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A new law- called a Bill- has first to be proposed in the House of Commons.
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Ok...so the House of lords cannot make new laws. They can only give a thumbs up or thumbs down to laws created by representatives. Thats not quite as bad then (though it is still pretty bad).
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They cannont refuse it- if they try to (as happened with our recent Fox Hunting Ban) Government can use an Act of Parliament. This means that the House of Commons, the superior House, enforces the Bill regardless of what the House of Lords thinks.
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Ah...ok.
THAT changes things. So essentially, the House of Lords cant override the House of Commons on anything. So your government effectively has only one house...the House of Lords is ornamental at best and has no real power. The House of Commons is the only determining factor in passing a bill into law in Britain.
Our congress does not work that way...Both the House of Representatives and the senate have very real power. A Bill must pass
both (and survive a Presidential Veto) before it can become law.
Does the Prime Minister have veto power? Or does any Bill passed by the House of Commons simply become law?
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The Government has no control over the Judical Branch of Government, it remains complelety neutral and independent.
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Are they elected then? How does one become a judge?
That does change things. I did not know that the House of Lords could be overridden by the House of Commons. The House of Lords is hereditary, but all they can do is slow the process....they cant stop it. That is still democratic IMO. If the House of Commons was to strip them completely of power, what could they do to stop it? You have no real Constitution, so they could not run to the judicial branch for cover.
It is an imperfect and convoluted system, yes. But it still seems democratic to me. Ultimate power is in the hands of the British masses, not hereditary officials. Thats all that is really required for democracy IMO. If they wanted to change their system, they could. They have a choice.