Peers Or People? The House of Lords Weighed in the Balances and Found Wanting: An Appeal to History

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T.F. Unwin, 1907 - Great Britain - 264 pages
 

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Page 27 - In 1678 they again resolved, in fuller language, "that all aids and supplies, and aids to His Majesty in parliament, are the sole gift of the commons; and all bills for the granting of any such aids or supplies ought to begin with the commons; and that it is the undoubted and sole right of the commons to direct, limit and appoint in such bills the ends, purposes, considerations, conditions, limitations and qualifications of such grants, which ought not to be changed...
Page 63 - The King grants permission to Earl Grey, and to his Chancellor, Lord Brougham, to create such a number of peers as will be sufficient to ensure the passing of the Reform Bill, first calling peers' eldest sons. — Signed, WILLIAM R., Windsor, May 17, 1832.
Page 81 - Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth...
Page 64 - MY DEAR LORD, I am honoured with his Majesty's commands to acquaint your lordship that all difficulties to the arrangements in progress will be obviated by a declaration in the House to-night from a sufficient number of peers that, in consequence of the present state of affairs, they have come to the resolution of dropping their further opposition to the Reform Bill, so that it may pass without delay, and as nearly as possible in its present shape.
Page 168 - ... That all aids and supplies, and aids to his majesty in Parliament, are the sole gift of the commons ; and all bills for the granting of any such aids and supplies ought to begin with the commons : and that it is the undoubted and sole right of the commons to direct, limit, and appoint in such bills the ends, purposes, considerations, conditions, limitations, and qualifications of such grants ; which ought not to be changed or altered by the House of Lords.
Page 160 - We are convinced that in the present state of feelings in Ireland, no single measure can be better calculated to allay discontent, and to promote substantial improvement throughout the country.
Page 54 - I have never read or heard of any measure, up to the present moment, which could in any degree satisfy my mind that the state of the representation could be improved, or be rendered more satisfactory to the country at large than at the present moment.
Page 112 - Sir, the resources of the British Constitution are not wholly exhausted, the resources of the House of Commons are not exhausted, and I say with conviction that a way must be found, a way will be found, by which the will of the people expressed through their elected representatives in this House will be made to prevail.
Page 89 - We belong too much to one class, and the consequence is that, with respect to a large number of questions, we are all too much of one mind. Now, that / is a fact which appears to me to be injurious to the character of the House as a political assembly in two ways: The House of Lords...
Page 62 - to call to his councils such persons only as will carry into effect, unimpaired in all its essential provisions, that bill for reforming the representation of the people which has recently passed this House.

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