is chosen. The fear of challenge is a sign of weakness, not strength. We should not fear reform of the Lords. We should welcome it as a means of strengthening Parliament and our democracy.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
457 c1404-5 
Session
2006-07
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
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