2 Parliament 2.1 Flashcards
what does it mean by the UK having a bicameral system of parliament?
it means that Parliament is made up of two chambers the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
parliament is the legislature and has the role on making up the laws in the UK
How does House of commons selection work?
it has 650 MPs that represent constituents whom people in the uk elected to represent them
How does the house of lords selection work?
it has around 800 members most of them life peers meaning they are a lord for their own lifetime.
there are 92 hereditary peers who inherit being a lord from their family
and there are 26 bishops of church of england
The prime minister can appoint members to the House of Lords through using the power of patronage.
what are backbench MPs?
Backbenchers are MPs who do not sit on the two front benches in the House of Commons. All political parties have backbenchers.(not part of government)
what are front bench mps explain the oppositon one aswell?
government front bench MPs are ministers the prime minister chooses to help run the country.
Opposition front bench are mps who are Shawdow ministers who help scrutinise the opposition leader and the government ministers.
what is the speakers role?
the speaker chooses MPs to speak in debates and ensure they follow the rules. And also to ,manage and chair debates
what are the functions in the house commons?
-Debate MPs debate on major issues important to the country.
-Representation
MPs must protect the needs and interests of people in their constituency in parliament
-Lawmaking
Parliament is the supreme law-making body (HOC)
-Legitimation
a function of the House of Commons where it must approve all bills that become laws and has the power to support or question the government in its actions.
what is the extent that the function has been fufilled? representation HOC
The House of Commons fails to represent the UK’s social makeup, despite the chamber becoming more diverse.
average age of MPs 40
gender 40 percent female mps 60 percent male
ethnicity only 90 MPs are minority ethnic
education 23% of privately educated
34% Russel group
religion 25 mps Muslim
40 percent of MPs didn’t take a religious oath
MPS represents us by listening to their constituents hold regular surgeries and use their own judgment
how effective is parliament in its legislative role?
function for HOC AND HOL
pros
-legislation in a manifesto will pass
-intense scrutiny at the second reading
-experts in public bill committee
-MPs can be independent of whip for some bills
-Backbench rebellions
-Private member bill raises issues
cons
-party whips
-delegate legislation
-government bill passes anyway
-gov majority in committees
-whips influence committees
-public bill committees
-MPS want to be loyal to Whips for career progression
-private member bills fails
How effectively does parliament scrutinise the government?
Scrutiny- PMQs
HoC holds government and ministers to account through question time where ministers have to respond for actions on their gov.
every Wednesday PMqs happen where the PM answers questions from opposition leaders and other MPs.
Scrutiny-Select commitee
the can further question and scrutinise the government and PM.
they give reports and suggestions on issues and the gov have to respond to the report in 8 weeks.
they have power and resources as they can pull evidence and investigate gov departments.
what are the main functions of house of lords?
law-making
scrutinize
and investigate public policy
why cant HOL stop law from passing?
its not a elected chamber
is there enough representation for in house of lords
70 percent are men 30 percent are women
only 7 people are below the age of 40 in HOL
much more experienced people eg david cameron
members not elected
free to make opinions without whip intervention
92 hereditary peers who inherit their title
but this was reduced by tony blair 1999
give an example of a specialist experience in HOL?
Lord Norton
appointed professor of politics for Hull University
still teaches others
expert on parliament and constitution
a personal blog on how parliament works
David Cameron
Theresa may
Kenneth Clarke
conservative MP 40 years in cabinets under Thatcher Mayor and Cameron
pro European
how effective is the law making process in HOL?
advantages
has the ability to suggest improvements by looking at bills
suggestions are from experts.
scrutiny is better in the House of Lords as their views are free from whips and most of them crossbenchers
can delay passage of bill if they disagree with it up to 1 year
can propose bills coming from commitees
HOL law making disadvantages
hol is unable to stop bills from passing as it is an unelected chamber In 2017 the HOC rejected two amendments made by the HOL on European Union
Hol expert suggestion can be ignored and dismissed The Dubs Amendment wanted child refugees to come to UK after Brexit johnson rejected it
laws and bills will pass anyways especially in manifesto Salisbury convention
what is the House Of Lords Appointments Commission?
they recommend whether a nomination for a peerage should be allowed or disallowed.
name a time when HOLAC was inefective.
Lord Cruddas who is a British billionaire failed the HOLAC process but the PM still made him a lord due to his donations
does the HOL require reform?
FOR
HoL lacks representation 70% male 30% female average age 69/72
peerages can be offered as patronage for large donors to parties eg lord cruddas
the chamber is too weak to do its job eg Boris Johnson ignored amendments to eu withdrawal bill
eg parliament act
does the HOL require reform?
AGAINST
The appointment system allows for an increased number of expertise to be selected eg Lord Norton
Membership of lords has become more representative amount of women increasing
more assertive lords have defeated govs
eg George Osborn dropped plans to cut tax credit
how significant are backbench MPs?
depends on the government’s majority and their role in scrutiny and legislative process
how significant are backbench MPs in the legislative process?
FOR
In June 2022 41 percent refused to back boris johnson in a vote of confidence
Theresa May had to govern without a majority she failed to win support over the Brexit strategy and was defeated 33 times
private member bills can change the law significantly eg the abortion act 1967 and potentially the Assisted Dying Act
how significant are backbench MPs in the legislative process?
AGAINST
MPs who are too critical of their government are less likely to advance in their careers
if the government has a large majority backbench MPs have little influence Keir Starmer has a large majority meaning he can survive even the largest of rebellions
private member bills are rarely successful as they lack time for debate and lack of gov support
how significant are backbench MPs in the scrutiny process?
for and against
select committees can hold those accountable
select committees are non partisan
