P2 - UK Parliament Flashcards
what are the three branches of power
the legislature, executive and judiciary
why is the UK unusual
the legislature and executive are fused
what is meant by parliamentary sovereignty?
there is no higher authority in the UK than parliament
what is the role of the speaker?
the chair of the commons or lords who runs its proceedings
who are the whips
people responsible for ensuring that backbenchers vote with their party
What are the functions of parliament
legislating, debating and representation
what is the legislating function
where both houses review the laws of government wish to pass and, after debating and scrutinising them, Parliament is generally expected to pass them
what is the debating function
debates are the way in which parliament holds the executive to account
what is an example of emergency debates
post the phone-hacking scandal
how many times was the May government defeated between April and June 2018 and what was it over
14 times over the EU withdrawal bill
how big was May’s slender ‘working majority’ and what did it mean
it was just 13, and it meant that she had to work to ensure that her MPs backed her
What did the 2015 Cameron government suffer its first defeat over
the rules surrounding the EU referendum
what per cent of MPs rebelled during the 2010-15 coalition
they rebelled in 35% of votes
who was defeated in 2005 by backbenchers and what was it over
Tony Blair over his plans to extend the detention of terrorist suspects to 90 days
however, how is legislating limited by powerful majorities
they are rarely defeated. Blair did not lose a vote in the Commons from 1997 to 2005
how many times was the colation defeated in the commons over legislation
twice
what is the drawback of backbenchers
they vote with their party because their career prospects
why do MPs have more control over the parliamentary agenda
use of the Backbench Business Committee due to the implementation of the Wright recommendations
what were some important backbencher led debates over
the wars in Syria and Iraq, as well as the London Riots of 2011
who does the PM rely on to instigate military action
parliament
what is an example of a PM being reliant on parliament to instigate military action
in 2013, Cameron wanted to order military action in Syria. Instead of giving the order, Parliament was given a chance to debate it, being defeated 285 - 272
what happened in 2015 over the issue of Syria
parliament debated over the issue of airstrikes in Syria. MPs voted to approve airstrikes after a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons.
what are the drawbacks of debating in parliament
there is limited time for genuine debate and the whips control and curtail the independence of MPs
how is parliament democratically representative
each MP in the commons represents an area in the UK
