What Does the House of Lords Really Do? - TLDR Explains

The House of Lords has been discussed a lot in recent days with them annoying the Tories and Labour talking about scrapping the House. So in this video we explain what the House of Lords actually does and who the Lords are. In the coming days we will talk about if the HoL has a place in modern Britain and if it could really be scrapped.

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[TheNinjaMarmot]

Daddy, when I grow up. I want to sleep in the House of Lords.

[FatRonaldo]

This is the content I love to see, clearly explaining how a system or deal works for the people

[weejas]

Another advantage of an unelected legislative body is that they don't have to worry about re-election. Therefore they can take the long view, and advocate for a policy that is unpopular in the short term, but provides long term benefits.

[EmulationofAwesome]

“It’s not democratic to have an unelected politician running a government department.”

*stares and blinks in American*

[fawziekefli]

The hilarious thing about hereditary peers is that the reason they became hereditary was by way of compensation for the fact that they _couldn't_ make the yearly journey to London to show up at the House of Lords. So in order that Lord X has some sort of continuity to the previous Lord X that showed up five or ten years previously, the title went to the son. Travelling was a bitch back in 1066.

[XalphYT]

The House of Lords serves as a counterweight to the populism of The House of Commons.

[raphaelnikolaus]

Parliament renovations that start in 2015? 0:27

[saavedyv]

So the house of Lords is a chamber of unelected experts who review and have a strong influence on the passing of laws.

[MrMultiPat]

Canada also has a second, unelected house of government. While I personally think abolishing it is a good idea, I'm opposed to making it elected. Otherwise we might end up with a system like the US, where there's a gridlock with one party controlling one house and another controlling the second house.

You get a lot more passed with either an unelected second house, or no second house at all.

[marcmarc]

2 houses are better than 1. Usually the Prime Minister controls the House of Commons. So it’s better to have a 2d point of view from people not directly involved in political quarrels. The Queen should be free to appoint the Lords.

[markncl]

It was videos such as this that had me once subscribe to you. Informative, sharp and most of all, impartial.

[sameerthakur]

Duties of a Lord:
1. Oppress serfs
2. Drink Tea
3. Oppress peasants
4. Drink Tea
5. Plot against other Lords
6. Drink Tea
7. Plot to get invited to drink tea at Buckingham Palace
8. Drink Tea
9. Hunt Foxes on your Estates
10. Drink Tea
11. Hunt pheasants flying on your Estates.
12. Drink Tea
13. Hunt peasants poaching on your Estates
14. Drink Tea
15. Count your wealth
16. Drink Tea

Onerous responsibilities indeed😂

[rasmuslindquist]

I am Danish and I have always been thinking that the house of lords sounded "our of date". But when you say its kinda people who know what they are talking about. I kinda think it sounds like a good idea.

[GulfsideMinistries]

I don't think "It's not democratic" is much of an objection. The unstated premise in this enthymeme is, "Nothing not democratic is preferable, " but that's obviously false.

This is just the reason I think we made a mistake going to an elected Senate, btw, on our side of the pond, and why moves towards term limiting and even electing SCOTUS judges is a terrible move. There is a place for elected representation. There is a place for direct democracy. But it is just as helpful to check power for certain positions to be non-political/unelected.

[elliewuzzup]

I really like the idea of a relatively impartial group able to review or block (for a time) policies. Not sure how I feel about the unelected part of it, but the idea of a group of experts taking time to review something is really encouraging and interesting.

[oprye]

Progress of what when the house of lord was with 600 hereditary peers Britain was far more stable that it is today

[grophers]

Great video, helps this American understand the UK system better.

[ciarand]

Anyone care to check out baroness boothroyds speech regarding brexit, this is what the lords are all about, people who're able to weigh things up without prejudice or a personal agenda, people who've a lifetime of experience and an ability to assess and evaluate whatever the house of commons throws their way. We need the house of lords, we need them to have more influence not less

[Qualltoxy]

Minus the hereditary peers, I think the concept of an unelected chamber is good. Not being afraid of losing the next election allows members to speak their opinion much more freely and reduces self-censorship. The overblown size and salaries make it way more expensive than it should be, however.

[Jotari]

Makes sense to have an unelected house basically error checking things, but it's flagrantly ridiculous that it's hereditary based instead of merit based. As is it that religious figures from a specific religion hold actual political power by virtue of their religious title.