To what extent was democracy in Britain and Ireland protected by the Parliament Act?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that the Parliament Act protected democracy. Candidates may establish the context by discussing the struggle to pass the “People’s Budget” with the unelected House of Lords rejecting the budget, breaking the tradition of the Lords not rejecting Finance Bills. The two elections of 1910 were described as “Peers v People”. George V’s willingness to create Liberal peers indicated the monarchy’s reluctance to resist the nations’ elected representatives confirming that political power derived from the democratic process. Arguments supporting the view that democracy was extended could point out that the Lords could not amend or reject Finance Bills and could only delay other legislation for three years. However, it could be argued that the unelected Lords could still paralyse an elected government for the last two years of a five-year term. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions should be clearly stated and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that the Parliament Act protected democracy in Britain and Ireland.