The Constitutional crisis 1909-1914

The constitution is the political system that governs the country.

The Monarch use to have the most power, however the power was being split more between the House of Commons and House of Lords.

In 1909 the crisis began when the House of Commons and the House of Lords began working against each other. 

The Conservatives opposed the Liberals. There were more conservative Lords. They began veoting the Liberals bills.

In 1907 the Lords veoted 5 government bills, in 1908 they blocked another 5.

Lloyd George was really frustrated at the house of Lords. He called the Lords "Balfour's poodle" in 1908.

• increase tax on inhertied propoerty
• tax people more if they earn more than £5,000 a year
• increase taxes for tobacco, alcohol and drink
• introduce a new land tax and land valuation

Lloyd George wanted to raise money for the pensions and dreadnoughts. 

The rich protested against the budge. The Conservatives led the anti-protest.

In novemeber 1909, the Lords veoted the budget. This meant that the government was paralysed. Lloyd George gave the "peers v the people" speech. He decideded to call another election in January 1910. If they won, it would show the lords that people are in favour of the Budget.

The Liberals had a narrow victory (by 2 seats), therefore they formed a coalition with the Irish nationalists and Labour. The Lords had to back down, therefore the budget was passed by the Lords.

Asquith came up the Parliament Bill. This reduced the power of the Lords, the bill replaced the power to veto wih delaying a bill for 2 years. Asquith knew the bill wouldn't be passed by the Lords, so he went to King George v. 

He asked for 500 new Liberal peers. The king agreed to do so if the Liberals won the December 1910 election.

The Liberals and conservatives won the same amount of votes, so the Liberals joined with the Irish Nationalists and Labour.

Asquith wanted to keep the deal with the king as a threat.

The bill was passed by the commons, and went to the laws. They had a dilema. In the end they passed the bill in 1911. Many Lords disappered from the chambers and didn't vote as neither outcome would be good, and they didn't want to be remebered as the Lords who passed the bill.

Great British politics became more democratic, and the Commons had more power than the House of Lords.

Labour and Irish nationalist policies were introduced due to the formation of the coalition.

The Liberals dealt with the crisis effectively.