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"Modernization??"
Mar. 7th, 2007 12:25 pmIn possibly the greatest constitutional challenge in British history, the House of Commons has voted to back a proposal for a 100% elected House of Lords.
I'm...surprised. The vote doesn't officially mean anything yet, but...well, obviously that's the way the wind's been blowing for a long time and it wouldn't completely surprise me to see a British republic very late in my lifetime, but...I don't know. It just took me by surprise a bit. You tend to think of the British government and unwritten constitution as relatively unchanging, though, obviously, it's changed a lot. I suspect this is a bit what outside observers felt like during the mid- to late-19th century, with the voting reform acts....or maybe not. Not saying it's a bad thing, necessarily (obviously, the voting reform bills I mentioned weren't, though they might have looked troublesome at the time), but I'm not sure it's an entirely good thing either. There's a feeling in me of a certain amount of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, giving up a lot of what makes the country unique in favor of Blairian (or, in this case, post-Blarian) "Modernization." Obviously, it's too soon to tell and who knows if this vote will have any effect? Still, it's something to watch.
Yes, I know this will interest none of you, but it interests me....
I'm...surprised. The vote doesn't officially mean anything yet, but...well, obviously that's the way the wind's been blowing for a long time and it wouldn't completely surprise me to see a British republic very late in my lifetime, but...I don't know. It just took me by surprise a bit. You tend to think of the British government and unwritten constitution as relatively unchanging, though, obviously, it's changed a lot. I suspect this is a bit what outside observers felt like during the mid- to late-19th century, with the voting reform acts....or maybe not. Not saying it's a bad thing, necessarily (obviously, the voting reform bills I mentioned weren't, though they might have looked troublesome at the time), but I'm not sure it's an entirely good thing either. There's a feeling in me of a certain amount of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, giving up a lot of what makes the country unique in favor of Blairian (or, in this case, post-Blarian) "Modernization." Obviously, it's too soon to tell and who knows if this vote will have any effect? Still, it's something to watch.
Yes, I know this will interest none of you, but it interests me....
