Mooncabbage said:
Whilst not an expert on british politics (or politics anywhere frankly), I thought the House of Lords still wielded considerable power?
Anyway you're asking the wrong question. It's not "why?", it's "why not?". Just because an event is highly improbable, doesn't mean it's impossible. Unifying the entire british isles in this period I would say is extremely improbable, but noone is going to say you can't try to do that
Even the ability to create your own kingdom is an anachronism.
As for the House of Lords, they do, hence the un-elected officials. However, there have been sanctions in the past on them, and to my knowledge intense debate still rages as to whether they should be appointed, elected or hereditary officials.
I think 'why' is a better position, since most go the route of 'why not', this is why!
That is, why, 'in my opinion', anyway. I feel no need to be fun police but rather spark some debate on the subject (like this) and just to see the opinions of others on the matter.
However the creation of Kingdoms would not be an anachronism at this point, the dark ages were the settling board where all the nobles of the Middle Ages made themselves noble, for the most part. When Roman rule left, something needed to fill that role, strong and powerful people stood up, had some success and then decided their strength was not a personal matter, but a matter of their blood and thus the Western Nobles were born. Future generations were then not allowed to rise above their ranks like the nobles above them had at some point, because they had not this blood that distinguished them from others. In-reality, they did not want the competition, the system needed regulation, the make-believe power of blood was it.
A good example of this is the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of Britain... these were not direct extensions of the Kingdoms/Tribes in Germany that they came from, but new ones brought about by the rise of strong individuals who brought men together and carved out something for themselves, apart from whatever tribe or kingdom they came from.
Even outside of the dark ages there are plenty of examples of a single person more or less creating his own realm from meager beginnings (mainly because the Dark Ages are just a term for a period in Western Europe), Genghis Khan springs to mind. Even Oliver Cromwell can fit this description, considering his radical changes to England and the radical reversion after his death.