Reform of the House of Lords.

• Author: Levy, Garry
• Position: Book review

Reform of the House of Lords, Philip Norton, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 2017, 96 pp.

During recent hearings by the Senate Modernisation Committee witnesses like Senator Peter Harder and Professor David Smith made the point that Canada has nothing to learn from the House of Lords. Be that as it may, no one would ever suggest we have nothing to learn from Philip Norton.

A professor of Government at the University of Hull, he is perhaps the leading expert on Westminster-style government, having written dozens of books and articles over a 40-year period since his classic work on Intra-party dissent in the House of Commons was published in 1975. In 1998, he was appointed to the House of Lords as Lord Norton of Louth. He now brings a practical and academic perspective to his subject.

This small book, more an essay than an academic treatise, focuses on attempts to reform the House of Lords. Norton has been a central figure in many of the debates.

He identifies four distinct opinions regarding what to do about the British Upper House. Three of these will be familiar to Canadians: "Retain" (by which he means the status quo of a wholly appointed Chamber), "Replace" (by which he means a wholly elected Upper House) and "Remove" (by which he means abolition). The fourth opinion calls for both appointed and elected members, which has not been discussed much in Canada but has been debated at length in the UK. His analysis of each option includes the strongest arguments advanced by the proponents while pointing out the weaknesses and logical inconsistencies posed by the opponents.

There is not much new in this book but it is an excellent survey of the literature and an ideal introduction to the subject in non technical and readable language. For Canadian readers...