AK- Parliamentary Government Flashcards
difference between parliament and government: PARLIAMENT
-parliament is the highest legislative authority in the UK
-sovereignty of parliament is a fundamental principle of constitution
-responsible for checking the work of gov and approving + denying new laws
difference between parliament and government: GOVERNMENT
-executive
-runs the country
-responsible for developing and implementing policy and for drafting laws
advantages of the system
-gov can act really quickly to get laws through parliament
-system has functioned well for 100’s of years
disadvantages of the system
-no seperation of powers
-gov can abuse power eg proroguing parliament
vote of no confidence
if a vote of no confidence in the gov is passed by parliament the head of state must respond by either asking another person to form a gov or dissolve the elected parliament and call a ge
what happens in parliament
-lords +monarchs banned from the h of commons
-the chamber is the heart pod parliament
-media and public can access
-main function of parliament is to scrutinise gov
who is the speaker of the house and what does he do
-speakers are elected by a ballot of all MP’s
-they keep order and organise debates
-current speaker= Sir Lindsay hoyle 2019
what is the difference between front and back benches
-front= reserved on one side for gov ministers and the PM
-back=for mps of the political parties who don’t hold ministerial office
what are the whips and what do they do
-whips ensure party discipline
-chief whips ensures that maps know when and what to vote for and most importantly remain loyal to the party line
what are select committees
-they check and report on government departments
-minimum of 11 members
-members of committees are elected by fellow mps
pros of legislative process
- a lot of scrutiny due to amount of stages
- committee stages where experts can check that the bill is acceptable
-allows MP’s to shape legislation as it goes through legislation
cons of legislative process
- takes a while for a piece of legislation to be passed
-gov dominates what goes through parliament
-House of Lords unelected
representativeness of parliament
-former teachers and manual workers are more likely to be labour MPs
-those with a legal or business background are more likely to be cons
functions of parliament P1
-making law: all gov legislation must pass trough what can be a lengthy process in the HoC and HoL before it reaches statute book
-legitimacy: parliament gives legitimacy to the gov of the gay through its elected MPs, parliament makes law legitimate
-Scrutiny and accountability: by questioning ministers + debates
functions of parliament P2
-representation: should represent the people, political parties attempt to reflect the views of people who elect them
- debating major issues: parliament is the place where people expect issues of major importance to be discussed
info about the House of Lords
-26 bishops
-820 unelected members
-make and shape laws +scrutinise gov
-lots of cross benchers (don’t align with any party)
why was the lords not reformed before 1997
-House of Lords reform is not a vote winner
-House of Commons did not want to give any power to another chamber
-parliamentary agenda is often busy with more pressing matters
House of Lords reform act 1999
-act decreased membership of the house from 1330 to 700
-no more hereditary peers except for 92
salisbury convention
-ensures that gov bills can get through the lords when gov of the day doesn’t have a majority in the lords
arguments for reform
-undemocratic (92 hereditary peers)
-unalected
-not accountable to the public as you can’t get rid of them
arguments against reform
-system works as is
-more important issues eg NHS
-experts in their fields
select committees
committee made up of a small number of MPs appointed to scrutinise the working of gov departments
functions of select committee
-scrutiny
-produces reports informing gov
-scrutinise gov when they are forced to explain their actions
how many members to select committees have and how are they chosen
-11 members
-elected by own MPs
what happens in N.10: 3 different departments
-pms office: special advisors chosen by the PM
-press office: run by spin doctors who control media access and communication
-policy unit: provides information on policy areas on which the pm makes decisions
sources of the PMs power
-patronage powers: able to give jobs/sack people at will. EG sunk and lee Anderson + appointing people who will back him
-party leadership: pm is responsible for the overall organisation of the gov+ voted in by his MP’s showing his backing
- PMs office: 200 civil servants working for him EG press office pm office policy unit
-public standing: the pm represents uk in high level diplomacy + opinion polls
roles of PM
-leader of nation EG churchill during war bj during covid
-leader of political party EG leading In pmqs + behaviour of party
-foreign affairs
-media spokesperson
limitations of pm power in relation to Theresa may
-size of parliamentary majority (330 seats down to 310)
-unity of ruling party (divided on the issue of Brexit)
-public media profile of the pm (49% of public thought she was awful)
-confidence of the cabinet (vote of no confidence)
-coalition government (2017 cons DUP agreement)
what is the cabinet
group of senior ministers and heads of government departments who. are key decisions for the gov
-chosen by pm
what is collective responsibility
convention that all decisions made in the cabinet/gov must be collectively supported by all members of gov
