Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 14 May 2012 Queen’s Speech
"I do not pretend that Egypt is a perfect democracy—of course I do not. But if it is prepared to elect its second Chamber, on that matter and in this instance is it not a better democracy than we are in this place, who resist that?..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"I will give way in a moment. Let me just make it clear that across the world, or at least a very great deal of it, people are on the streets demanding democracy, while here we sit huddled, determined not to even let it enter through the doors. It is …..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"I am grateful to my noble friend, but I do not want to talk about 1911—I want to talk about today. Democracy is on the march across the world, and you cannot keep it outside that door. In the end, you will be dragged there. Let me make this proposition …..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"Of course we should. The draft legislation that was put before us made it perfectly clear that the House of Commons should have primacy. That is not a contentious item. By the way, I said that we participated in the making of the laws. We contribute to the making of …..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"My Lords, I did not say that there was no great campaign. I made it very clear that among the ordinary people of our country there was no great public cry for this, as indeed was the case with the suffragettes. I had a look at this in the Library …..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"My Lords, the point the noble Lord actually made, springing from that, was that we would not have a model to work from. Since when have democratic reformers in this country needed a model to work from? We have always had an unwritten constitution. Did it cause Cromwell to stop …..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"That was rather a long question. Let me address it straightaway. The proposition that the noble Baroness makes is that because our constitution is unwritten we cannot have democratic reform of this place...." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"Allow me, my Lords; the noble Baroness’s proposition is that, if you want to have democratic reform of this place, you must first have a written constitution. If we had a Bill before us for a written constitution, I would vote for it. However, we do not; we have a …..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"My Lords, I have been arguing for precisely what I believe in. Perhaps I may put it to the noble Baroness in this way. The draft legislation made it very clear that the Commons would have primacy, and I imagine that the legislation that will be put before us will …..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech
"I guessed that I would be—I have never been popular in making these points, here or elsewhere—but perhaps I may come back to the central issue. The House of Lords Library tells me that there are 71 bicameral Parliaments across the world. Somebody said that it was 76 and I …..." Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon - View Speech