Parliament Flashcards
what is the legislature
the body that has the power to make, revoke + change laws.it also has the role of scrutinising the executive + holding them to account. (parliament)
what is the executive
the body that runs the country + propose laws to the legislature. (government) includes PM, cabinet, junior ministers, their advisers, civil servants
what is the judiciary
the body that interprets + applies the law, to uphold the rule of law in society
what is soverign
parliament
what 3 parts make up parliament
house of commons, house of lords, monarchy
speaker
chair of the commons or house of lords, who runs its proceedings
PM
the leader of the largest party in the commons
cabinet
the 20 or so most senior ministers in the government
government ministers
junior ministers who work under a cabinet minister in a specific department
whips
responsible for ensuring that backbenchers vote with their party
backbenchers
not part of the government, but are MPs or lords in the governing party
opposition benches
all other MPs or lords who are not members of the governing party
leader of the opposition + shadow cabinet
20 or so senior members of the official opposition
crossbenchers
unique to the lords and are peers who aren’t part of any party
legislating
both houses review the laws the gov wants to pass after debating them, the commons can amend legislation + veto it , the lords can suggest amendments
debating
parliament can hold the executive to account, backbenchers + opposition debate the significant issues of the day, adjournment debates are held at the end of the day, emergency debates can be held
ways parliament is democratically representative
each MP in the commons represents an area of the UK
ways parliament isn’t democratically representative
-FPTP distorts the representation of parties
-the lords is unelected + unrepresentative
does parliament ‘look like’ the UK
white middle class men dominate parliament but things are improving
how is MP representation effective
social media increases pressure on MPs to respond to constituents, free votes on issues allow MPs to listen to the views of the constituents
how is MP representation ineffective
elections are focused on parties not candidates, under the coalition MPs supported policies that their constitutions may have voted against
composition of the house of commons
-650 MPs
-424 men, 226 women, 66 ethnic minorities
-344 cons, 205 labour
composition of the house of lords
-785 lords
-life peers, hereditary peers, lords spiritual
-556 men, 229 women, 48 ethnic minorities
-277 cons, 172 labour
powers of the house of commons
veto + amend + reject legislation, approve govs budget, dismiss a gov, represent a constituencies interests, legitimisation of a gov and its laws
powers of the house of lords
delay + amend legislation, can’t vote against manifesto pledges, no jurisdiction over financial matters, less loyalty to parties, doesn’t represent constituents, can’t legitimise, provides the gov with ministers
how is the lords more effective than the commons
party discipline is weaker in the lords, lords spend most of the time scrutinising legislation, the gov has lost some legislation in the lords, many lords appointed due to expertise, hereditary peers removed
how is the commons more effective than the lords
lords can only delay legislation, lords lacks a mandate, liaison committee is part of the commons, select committees have grown in influence, media concentrates on the commons, lords is less effective at scrutinising
how does devolution limit parliamentary sovereignty
limits parliament, subsequent acts devolved more power, policy differences continue to multiply
how does devolution not limit parliamentary sovereignty
hasn’t altered the legal sovereignty of parliament, parliament retains the right to make any laws, devolved powers can be restored to London
how does the human rights act 1998 limit parliamentary sovereignty
judges can review cases/declare acts incompatible, judges have to interpret all UK laws
how does the human rights act 1998 not limit parliamentary sovereignty
the supreme court can’t strike down laws, can be repealed, UK could withdraw from ECHR
how does referenda limit parliamentary sovereignty
in democracy the people hold the ultimate power, brexit referendum saw popular sovereignty triumph
how does referenda not limit parliamentary sovereignty
popular sovereignty isn’t absolute, many MPs and lords voted against triggering article 50
how does executive dominance limit parliamentary sovereignty
fused branches means the executive is sovereign, a PM with a large majority has considerable power
how does executive dominance not limit parliamentary sovereignty
never a constant situation- different areas dominate, the triggering of article 50 court case shows the limits of executive power
