Chapter 2 - Comparing Congress with the UK

Question 1

Which House has the higher legislative powers in Congress?

Answer 1

Both are equal.

Question 2

Both houses of Congress must agree to the exact same version of a Bill; is it the same for the UK?

Answer 2

No. The Lords can suggest amendments but the Commons has the final say. They also have the 1949 Parliament Act to override the Lord’s veto.

Question 3

What did Philip Norton say of the UK Parliament in 1985?

Answer 3

Parliament merely ‘legitimises legislation’.

Question 4

What did Andrew Heywood say about the difference between Congress and Parliament in 2002?

Answer 4

legislation is passed by Congress, but it is merely passed through Parliament.

Question 5

What did former clerk of the House of Commons say about legislation in Parliament?

Answer 5

They are the ‘government’s shopping list’.

Question 6

How does the government legislation programme work in each legislature?

Answer 6

• Congress - no government programme of legislation exists.

- Parliament - government programme dominates the agenda.

Question 7

How do standing committees differ in each legislature?

Answer 7

• Congress - they are permanent and policy specialists.

- Parliament - non-permanent and non-specialist.

Question 8

How does the final stage of legislation differ in each legislature?

Answer 8

• Congress - Presidential veto is a significant power.

- Parliament - Royal assent is always given.

Question 9

What are the differing relationships between legislature and executive?

Answer 9

• US - Congress and the executive are entirely separate.

- UK - Parliament and the executive are fused.

Question 10

What does the survival of the UK government depend on?

Answer 10

Because of the fusion of powers, the UK government only survives when they have the support of the Commons; in the US the administration survives regardless of Congress.

Question 11

How do structural differences affect Congressional oversight?

Answer 11

• Senate approves judicial and executive appointments.
• The Senate ratifies treaties.
• The House can impeach anyone official in the federal government.
• The Senate tries all cases of impeachment.

All of these are powers the UK parliament lacks.

Question 12

Who has the power to declare war in each state?

Answer 12

• Congress in the US.

- It is a prerogative power of the prime minister in the UK.

Question 13

How has Parliament gained more oversight over the prime minister’s power to declare war?

Answer 13

Tony Blair consulted Parliament for approval to invade Iraq in 2003 which he received, setting the precedent that Parliament should vote on military action.

Question 14

What are the 5 methods of oversight in Congress?

Answer 14

• Standing committee hearings.
• Select committee hearings.
• Confirmation of appointments (Senate).
• Ratification of treaties (Senate).
• Impeachment and trial.

Question 15

What are the 8 methods of oversight in Parliament?

Answer 15

• Question Time.
• Select committee hearings.
• Liaison committee hearings.
• Correspondence with ministers.
• Tabling of early day motions.
• Policy debates.
• Votes of no confidence.

Question 16

What does the separation of powers mean for oversight in Congress?

Answer 16

There can be no face-to-face oversight of the executive in either House.

Question 17

Why do presidents not traditionally appear before congressional committees?

Answer 17

Because they are not answerable to them; presidents are answerable only to the people that elected them.

Question 18

How many presidents have chosen to give evidence in person to a congressional committee, and when was the last?

Answer 18

Only 3 have given evidence; the last was President Gerald Ford on 17 October 1974.

Question 19

Why are members of the House of Representatives more attentive to their constituents than MPs or Senators?

Answer 19

Because they have elections every 2 years and the party does no play a deciding role in whether they will be re-elected or not; it is constituents that have the power to return an incumbent or not, parties in the US have virtually no say.

Question 20

Before which piece of legislation did the Lords have equal status to the Commons?

Answer 20

1911 Parliament Act.

Question 21

How many Bishops of the Church of England are there in the House of Lords?

Answer 21

26

Question 22

Was the Senate always an elected chamber?

Answer 22

No; the 17th Amendment of 1913 made it an elected body, before that it was appointed like the Lords.

Question 23

What can PMQs sometimes become?

Answer 23

Punch and Judy politics - a TV spectacle.

Question 24

What are the 2 STRUCTURAL similarities between Congress and Parliament?

Answer 24

• Bicameral.

- Different parties may control each chamber.

Question 25

What is the difference in OVERSIGHT between the Senate and the Lords?

Answer 25

The Senate has powers unknown to the Lords in legislation, treaties, and confirmation of appointments.

Question 26

What are the 2 differences in REPRESENTATION between Congress and Parliament?

Answer 26

• Executive separate in US whereas fused in UK.

- Everyone in the US has 3 representatives in Congress but citizens in the UK have just 1 in Parliament.

Question 27

What are the STRUCTURAL differences between Congress and Parliament?

Answer 27

• Both chambers are elected in the US.
• Senate comprises only 100 members (800 in Lords).
• Both chambers of Congress are equal whereas the Commons dominates.

Question 28

In which system is it easier to remove the executive?

Answer 28

The UK: due to the fusion of powers the legislature can bring down a prime minister more easily than Congress can remove a president - their only option is impeachment which so far has never worked.