Parliament Flashcards
Three parts of parliament
House of commons, house of lords, the monarchy
Role of the legislature
Consider and pass legislation, hold gov to account, represent the people who elected them
Role of executive
Propose laws to parliament and run the country
Meaning of a parliamentary system
Legislature and executive are fused, not separated
Chief features of parliamentary government
- fusion of powers between executive and legislative branches
- governments formed as a result of parliamentary elections based on strength of representation in house of commons - no separate, direct elections for a prime minister
- personnel of government must come from parliament, typically from the largest party in commons
- government is responsible to parliament and can only continue to govern if it retains confidence in the commons and can be removed through a defeat on a vote of confidence - confidence and supply
- gov has a collective ‘face’ and is based on the principle of cabinet government
- pmis head of gov but not head of state - these two roles are strictly separate
Legislature
Law-making body in a country or state. Parliament in the uk
Executive
Branch of gov responsible for implementation of laws and policies made by parliament
Fusion of powers
Executive and legislative branches are joined or overlapping
House of commons
Primary chamber of uk legislature, directly elected by voters
Vote of confidence
Motion in the commons, if the vote is lost a gov may have to step down and if a new gov can’t be formed a general election is called
Head of state
Leading representative of a state who personally embodies the state’s power and authority
Confidence and supply
Right to remove the government and to grant or withhold funding. Also used to describe a type of informal coalition agreement where the minority partner agrees to provide this in exchnage for policy concessions
