Content Shitttt Flashcards
The Queen’s role regarding Parliament
The Queen’s Speech
> At the opening of Parliament
> The government writes it - it covers their agenda
Royal Assent
> Agreeing to pass laws
Appoint the PM and ask him/her to form a Government
> By tradition this is the general election
> She could choose whoever she wanted, despite the result of the general election
Open and Dismiss Parliament
> She has control over the sitting of Parliament
Descriptive Representative Statistics (2014))
House of Commons: > Women = 29% > Ethnic minorities = 6% > Privately educated = 33% > Oxbridge education = 24% > Average Age = 50 years
House of Lords > Women = 25% > Ethnic minorities = 5% > Privately educated = 50% > Oxbridge educated = 38% > Average Age = 70 years
Functions of House of Commons
Representation Legislation Debate/Deliberation Scrutiny / Accountability Recruitment of Ministers Providing legitimacy
How laws are passed in Parliament - the stages a government bill must go through to be passed
Preparatory Stages
> Before bills are passed, their provisions must be outlined in either a White Paper or a Green Paper
First Reading
> The bill is introduced to Parliament through the formal reading of its title (and usually the setting of a date for its second reading)
> There is no debate or vote held at this stage
Second Reading
> The first substantive stage
> Involves a full debate that considers the principles of the bill (rather than the details)
> The first stage that a bill can be defeated
Committee Stage
> When the details of the bill are being considered line by line
> Carried out by a public bill committee
> Consists of about 18 MPs
> May be considered by a Committee of the Whole House
> Most amendments are made at this stage and new provisions can be included
Report Stage
> When the Committee reports back to the full House of Commons on any changes made during the committee stage
> HofC may amend or reverse any changes at the report stage
Third Reading
> Replicates the second reading
> A debate of the full chamber
> Enables the whole House to take an overview of the bill in its amended state
> No amendments may be made at this stage
> Unusual for bills to be defeated at this stage
The ‘Other’ Place
> Major bills are considered first by the HofC
> Other bills may start in the HofL
> Once a bill is passed by one chamber, it goes through essentially the same process in the other Chamber
> Finally goes to the Monarchy for the Royal Assent
Sarah Wollaston
Conservative MP
> Despite often voting with her party, she sometimes votes the other way
> Entered the HofC on the 6th May 2010
Studied medicine at Guy’s hospital in London
> Qualified in 1986
> Had 20 years as a general practitioner before running for political office
> Had no background in politics when she was voted for her constituency - only real life experience, approachability and enthusiasm
> The Chair of the Health Committee
Member of the Liaison Committee
Dennis Skinner
Labour MP
> Sometimes differs from party opinion
> Entered Parliament in 1970
Has been suspended from Parliament at least 10 times - often for ‘unparliamentary language’ when attacking oponents
e.g. He was suspended from Parliament for accusing Margaret Thatcher of bribing judges (1984)
He attended 89.5% of debates in the last Parliament (2010-2015)
> Above average among MPs
Caroline Lucas
Green Party MP
> The leader of the Green party in England and Wales from 2008-2012
> Principle speaker of the Green party from 2007-2008
> Member of UK Parliament and EU Parliament
Reprimanded in August 2013
> Arrested at a non violent protest against Cuadrilla Resources fracking operations in Sussex
> Found not guilty
Once wore a t-shirt saying “NO MORE PAGE THREE” in Parliament
> Referring to page three of the Sun where there are pictures of half naked women
> Very controversial part of the newspaper
Mhari Black
Scottish National Party (SNP) MP
> Assumed office on the 8th May, 2015
Sits on the Work and Pensions Select Committee
> Her maiden speech included criticisms of the government’s approach to unemployment in her constituency and food banks
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Conservative MP
> Assumed office on the 6th May, 2010
Commonly uses filibustering in Parliament
> Long speeches on the Sustainable Livestock Bill
> Recited poetry once
Tuition Fee Legislation (2010)
In order to fight the deficit, the Coalition government proposed to stop subsidising university places and increase tuition fees
> Passed 323 in favour to 302 against
> Conservatives:
> 298 For - 6 Against - 2 Abstained/Absent
> Labour:
> 258 Against
> Liberal Democrats:
> 28 For - 21 Against - 8 Abstained/Absent
The bill was passed + approved in the House of Lords and went forward to Royal Assentation
Lib Dems suffered a significantly damaging blow which resulted in the receiving only 8.7% of the vote in the 2015 General Election
Conservatives were barely affected at all and continued to make large advancements with their plans to cut the deficit
Fixed Term Parliament Act Legislation (2011)
Introduced 5 year fixed - term elections to Westminster
The bill was passed
Reflected well on the coalition
> Shows that hey could function properly together
House of Lords Reform Legislation (2012)
A vote to make the Lords mostly elected
The bill wasn’t passed due to breaking of the coalition contract
Reflected badly upon the Coalition
> Lack of cooperation - broke the coalition contract
Marriage (Same Sex) Bill Legislation (2013)
Legalised same sex marriage in England and Wales
The bill was passed
Reflected well on the coalition
> Decisive and cooperative
Syria Vote (2013)
A vote deciding whether or not to bomb Syria
The bill wasn’t passed
Reflected poorly on the coalition
> Uncooperative and not decisive
Action in Syria against ISIS (2015)
A vote following a debate on whether or not to intervene in Syria alongside other Western countries to combat ISIS
The bill was passed - 397 for to 223 against
Different forms of Scrutiny in Parliament
Programme/ Bill Scrutiny
> Legislative Scrutiny
> Stages that a Bill has to go through in order to be passed
> Public Accounts Committee
> Always headed by an opposition MP
Questioning
> Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs)
> Once a week at 12pm on Wednesdays
> Oral Questions to Ministers
> Like PMQs but for Ministers
> Written Questions for Ministers
> Possible scrutiny on constituents' behalf
Committees
> Select Committees
> Based on departments
> Detailed scrutiny
> But…
> MPs don’t have to turn up
> Dominated by the governing party
> Chairmen and the majority of members
> Liaison Committee
> Composed of all the chairmen of the other committees
> Meets twice a year
Debates
> Annual Debate on the Address
> Debate on a Motion of No Confidence
> Only once since 1945
> 20 Opposition Days
> 3 Estimates Days
> Private Members Debates/Adjournment Debates
> Only 1/2 and hour a day
> Early Day Motions
> Never really debated - more of a petition to make the government aware of unrest
Public Accounts Committee
Appointed by the House of Commons
The committee doesn’t consider the formulation of merits of policy
> Focuses on value-for-money criteria which are based on economy, effectiveness and efficiency
Questioning - PMQs
The prime minister answers questions from MPs in the HofC for half an hour every Wednesday from Midday
The session normally starts with a routine question from an MP about the PM’s engagements
> Known as open question
> The PM can ask supplement question on any subject
Following the answer, the MP raises a particular issue - often one of current political significance
> The leader of the opposition follows up on this or another topic - permitted to ask a total of six questions
> The only MP who is allowed to come back with further questions
PMQs have become more of a farce than a form of scrutiny
> The criticism of PMQs doesn’t apply to all MPs
e.g. Corbyn is very calm and collected throughout PMQs
> Often just full of hooting and jeering at the opposition
Select Committee/Liaison Committee
HofC Liaison Committee is made up of the Chairs of oeach of the Select Committees
Chair of the Liaison Committee = Sir Alan Beith
Liaison Committee’s role:
> Taking evidence from the PM on matters of public policy - usually three times a year
> Choosing select committee reports for debate in Westminster Hall
> Recommending which Government Departments’ Estimates are allocated for debate in the HofC on Estimates Days
> Considering general matters relating to the work of select committees
> Agreeing guidelines and core tasks for committees and promoting effective scrutiny
> Giving advice to the HofC Commission on select committee matters
> With responsibility for allocating funding for select committees
The Debating Chamber
Government policy can be examined through legislative debates and through emergency debates that are held at the discretion of the Speaker
Adjournment debates allow backbenchers to initiate debates at the end of the Parliamentary day
Ministers are also required to make formal statements to Parliament on major policy issues
The Opposition
The opposition are the political parties other than the largest or government party
Sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons and the House of Lords Chambers.
The role of the opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of the government
Strengths of the Public Accounts Committee
Democratic votes into the committee by the HofC
Ensures the government don’t overspend
Makes the debates more prominent
Most efficient way of doing things
Chairman is always from the opposition party
Weaknesses of the Public Accounts Committee
Doesn’t consider the policy merits
Opposition chairman could become too obstinate
Only 1 small group of MPs
Strengths of Questioning
Theatre and drama draws people in
Easy to watch
Way for the government to justify their views
Weaknesses of Questioning
Driven by personal attacks
> Diminishing the meaning of the debates
Maybe not long enough to effectively scrutinise the government
Prepared questions by the party whip
Strengths of Select Committees/Liaison Committee
Lots of different specialist committees
Liaison Committee = Supergroup Committee
MPs don’t have to respond to the party whip
Chairs are selected by a vote
More expertise than the government
> More time to look into things more carefully
Weaknesses of Select Committees/Liaison Committee
No one has to show up
> No legal power or authority
The government doesn’t have to act on the recommendations put forward by the committee
Strengths of the Debating Chamber
Continuous
Current
MPs have parliamentary privileges
> The right to be heard
Draws attention to topical issues
Weaknesses of the debating chamber
Filibustering
Everyone must use ‘appropriate language’
> Can waste time
Representation Function of Parliament
MPs are elected to represent the people
> MPs are expected to follow his/her conscience (Burkean representation)
> Constituents can sometimes be pushed aside
> In practice, an MP may be influenced by
> Party Whips
> National Interest]
> Self-interest
> House of Lords try to limit the other factors that influence MPs
The House of Commons should represent all of the people within the UK
> However, both the HofC and the HofL are every poor at descriptive representation
> Mainly white, male, middle class members of society
> Women, ethnic minorities, the young and the working - class are underrepresented in Parliament
Legitimacy Function of Parliament
Parliament awards legitimacy to the Government
Parliament can remove the Government on a vote of no confidence
> Last used in 1979 against James Callaghan’s Labour Government
> Challenged by Thatcher
Recruitment of Ministers Function in Parliament
All ministers derive from Parliament
> Overwhelming majority come from the House of Commons
Members of the Executive are appointed by the Prime Minister
> He/she can also sack them - Power of Patronage
PPE Fast-track
> Philosophy, Politics and Economics at university
> Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Ed Miliband all studied PPE at university
> Fast tracked their way to government and then worked their way up
Robert Halfon
A new Conservative MP - elected in 2010
> Often campaigns against the Conservatives
Made to be the private secretary for George Osbourne
> Keeps him quiet
> Makes him less difficult for the party
> Collective Responsibility
> United front
Debate/Deliberation Function of Parliament
Deliberation is the defining role of Parliament
> Debate on specific laws
> Often holds general debates on the issues of the day
Ensures that MPs represent the social, economic, ethnic and interest groups in society
Often very unnecessarily long-winded and dragged on
> Sometimes decisions are made very early in the morning
e.g. The decision to send troops to Afghanistan was made at 2 am
e.g. Parliament spent over 700 hours debating the issue of fox hunting
Backbench Rebellion
A very large problem for the coalition government of 2010-2015
> 239 in 544 votes between 2010 and 2015
Many of the problems that David Cameron faced came from the new intake of Conservative MPs
e.g. 2011 backbench rebellion on the EU referendum that showed 49 out of the 81 rebels were from the 2010 intake
> Didn’t pass because Conservative backbenchers didn’t support it - not scared of the party whip etc.
Types of House of Lords Members
Life Peers
> Appointed for their lifetime only
> Formally appointed by the Queen
Archbishops and Bishops
> 26 Church archbishops and bishops sit in the House
> Their membership is passed onto the next most senior bishop when they retire
Hereditary Peers
> 92 Hereditary Peers in the HofL
How to become a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords Appointments Commission
> Set up May 2000
> Independent public body that…
> Recommends non-political Lords appointments to the Queen
> Checks the suitability of all nominations
> Including those made by political parties
New Year and Birthday Honours
> Awarded twice a year
> Announcement of life peerages are often made at the same time
> Rare since the introduction of the Appointments Commission
Dissolution Honours
> Takes place at the end of Parliament
> When peerages can be given to MPs
Resignation Honours
> Resigning PM can recommend peerages for fellow politicians/political advisors/others who have supported them
Political Lists/Working Peers
> Lords appointed to boost the strengths of the three main parties
> Regular attendance in the House is expected
> Usually on the front bench as a spokesman/whip
Ad Hoc Announcement
Be an archbishop/bishop
Speakers
> Traditionally, peerages are awarded to former Speakers of the HofC
Party Allegiance in the House of Lords
Conservatives = 249 Peers Labour = 212 Peers Crossbench = 176 Peers Liberal Democrats = 111 Peers Archbishops and Bishops = 25 Peers Non-affiliated = 24 Peers Other = 11 Peers
Role of the House of Lords
Legislating
> Making laws takes up the bulk of the House of Lords’ time
> Members are involved throughout the process of proposing, amending and revising legislation
> Some Bills are introduced by the HofL to spread the workload between the two Houses
Scrutiny
> Questioning and debating decisions made by ministers and government departments
> A number of permanent committees
> EU + Science + Technology + Economics + Communications + Constitution
> Will challenge the government
Deliberation
> General debates
> Has more time than the Commons
> Can consider vital issues at length
> Lords is much weaker than the Commons
> No government can completely ignore the House of Lords
Legislative Powers of the House of Lords
Have no power over money bills
Not expected to challenge proposed legislation promised in the manifesto
Can delay legislation for one year
Tony Blair’s Reforms
Once a week PMQs
Created Westminster Hall for the function of non legislative scrutiny (1999)
Liaison Committee
> Question the PM twice a year
Cook Memorandum
> Aimed to put Parliament in touch with the public
> Moved PMQs to 3 pm for…
> Better coverage
> Time limited speeches
> More bills to be published in draft form for better scrutiny
Gordon Brown’s Reforms
Parliament consulted on issues of war and treaties
Dissolve and recall Parliament
Choosing bishops and appointing judges
Chairs of committees were elected using AV by MPs
> Freeing committees from the control of whips
Wright Committee Reforms
Coalition’s Reforms
Fixed Term Parliament
MP recall
> Committee of MPs decides this not the public
AV Referendum
> No change
Constituency Boundaries
2015 Proposed Reforms
English votes for English laws
Limits to Lords’ powers
Reduce the amount of MPs to 600
Address the issue of the size of the Lords and retirement of Peers
Four options for change in the House of Lords
Abolish the Lords
> Adopt a unicameral structure
> Just one chamber
Part elected, part appointed
> Blair’s preferred option
Elected Chamber
> Brown preferred 80% elected
> So did the Coalition
Do nothing
House of Lords Reform since 2003
2003 = Commons voted on 7 options for reform - all of white failed to get a majority
> Hard to get a majority with 7 options
2004 = Government drops plans to abolish all hereditary peers
2005 = Labour’s manifesto pledged to review the role of the House of Lords
2006 = The “Cash for Honours” scandal gave further impetus for reform of the upper chamber
