Brytyjska Izba Lordów. Optymalna reforma

The British House of Lords is an institution that has no equivalent in any other system of government. And although it is one of the oldest and most recognisable institutions in the United Kingdom, there is general agreement that it cannot continue to exist in its current form. The main criticism levelled at the House concerns the undemocratic method for electing its members. Indeed, none of its approximately eight hundred members has a direct mandate from the electorate. Due to the lack of consensus on the direction of the reform of the House, and in particular on the procedure for appointing its members, and above all due to the inevitable complications to the system of government that would result from giving the House a more democratic character, this article attempts to demonstrate that the optimal ‘reform’ of the House is to abolish it.