[2] The Structure and Role of Parliament Flashcards
House of Lords’ definition
The unelected and least powerful chamber in Parliament
House of Commons’ definition
The elected portion of parliament + where most power lies
What is an MP?
Person formally and directly elected by voters to sit in the House of Commons.
What is a referendum?
A direct public vote on a policy measure, the opposite of representative government
What is Parliament?
- Comprised of two chambers: the House of Lords + the House of Commons.
- The commons hold virtually all powers. By convention, all prime ministers and most government ministers in modern times sit in the HOC.
- In terms of membership, the Commons comprises 650 MPs who were all directly elected by single-member constituencies using the FPTP system. Each MP represents an average of 68,000 voters- although there are some significant differences in constituency size.
- Overall, the Commons is dominated by party politics, which is significant for the scrutiny of the government.
What is the house of lords?
House of Lords consist almost entirely of unelected members and lacks any democratic mandate, which is reflected in its lack of powers.
The size of its membership varies overtime as there is no number fixed in law. -but in 2021, it was comprised of 800 peers.
What are life peers?
Appointed to a peerage for only their lifetime- made possible by the Life Peerage Act 1958. Before then, it had hereditary peers, bishops and law lords. Law lords were removed in 2009 with the creation of a separate Supreme Court.
What are hereditary peers?
Chosen from a wider number of hereditary peers that will replace them when they are removed. The ensuing election has a very small and select electorate.
What do the house of lords consist of?
Since the 1999 Blair reforms, the lords have consisted of:
- Life peers:
- 92 hereditary peers:
- 26 Church of England bishops
- In contrast to the commons, a large number of independents sit in the lord.,
What are the trends and devlopments in parliament since the 19th century?
Britain has been a parliamentary state since the glorious revolution of 1688 and the passing of the Bill of Rights in 1689.
Parliament has neither remained static nor unchanging:
Democracy→ Increase in democracy- was achieved via a number of parliamentary reform acts
Balance of power→ Power has shifted, so now real political power lies with the commons - Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 brought this.
Diversity→ increase in diversity- due to a growth in democracy. The first female MP took her seat in 1919. Racial diversity also increased. in1987, three black MPs were elected. Following the 2019 election, there were 65 minority MPs.
Checks and balances→ growing trend towards centralisation of control via the political parties. This has meant that the governing party has been unable to dominate parliament with resultant reduced scope for scrutiny on the executive.
Committees→ increased use of committees as a forum for discussion.
Broadcasting→ Parliament has been televised since 1989, which has raised its profile and enabled the electorate to become more familiar with its procedures.
Devolution and membership→ It has meant that many policies and laws have been decided outside of Westminster
What are the Key positions in parliament?
The prime minister
the speaker
The leader of the opposition
Whips
Frontbencher
Backbenchers
What is the role of the prime minister?
- Most important person in parliament - nearly always commands an overall majority in the commons + can control most of the business in the commons
- PMs with a large majority can rely on getting the HOC to vote the way they want, as the executive (government) dominates legislation
What is the role of the speaker?
- Ensure that parliament functions as effectively as possible.
- They arrange parliamentary business with the leaders of the main political parties, ensure that proper procedure is followed, and preside over debates in the House of Commons.
- The speaker also has a disciplinary function, and if MPs are deliberately disobedient, they can be suspended
What is an example of a speaker doing their job?
Example: Bercow suspended MP Dennis Skinner for calling PM David Cameron ‘Dodgy Dave’!
What is the role of the leader of the opposition?
- Ensure that the govt is thoroughly scrutinised while convincing the public that the official opposition is an alternative government in waiting.
- The leader of the opposition is also given the right to ask six questions at PM’s question time.→ which enables them to put high-profile pressure on the PM by highlighting any failures in policy and offering them a political solution.
- They select shadow cabinet
