Fill in the gaps in the text with the words and expressions given below
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18612233
House of Lords reform
| 1. amend; 2. backbenchers; 3. backtrack; 4. bishops; 5. commitment; 6. constituency boundaries; 7. dropped; 8. eminent; 9. hereditary; 10. legitimacy; 11. life peerages; 12. manifestos; 13. peers; 14. recession; 15. referendum; 16. represent; 17. run for; 18. scrap; 19. seats; 20. supremacy; 21. tensions; 22. terms of office; 23. Tory; 24. unelected; 25. withdraw its support; 26. сhamber |
The government has dropped plans to reform the House of Lords by making it mostly elected and slashing its size. But why was there so much opposition to change and what does it mean for the coalition?
What is the House of Lords?
Dating back to the 14th Century, it is the second ………………. of Parliament, whose main job is to scrutinise and ………………. parliamentary bills proposed by the House of Commons before they pass into law.
Who are the current members?
There are 825 members, known as "……………….". Most are appointed on the recommendation of the prime minister or other party leaders. This is usually along party lines, although some are non-political experts in their fields, such as ………………. scientists and generals. Twenty-six peers are senior Church of England ……………….. Another 92 are "………………." peers, the remnants of the group who once made up the entire membership.
Why did the government want to change the Lords?
It argued that the current ………………. chamber was undemocratic and needed to be reformed. All three parties promised at least a partly elected House of Lords in their ………………. for the 2010 general election. Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg led the coalition government's push to bring in the changes.
What were the main proposals?
The government wanted four-fifths of members of a reformed House of Lords to be elected. They would have served 15-year ………………., after which they could not ………………. re-election. The number of peers was to be almost halved, from 826 to 450. The chamber would have kept the title of House of Lords, after names like Senate and Reformed House were rejected.
Peers were each to ………………. a specific region of the United Kingdom, as happens with Members of the European Parliament. One-third of ………………. would have been up for grabs in elections held every five years.
Of the remaining 90 members, 12 – rather than the current 26 – would have been Church of England bishops. The remainder was to continue to be appointed and all hereditary peers were to be removed.
What did opponents say?
Many MPs feared that an elected House of Lords would gain greater ………………. and, therefore, power, which could undermine the ………………. of the House of Commons. They also said constitutional change should not be the government's priority during a ……………….. Several had raised concerns that the coalition was trying to rush the bill through Parliament, arguing that more time needed to be taken to discuss such radical plans.
When was reform supposed to happen?
The government wanted the first round of House of Lords elections to happen in 2015, when the next general election is due to take place. It wanted to get the bill through Parliament by May next year.
Why has the government dropped the plans?
The government was facing considerable opposition, particularly among Conservative MPs. In July, 91 ………………. MPs rebelled against the government in a vote on how to timetable the House of Lords Reform Bill – the largest such act of defiance since the coalition was formed in 2010. Following this the prime minister told his ………………. he would have "one more try" on Lords reform but if his party could not reach a deal he would "draw a line" under the issue. Several senior Labour politicians also raised doubts and many peers were reported to be unhappy, too.
What does it mean for the coalition?
Lords reform has been a key goal for the Lib Dems, and its failure raises coalition ……………….. Nick Clegg said the coalition agreement was a contract between the coalition partners and the Conservatives had broken the contract by not honouring the ………………. to Lords reform.
What will the Lib Dems do now?
Mr Clegg says his party will ………………. for boundary changes designed to cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and equalise the size of constituencies – a Conservative manifesto pledge. Legislation to reduce the House of Commons has already been passed but proposals for the new ………………. will have to be approved by MPs before changes can be made.
Several Conservative MPs have criticised the move saying the coalition agreement links the Conservative commitment to bring in boundary changes to the Alternative Vote referendum – something the Lib Dems wanted – which was held last year. The MPs say they have kept their part of the deal and Mr Clegg cannot now ………………. on boundary changes.
What does Labour say?
Leader Ed Miliband had promised to support the government's plans on Lords reform but wanted the reforms to go to a UK-wide ……………….. Following the announcement plans for reform would be ………………., the party said while it was not their priority they continued to support Lords reform and said the Tories were the "real obstacle".
Why hasn't the House of Lords been reformed before?
It has been proposed several times over the past century, but bids to create elected peers have failed to create enough enthusiasm to come to fruition. In 1968, Labour's Michael Foot – who wanted to ………………. the Lords altogether – united with the then Tory Enoch Powell – who wanted it to stay just as it was – and led a coalition which defeated change.
However, in 1958, ………………. were created. Unlike hereditary peerages, these are discontinued when the holder dies. In 1999, Parliament voted to cut the number of hereditary peers to 92, leaving them to elect among themselves which of their number should get a seat when one of them dies.
Render the text in English.
7.11.2011 http://newsru.com/world/07may2011/ref.html