Is every politician in the British Parliament democratically elected? No. The answer to this question is “no”.
Until recently, some British politicians inherited their seat in Parliament from their parents or from their grandparents. There was no election or interview. No public vote.
But at the end of April, Britain officially brought the tradition of inheriting your place in Parliament to an end. The last “hereditary peers“, as they’re known, have lost their seats in the House of Lords.
So today, we’re going to use this fascinating political story to learn some advanced English vocabulary connected to politics, history, law, and government.
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Hello, I’m Tom Wilkinson and welcome back to another episode of Vocabulary in the News by Thinking in English.
As many of you probably know, the UK is considered a democracy. British people vote for our politicians who then represent us in the British Parliament.
But is every politician in the British Parliament democratically elected?
No. The answer to this question is “no”.
Until recently, some British politicians inherited their seat in Parliament from their parents or from their grandparents. There was no election or interview. No public vote. For centuries, this was a real part of British politics.
But at the end of April, Britain officially brought the tradition of inheriting your place in Parliament to an end. The last “hereditary peers“, as they’re known, have lost their seats in the House of Lords.
The House of Lords is the upper chamber of the [00:01:00] UK Parliament. Hereditary peers are members of the British aristocracy. They inherited their titles and their political positions through their families. For hundreds of years, these nobles had a major role in making laws.
But over time, many people began to question whether hereditary politicians belonged in a democracy.
Most hereditary peers actually lost their positions back in 1999 when Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government reformed the House of Lords.
However, after a compromise with the Conservative Party, 92 hereditary peers were allowed to remain.
Now, more than 25 years later, that final part of the old system has also disappeared. This represents a huge constitutional and historical change in the UK and is the end of a system that had existed for centuries.
Some [00:02:00] people believe the reform was necessary and long overdue. They argue that hereditary peers were outdated and undemocratic. Others believe that hereditary members brought independence, historical perspective, and experience to Parliament.
Vocabulary
So today, we’re going to use this fascinating political story to learn some advanced English vocabulary connected to politics, history, law, and government.
Hereditary
First, we have the adjective hereditary. If something is hereditary, it is passed down through family generations instead of being earned or created independently.
The word comes from the idea of “inheritance”, receiving [00:03:00] something from your parents or ancestors.
In everyday English, we often hear hereditary in medical contexts, such as a hereditary disease, meaning a condition that is passed genetically through families. We can also talk about hereditary monarchs, like kings or queens who inherit the throne through their birth.
In this case, however, we are talking about “hereditary peers”. These were members of the House of Lords, which is a part of the British Parliament, who inherited their political titles and their positions from their families.
They were not elected by the public. They were not chosen by the Prime Minister. Instead, their right to sit in Parliament came from their aristocratic family history.
And this is one reason why the system was so controversial in modern Britain. Should political power be hereditary in a democracy? The answer [00:04:00] is probably no.
Peer
Next up is “peer”. Peer has multiple meanings in English.
Normally, your peer means someone who is of equal status or age to you. For example, at school, your classmates are often called your peers.
But in British politics, a peer is also a member of the House of Lords. Historically, peers included Dukes, Earls, Viscounts, Barons, noble and aristocratic people with names, right? They owned the land. They were peers.
Britain’s peerage system, which is the system for peers, developed over centuries, and it’s deeply connected to monarchy and aristocracy. It’s thousands of years old.
When the Normans first invaded England a thousand years ago, basically, they brought with them their system of nobility. And since then, [00:05:00] nobility has been a part of British politics.
Most members of the House of Lords are a type of peer called life peers.
Actually, I should probably mention something here. The UK Parliament is split into two Houses, like most parliaments around the world.
In the UK, we have the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The House of Commons is the most powerful part of the parliament. It is the part of parliament that we vote for. We vote for our local politicians, called Members of Parliament. And they travel to London, sit in the House of Commons, debate on laws, vote on laws, and if they’re successful, they maybe form governments.
And so that is the House of Commons.
But there is also an upper chamber in the UK as well, and it’s called the House of Lords. So traditionally, once a law was voted on by the [00:06:00] Commons, the normal people, that law was then checked, advised, corrected by the House of Lords. A house made up of land-owning noble people.
This system gradually changed. Instead of being made up of noble people, it was appointed by the British Prime Minister.
So most people in the House of Lords are a type of peer called life peers. They are appointed. And they hold their position until they die. They’re not voted in. They are appointed. They cannot give their role to their children, though.
Some famous life peers include David Cameron, who is the former British prime minister. It’s actually quite common for senior members of government to then get a position in the House of Lords when they quit or stop being a normal member of parliament. Margaret Thatcher was also known as Baroness Thatcher.
There’s also Lord [00:07:00] Alan Sugar, who hosts the UK’s version of The Apprentice TV show. The one that Donald Trump hosted in the US. And Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, who was the creator of musicals like Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. These are people appointed to serve in the House of Lords because of their experience and expertise.
But the House of Lords doesn’t have much power anymore. They can give advice. They can recommend things. They can slow down laws, but they can no longer stop a law from passing if the House of Commons really wants it to be a law.
Until recently, though, there were also hereditary peers. People who inherited their role in the House of Lords. There were 92 of them. In the past, all of them were hereditary, basically, apart from a few members of the church.
Abolish.
The next word is to abolish. To abolish means to officially end or remove a law, system, institutional [00:08:00] practice. This is a formal word often used in political or historical discussions.
For example, countries abolished slavery in the 19th century. Governments sometimes abolish taxes, laws, or outdated institutions. It suggests something significant and permanent. When you abolish something, it’s different from just changing the system slightly. You’re completely ending something.
So Britain has now abolished the hereditary peer system in the House of Lords. This means that system no longer legally exists.
Compromise.
A compromise is an agreement where both sides accept less than they originally wanted in order to reach a solution.
Compromise is really important in politics because political parties rarely get everything they want.
For example, in a coalition government, where two political parties work together, [00:09:00] they need to compromise on their policies. In business negotiations, workers and employers need to compromise over salaries or working conditions.
In the late 1990s, the UK’s Labour Party, which was led by Tony Blair, tried to abolish the hereditary peer system completely. But a compromise in 1999 allowed 92 hereditary peers to stay in the House of Lords, but most of the positions were removed.
Neither side here got exactly what they wanted. They had to compromise. The reformers, the Labour Party, wanted all hereditary peers removed. The Conservative Party wanted to keep the traditional system.
So the compromise created this temporary middle ground, that lasted more than 25 years until this year.
To Toll.
Next, we have the verb to toll. To toll means for [00:10:00] a bell to ring slowly and deeply. Traditionally, church bells toll during funerals, moments of mourning (like when the Queen died the church bells tolled), or major public announcements.
Because of this, the word to toll carries serious or symbolic feeling.
This story, this article uses the verb metaphorically. “The bell has tolled for those doomed hereditaries.”
So no actual bell is ringing. The phrase symbolizes the end of the era. It creates that image. The bell means that the hereditary peer system is dying or has disappeared forever.
When you have a funeral, the church bells ring. Here, the church bells are metaphorically ringing because the system is dead.
You’ll see this phrase occasionally. It’s not super common, but it’s not super rare [00:11:00] either.
Doomed.
Closely connected to the previous metaphor is the adjective doomed.
If something is doomed, it is certain to fail or to end badly. It’s a dramatic and emotional word, and you often find it in journalism or literature.
For example, we might talk about a doomed relationship, a relationship that’s certain to fail. Or a doomed political campaign, or a doomed business project.
The hereditary peer system was often described as doomed, because their removal from Parliament had become inevitable. The political momentum for reform was too strong, and eventually, the system could no longer survive. It was doomed.
Ethos.
Ethos is the next word, and it refers to the guiding values or beliefs of a person or a group. It’s quite formal vocabulary, but it’s useful in [00:12:00] academic and political English.
Schools, for example, will often talk about their educational ethos. Their educational values. Companies might talk about their corporate ethos, their corporate beliefs. And political movements are the same. They can have a particular ethos.
The Lord Speaker, who is the person who leads the House of Lords, has recently praised the hereditary peers for bringing an ethos of service to Parliament. In other words, he said that they believed strongly in duty, responsibility, and public service.
Whether or not people support the hereditary peer system, the peers represented certain values, certain beliefs, that many people in the UK respect.
Conscience.
Next up is conscience. Your conscience is the internal sense of right or wrong. It is the voice [00:13:00] inside your mind, inside your head, that tells you whether something feels morally correct.
People often say things like, “I couldn’t do it in good conscience,” or, “She followed her conscience.”
Hereditary peers were often praised for acting according to conscience rather than convenience. This means, in some people’s views, they were willing to defend what they believed was right, even if it was unpopular or difficult.
And the reason was they were not connected to a political party. They were not appointed by a Prime Minister. They were unconditionally in the House of Lords. So they could act according to their conscience, according to their real opinions, rather than the opinions of a political party.
Affiliated.
If someone or something is affiliated with an organization, they are officially connected to it. Universities might be affiliated to research institutions. A [00:14:00] media organization could be politically affiliated. Businesses may affiliate with larger companies or brands.
In fact, in the description of Thinking in English episodes, you will see affiliate links. If you click my link to iTalki or my link to, Descript editing software, if you click those links, I’m affiliated with those companies. It basically means I get a small percentage of the money you spend with that company if you buy their product.
In most parliaments around the world, politicians are affiliated to a political party. A politician is a member of the Socialist Party or the Christian Democrat Party or the Conservative Party.
But that isn’t necessarily the case in the House of Lords. Something like 20% of the House of Lords are currently not affiliated with a specific political party. They act independently rather than following party [00:15:00] instructions. And this independence is one of the most unique features of the House of Lords.
Nominate.
To nominate means to officially suggest or appoint someone for a position or a role or a prize or an honor, something. You appoint someone. Officially suggest them.
Political parties nominate their candidates for elections. A film studio will nominate an actor for an award like an Oscar. Governments can nominate an ambassador. You’re nominating someone for a position.
As I mentioned earlier, to become a member of the House of Lords, you need to be nominated by the Prime minister and then appointed by the king or queen.
When hereditary peers were under threat in the past, Conservative Prime Ministers nominated many of them to become life peers. So life peers were the other form of member of the House of Lords, the ones [00:16:00] nominated by prime ministers.
If they became a life peer, they were allowed to stay in the House of Lords even after their hereditary system was abolished. They just can’t give their role to their children. Although this old system has disappeared, some people were still chosen to continue serving in the House of Lords.
Overhaul.
An overhaul is a major reform or renovation of something. It implies a deep, large-scale change rather than small adjustments.
Governments overhaul healthcare. Companies overhaul their management. Schools overhaul curriculums. It’s a complete change.
These recent reforms in the UK are completing an overhaul of the House of Lords that began in the 1990s. Britain has spent decades gradually redesigning and modernizing this political institution.
A lot has changed with the House of Lords. It’s now a lot less [00:17:00] powerful.
Patronage.
Patronage refers to the power of giving jobs or positions or advantages to your supporters or your allies.
In politics, the word is often used critically because it suggests that leaders might give their friends roles, like powers.
Historically, patronage systems were common in governments around the world. Powerful politicians would control the careers of their friends and their allies, and their enemies as well, and they would influence the country by deciding who got important positions.
There are concerns that by removing hereditary peers, the UK Prime Minister’s patronage power will increase.
Why? Well, because now more members of the House of Lords will be appointed by the Prime Minister rather than inherited. So yes, that system of unfair inheritance is gone. But the [00:18:00] political leader at the time is getting more influence over who can serve in the House of Lords.
Mandate.
A mandate is the official authority or permission to govern or act. You get a mandate after you win an election.
Politicians will have a democratic mandate from voters. If enough people vote for them, they are given the official authority to be in charge. They have a mandate. Governments with strong election victories are said to have a clear mandate for change.
There is a constant discussion in UK politics about protecting the mandate, protecting the authority, of the House of Commons. Because it is the House of Commons that are elected. They are elected by normal people, so they have the mandate. They have a mandate because they are elected.
Members of the House of Lords are not elected. They are all appointed now, so they do not have a [00:19:00] democratic mandate.
In fact, the power of the House of Lords is so little compared to what it used to be. They can now only slow down laws or give advice. They don’t have real power.
In the past, they could veto. They could stop laws completely. I think the House of Lords was also the UK’s Supreme Court for hundreds of years. It’s not anymore. So the power of the House of Lords has changed.
Diktat.
A diktat is an order imposed by a powerful authority without discussion or negA diktat is an order imposed by a powerful authority without discussion or negotiation. The word originally comes from German and carries negative political connotations. It suggests something authoritarian and unfairly imposed from above, from more powerful people.
In the BBC article, I’ve linked in the description, one former peer warned against “the diktats of Whitehall.”
Now, Whitehall is a metonym. A metonym is a word or phrase [00:20:00] that is used to represent an idea or an object instead of using its real name.
This might sound confusing, but you definitely know lots of metonyms.
For example, you might hear people say “the White House” when they really mean the US government or the US president.
Or people might say “the Crown” instead of saying the Royal Family. In fact, there’s a TV show called The Crown. That means the Royal Family.
Or “Wall Street” when really you mean the financial industry.
So of course, when you talk about Wall Street, you’re not talking about the real street. When you talk about the Crown, you’re not talking about the crown on the queen’s head or the king’s head. When you talk about the White House, you’re not talking about the walls and doors of a building. They represent something bigger.
And “Whitehall” is also a metonym. “Whitehall” is a part of London, but it is also used to refer to the British government or civil service.
So when they say “the diktats of Whitehall”, they are criticizing the idea [00:21:00] of the government imposing laws or decisions or things like this without enough independent input.
This is very advanced vocabulary, but it does appear surprisingly often in political commentary or opinion writing.
Let’s Think About It
So before we get to today’s vocabulary quiz, let’s reflect a little on the bigger ideas behind this story.
First, should political positions ever be inherited? Do you think someone should automatically receive power or influence because of their family background?
I don’t. I don’t even like the House of Lords as it is right now. It’s currently appointed, which I think is ridiculous as well. We should be voting for politicians.
The issue, though, is if you vote for the members of the House of Lords, that then gives the House of Lords a democratic mandate, which then means there’s more rivalry between the two parts of Parliament, and it [00:22:00] might slow things down and make it harder to make decisions.
But in any case, I don’t think political roles should be inherited or really appointed either.
Second, do traditions make governments stronger, or can they stop progress?
The UK, Britain, is really famous for keeping these old institutions and customs. And many people feel like these traditions create stability. These are things that have been happening for hundreds, sometimes close to a thousand years.
But some people believe that traditions can become outdated and stop reforms.
Third, is it important for political systems to modernize? Should you regularly reform your government and your voting systems and your political institutions? Is reform essential for democracy? Or does constantly reforming your political system create instability?
And would you prefer experienced experts or [00:23:00] elected politicians making important decisions?
This is one of the debates connected to the House of Lords. Some people really value experience, expertise. Other people value democratic elections. So which one is the most important when you’re making a decision?
For example, if you had someone making a decision about the economy, would you rather experienced economists or people who worked in the financial industry for years making decisions? Or would you rather a politician who never worked in finance but was elected and given the role as finance minister? Which one is better?
Let me know by leaving a comment.
Vocabulary Quiz
(Answers in the podcast/video episode)
- The UK government decided to _________ the hereditary peer system after centuries of tradition.
a) nominate
b) abolish
c) toll - A ________ title is passed down through family generations rather than earned or elected.
a) compromised
b) affiliated
c) hereditary - In politics, _________ is an agreement where both sides accept less than they originally wanted.
a) mandate
b) compromise
c) conscience - Some politicians in the House of Lords are not _______ with political parties.
a) dommed
b) affiliated
c) tolled - After winning a national election, a government may claim it has a democratic ________ for change.
a) mandate
b) patronage
c) overhaul - The reforms were described as a major political ___________ overhaul of the House of Lords.
a) diktat
b) peer
c) overhaul
Final Thought
How did you do in the quiz? Leave a comment and let me know!
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