How do I find my local active members of the House of Lords?

[brogdale]

Quite a few of them in jurisdictions out of the reach of HMRC.

Certainly used to be the case.
Technically impossible since passing of 2010 Constitutional reform and governance act (Section 42).

Though I no doubt they still have ways of making sure that their wealth is in some tax haven.

 

[Quartz]

It's strange, isn't it? Back when the HoL was composed entirely of hereditary peers, many of them weren't at all rich (IIRC Lord Nelson, for example, was a serving policeman) and thus had more in common with your average pleb than the current occupants.

 

[stavros]

Certainly used to be the case.
Technically impossible since passing of 2010 Constitutional reform and governance act (Section 42).

Though I no doubt they still have ways of making sure that their wealth is in some tax haven.

Yes, the companies will be registered in Monaco to their pet shih tzu or something.

Or they'll hold duel citizenship or non-dom status, such as Michael Ashcroft, Swraj Paul and Jonathan "Daily Mail" Harmsworth.

 

[brogdale]

Yes, the companies will be registered in Monaco to their pet shih tzu or something.

Or they'll hold duel citizenship or non-dom status, such as Michael Ashcroft, Swraj Paul and Jonathan "Daily Mail" Harmsworth.

It was the non-dom technicality that the act closed.

 

[stavros]

It was the non-dom technicality that the act closed.

Yes, granted Harmsworth just keeps the title without sitting in the House, but doesn't Ashcroft still pledge his allegiance, and his tax status, to Belize?

Of course we could just get rid of the lot of them an attempt some kind of democratic system instead. I wonder if anyone's ever suggested that before.

 

[Quartz]

Of course we could just get rid of the lot of them an attempt some kind of democratic system instead. I wonder if anyone's ever suggested that before.

Actually, it is, for the most part, democratic: most new members of the House of Lords have to be proposed by members of the House of Commons, and those proposals are subject to review by a Commons committee. Members of the Commons are, of course, democratically elected.

 

[brogdale]

Actually, it is, for the most part, democratic: most new members of the House of Lords have to be proposed by members of the House of Commons, and those proposals are subject to review by a Commons committee. Members of the Commons are, of course, democratically elected.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Actually, it is, for the most part, democratic: most new members of the House of Lords have to be proposed by members of the House of Commons, and those proposals are subject to review by a Commons committee. Members of the Commons are, of course, democratically elected.

Doesn't sound democratic to me. If it was democratic I don't think the latest list of new peers would be solely made up of tycoons and PR barons.

 

[butchersapron]

Why did you like this Quartz - did you miss the point? Each person there is democratically elected according to what you think is a democratic process.

 

[Quartz]

Doesn't sound democratic to me. If it was democratic I don't think the latest list of new peers would be solely made up of tycoons and PR barons.

That's why we will democratically vote the fuckers out next year.

 

[SpookyFrank]

That's why we will democratically vote the fuckers out next year.

We'll vote out Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems?

 

[butchersapron]

That's why we will democratically vote the fuckers out next year.

How are you going to vote them out when you don't have a vote on them?

 

[brogdale]

That's why we will democratically vote the fuckers out next year.

 

[stavros]

That's why we will democratically vote the fuckers out next year.

We can't democratically vote any of the House of Lords out though. They're there until their deaths, barring some huge act of Parliament which I'm sure would have to be approved by both Houses.

I'm often puzzled as to why this doesn't elicit more anger from the general public. Many of them seem to get mightily het up by what they see as various undemocratic EU and EC processes. Is it that there isn't a multifaceted daily attack on them from the popular press, as with matters involving Europe, immigrants, health and safety, equalities, etc?

 

[Quartz]

Because the Lords is a purely revising house. They can't overrule the Commons.