Parliament (2) - unit 2 Flashcards
Opposition is effective at scrutiny
- PMQs allow for 16 q. to the PM - can raise awareness of national issues as the direct scrutiny of the majority gov EG Sunak
- Chairing Committees
Select C effectively scrutinise gov departments and decisions through rigorous questioning and reports EG Rudd - Opposition days allow small parties to choose a subject for debate - Westminister systems allow the opposition party to set an agenda
Opposition is ineffective at scrutiny
- PMQs are often used for humiliation rather than notable scrutiny - usually established for political stances, prepared in advance
- Select Committees cannot force evidence out of the questioning and reports need to be read but no real action needs to be taken EG Musk
- The outcome of voting on opposition days are not considered legally binding - they just represent the will of Parliament
Is Parliament effective at carrying out its representative role?
FPTP allows MP to represent constituencies
Strong, democratic legitimacy
HOL, increasingly better job at scrutinising and improving legitimacy and blocking discriminatory proposals - experts in different fields, Select C, Ministers face questions in both houses
Both houses check power of government - especially when they don’t have a commanding majorities
In free debates, Parl shows highly effective at debating and acting on national issues
Is Parliament ineffective at carrying out its representative role?
MPs lack expertise and knowledge, research back up, barely any time to investigate are gov majority, power of PM patronage and whips unwilling to challenge gov, no effective mechanism for removing bad MPs
PMQs media event, HOL cannot provide democratic legitimacy - not held accountable, legislative committees largely whipped
Party policy v interests of groups and causes - party loyalty wins
How is Parliament power returning?
- Party disunity - Dec 2021 Johnson faced umiliatiom after rebellion over measures to stop the omnicron variant - 99 Con rejected AND a group of rebel Tory MPs, led by Tim Loughton, with may, tabled an amendment to place new limits on the circumstances in which unaccompanied children could be held - sunak illegal migration bill - 2023 which the prime minister says is crucial to stopping small boats from crossing the Channel
- The size of the majority and the emergence of a strong third party previously in coalition - 2017 con and dup agreement hung parl, 2019 con majority threatened to weaken parl scrutiny with 80 person gov maj but 21 rebelled to vote
- The Lords - have been vocal in opposing gov legislation recently
2022-23 - 125 defeats
2021-22 - 128 defeats
Levelling up and Regeneration Bill - gov tried to get rid of clause not thinking about environment when homebuilding - rejected EU pollution regulations - tried doing it through an amendment in final stage, defeated in HOL - 14 Sep 2023
Parliament has more power than the executive
- Weak gov majority - makes it harder to get bills through Parl - after 2017, May was 9 seats short of an overall majority and relied on DUP to pass laws - gave her a working maj if DUP voted with her of just 13 votes
- Free votes - MPs can vote on issues without whips. Marriage (same sex couple) act 2013 allowed 1/2 of Con Mps to vote against proposed legislation (136 MPs)
- Rebel MPs - Corbyn rebelled 400 times against Blair and Brown (1997-2010) and Con Kettering MPs Phillip Holloborne defied the gov with a totla of 237/1191 votes since 2010 - 19.9%
- Party disunity - March 2016, 27 Con MPs rebelled against bill to extend Sunday trading hours - 317/286 votes - gov overruled by Parl
- Lords have a lot of influence
The Executive dominates Parliament
- Strong gov majority and whips - takes more rebel MPs to defeat gov, weaker back benchers will be. Former foreign secretary Jack Straw had a run in with deputy chief whip - ‘pushed him against the wall and grabbed him by testicles’ - whips threaten with expulsion, 2-3 Mps in small parties (14MPs)
- The ‘Payroll’ vote - convention of collective responsibility - all members of gov must follow gov decisions - robin cook resigned over Iraq war 2003, Boris Johnson resigned as foreign secretary over May’s Brexit deal 2018
- Promotion prospects - most MPs wish to become ministers party loyalty is the best way to advancing their careers - by not sticking to the party line you’re unlikely to advance in their career - Supreme Tory loyalist Dominic Greive never rebelled before Brexit, Jeremy Hunt never rebelled against a whip ever before 2019
- Party unity - with less rebellion, more can be passed and more policies can be implemented
- Parliament Acts and Salisbury Convention - lords can only delay and are discredited anyhow, since 1949, used x4 to force where HOL has delayed - War Crimes Act 1991, European Parliament Elections Act 1999, Sexual Offences (amendment) act 2000, Hunting Act 2004
MPs are important
- Numerous independent minded MPs willing to put their principles above narrow party interest -2017-19 backbench MPs by blocking gov measures
- 2010, Parl willing to defy gov, select committees highly effective in calling gov to account
- Many MPs work carried out behind the scenes - often committees - great significance in the effective work of Parl - less visible than frontbenchers debates - they often use long recesses to catch up on constituency work, ensuring strong connection with people and Parl
MPs are unimportant
- ‘Lobby fodders’ or ‘party hacks’ - just do what party whips tell them uncritically and hope their loyalty will be rewarded by a promotion to ministerial office
- Backbenchers powerless in the face of domination of front benchers. Little-no influence over legislation and fail to bring gov effectively to account
- Parliament debates sparsley attended, MPs lack interest in public policy
- ‘Long recesses’ = ‘long holiday’
- Unknown in their constituencies
Backbench MPs can hold government to account
- Select Committees effective - Amber Rudd 2018 Windrush scandal - unaware of regional targets for immigration
- PMQs national topics - 2023 PMQs - 25th Oct - questioned on issues such as Storm Babet procdures, rapist convictions, need for a humanitarian ceasefire - showcases gov
- Rebellions more common - not toe the party line
Backbench MPs can’t hold government to account
- Committes ineffective - Select - Dominic Cummings refusing to provide oral evidence on complacent view, Public Bill Committees ineffective, temporary, set up for the life of the bill,18 members chosen from proportion to the house
- PMQs a waste of time and ‘punch and judy’ politics - robust performance, broadcasted there, judged on morale and standing of leader. Former chief whip under Tony Blair from 2006-7 and Home Sec under Brown, placed whips around chambers to ensure there was suffiecient support noise
- Strong majority and effective whipping
Parliamentary privilege
The right of MPs or Lords to make certain statements within Parliament without being subject to outside influence, including the law
