The Right to Stay Away

The House of Peers, throughout the war, Did nothing in particular, And did it very well.

In the years since mordant Lyricist W. S. Gilbert thus mocked Britain's maligned Upper House of Parliament (in lolanthe), Her Majesty's Lords have had less and less to do with the making of British law or policy. Back in 1911, testy Commoner David Lloyd George, with the help of his King, cut the Lords' veto power to a mere delaying action. Six years ago, even their right to delay was curtailed.

Today, in crisis or out of it, activity in the House of Lords consists for the most part of endlessly prolix speeches directed at an almost empty chamber. Of the 878 noble Britons who have a right to 'sit there, only a sparse 30-odd are likely to show up, and there are seats enough for only 300. "The House of Lords," said one cynic, "is a somnolent haunt of aged peers, who hobble in, make futile speeches and then sleep."

Doing Something. Only a threat to the existence and prerogatives of the House disturbs its somnolent air. Reform of the Lords, warned Prime Minister Herbert Asquith more than 40 years ago, "brooks no delay"; only last month Queen Elizabeth herself was again promising "further consideration of the composition of the House of Lords," and as usual Everyone admitted that "something" ought to be done. Last week, the government--in the person of the Lords' Tory leader, the Marquis of Salisbury--moved that a committee be appointed to study what powers, if any, the Lords had to compel their members to attend sessions. Guy Fawkes and his powder barrels could not have created more alarm.

"I feel rather guilty in this matter," mumbled aging Lord Brabazon of Tara, "because, like many other Lords, I do not turn up as much as I should, but I will be quite frank in saying that the reason why I do not turn up as much as I should is that the speeches in Your Lordships' House have become interminably long. I take the view, and always have, that if you cannot say what you are going to say in 20 minutes, you ought to go away and write a book about it. It would seem to me that if, as a result of this committee's findings, more noble Lords are compelled to attend, those noble Lords who make long speeches will be encouraged to make even longer speeches." Brabazon's suspicions were echoed by Lord Halifax, who said: "There are those among Your Lordships who feel anxious as to what this portends."

Making Sure. Mustering all his powers of diplomacy, Salisbury at last got the peers to accept his motion, but only after the Lords had made sure no positive threat was involved to their ancient prerogative of staying home. "I do not expect anything to come of it," murmured one peer as he settled himself for a doze."Nothing ever does."

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