Ermine, Ethics and Engagement: Evolution in the House of Lords
Wednesday December 9, 2009
A Speech by the Lord Speaker, Rt Hon the Baroness Hayman
Last night the Lord Speaker addressed the Hansard Society in the exquisite Robing Room in the House of Lords. This historic room provided a fitting setting for her lecture on the past, present and future of the House of Lords. The Lord Speaker's principle assertion was that the key to reform lay in the upper house taking control of its own destiny; 'proving that self regulation..so fundamental to parliamentary democracy, can be made to work in line with 21st century expectations of openness, transparancy amd accountability'. Touching on the composition of the House of Lords and engagement with the wider public, the Lord Speaker emphasised that reform must take into account the valued history of the Lords whilst at the same time ensuring its future.
Read the speech in full here. Listen to the audio:
Lord Speaker's speech Q&AThe speech will be aired on
BBC Parliament on Saturday December 12 at 9pm.