WA2K Radio is now on the air, Part 3

AESOP IN PARLIAMENT.
No. II.—The Woodman and the Axe.
A Political Woodman went to his party-leaders to axe them to
give him a handle to his name. It seemed so modest a request, that
the Principal leaders at once agreed to it, and it was settled among
them that the House of Peers was likely to be much elevated in
tone by such a recruit. No sooner had the Woodman fitted him-
self with a title, than he began laying about him on all sides,
aiming particularly nasty blows at his former friends. The G. O. M.,
now seeing the whole matter rather too late, exclaimed—" The first
concession has lost all. If we had not yielded to his original axing
so readily, he would not have turned out such an ungrateful
feller."

Moral— Morals don't apply to politics.

The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats; the Act removed such a right. However, as part of a compromise, the Act did permit ninety-two hereditary peers to remain in the House on an interim basis. Another ten were created life peers to enable them to remain in the House.

The House of Lords Act 1999 provides firstly that "No-one shall be a member of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage." (The Act treats the Principality of Wales and the Earldom of Chester as hereditary peerages, though those titles, granted normally to the heir-apparent, are never inherited.) The Act then provides that ninety-two peers, including the Earl Marshal, the Lord Great Chamberlain and ninety other peers elected in accordance with the Standing Orders of the House would be excepted from the exclusion of hereditary peers, and that after the first session of the next Parliament, whenever one of these seats fell vacant, the Lords would have to proceed to a by-election.

Since November 2002, by-elections have been held to fill vacancies. Two by-elections were held in 2003, one in 2004, four in 2005, one in each of 2007, 2008 and 2009, two in 2010, four in 2011, two in 2013 and one in 2014. Voting is by preferential voting, with peers ranking the candidates in order of preference. As many or as few preferences as desired may be indicated. To win the election, a peer must receive a majority of first preference votes. If no candidate receives such a majority, the candidate with the fewest number of first preference votes is eliminated, with each of his votes being redistributed according to the second preference marked on the ballot (see Instant-runoff voting). The process is continued until one candidate receives a majority.