Prime Minister David Cameron wants to replace Britain’s House of Lord’s with a smaller, elected body of legislators, according to an Associated Press report. Cameron’s plan calls for the gradual introduction of elected members to a new chamber which would replace the House of Lords—that body of hereditary peers—that has been a branch of government for seven hundred years.

Admittedly, the House of Lords no longer wields great power. In fact, by resorting to a seldom-used tactic, the House of Commons can pass legislation without the Lords’ consent. The last time this tactic was employed was for the 2005 passage of the ban on foxhunting.

The House of Lords was the one branch of the British government most sympathetic to foxhunting, and without it, one has to wonder if the repeal of the Hunting Act becomes yet more remote to those who yearn for that day.

Posted July 3, 2012