Law Making Flashcards
1
Q
Structure of the House of Lords
A
- about 760 members
- appointed for life
- mixture of party members
- the king performs the state opening of parliament here
- can delay bills from becoming law, but cannot prevent bills from becoming law
2
Q
Structure of the House of Commons
A
- 650 elected members
- elections must be held every 5 years
- members represent parties and prime minister and cabinet are usually members
- source of all primary legislation and acts of parliament
- can override the lord in cases of disagreement
- sovereign power
3
Q
Political influence
A
- general elections are usually held every 5 years
- in the election campaign, the political parties will published a list of policy ideas that they will implement if elected to power. This is called a manifesto
- the party with the mist seats in the House of Commons forms the government
- the current government is a conservative government. This means that the conservatives have a majority of seats in the House of Commons, led by the prime minister
- the king formally opens a new session of parliament each year in which he reads out a speech written by the prime minister. The ‘kings speech’ sets out the governments priorities over the coming year
4
Q
Public opinion/media
A
- governments will sometimes make changes to the law if there is a strong public opinion about it. E.g, a ration act 1967, hunting act 2004
- most likely to do this wen a general election is imminent
- media can also play a major part in influencing parliament. E.g, the recent ‘animal sentience’ provision in the eu withdrawal bill.
5
Q
Pressure groups and lobbyists
A
- groups that have a particular interest
- sectional groups represent a particular section of society - law society, British medical association
- cause groups exist to promote a particular cause - Greenpeace, league against cruel sports
- some individuals or groups attempt to persuade members of parliament to support a particular cause. This is called ‘lobbying’ and usually takes place in the lobbies of Westminster, where the public have access to mps
6
Q
Advantages and disadvantages
A
- political influences
- public opinion
- pressure groups
- lobbyists
7
Q
Political influences - advantages
A
- each political party has its proposals for reform ready so that, if they are elected as the government, they and the electorate know what they wish to do. Also the fact that the government has a majority in the House of Commons means that virtually every law it proposes will be passed. In this was the government is reflecting the majority of the electorate
8
Q
Political influences - disadvantages
A
- there are several disadvantages. If a different party is elected at the next general election, they made decided to repeal or alter some of the laws that previous governments passed. This is because their policies are likely to be quite different from the previous government. Changes in the law in this way can be costly and open to criticism
- where the government has a very small majority particular, when there is a coalition government then there will have to be a compromise on what policies are followed. This happened in the coalition government of 2010-15 where the conservative Liberal Democrat parties joined together to firm the government. It could not be said that the majority of the electorate did not vote for this coalition and the compromise so the government did not reflect the will of the electorate
9
Q
Public opinions advantages
A
- sometimes public opinion will be affected by specific events and these may also play a role in formulating the law.
- the uk has a free pass. This is an advantage as members of the press are able to criticise government policy to bring any other issue to the attention if the government. An example of the media highlighting bad practise was seen in 2009.
- comments on social media can be made as soon as an issue has come to light. This allows the government to consider a law while it is fresh in the public consciousness
10
Q
Public opinions - disadvantages
A
- the government may respond too quickly to high profile incidents. This can lead to law being created too quickly and not thought through, so that the law is poorly drafted. Jo’s was seen with the dangerous dogs act 1991 where the wording in the act led to many disputed cases in the courts and amending the act has to be introduced five years later. The purpose of the act has also failed to protect people from attacks by dangerous as thousands of people need hospital treatment each year.
- in some cases, it can be argued that the media manipulate the news and create public opinion.
11
Q
Pressure group - advantages
A
- some pressure groups have large memberships that can exceed those political parties. These large pressure groups, such as charities, the AA or the national trust, can raise an issue of concern to a large number of people
- pressure groups often raise important issues. Environmental groups have made the govern,ent more aware of the damage being done to our environment by greenhouse gases, fuels and other pollutants
12
Q
Pressure groups - disadvantages
A
- a disadvantage is that it can be argued that pressure groups are seeking to impose their ideas, even where the majority of the public do not support their views. There are also occasions when two pressure groups have conflicting interests and want opposing things. This was seen when the ban against fox hunting was considered. The league against cruel sports wanted it banned, but the countryside alliance wanted to be alliance wanted to be allowed to continue
13
Q
Lobbyists - advantages
A
- lobbyists bring issues to the attention of MPs. This may lead to a debate in parliament, publicity for tje issue and even to a change in the law. Professional lobbyists, particularly those used by pressure groups, are good at presenting the issues in the best way and making a case for the issue
- it is a system that can be used by anyone - individuals and large organisations. There are procedures to allow individuals to have access to their MP for the purpose of lobbying both at parliament and at local constituency level
14
Q
Lobbyists - disadvantages
A
- using professional lobbyists can lead to an abuse of the process. This was especially seen when MPs were paid to ask questions. It means that financially successful businesses or other organisations have more influence that ordinarily members of the public
15
Q
Green and white paper
A
- each government minister is responsible for a specific department and is assisted by a team of civil servants and special advisers
- when a new law is proposed, the department will issue a green paper. This is a consultative document outlining the governments proposals, inviting interested groups to send in comments
- once all of these comments have been considered, the department may then public a white paper. This sets out the governments firm proposals
- sometimes the government skips this process and proceeds straight to draft legislation, although this can sometimes be criticised for being knee jerk or hasty in its approach
