Parliament Flashcards
Describe the House of Commons
- Made up of MP’s who are elected by the general public
- Party with largest amount of seats (a majority) forms the main government
- General election every 5 years
- One of the main law making bodies
Describe the House of Lords
- A non-elected body, made up of hereditary peers, life peers, and senior bishops in the Church of England
- Also a main law making body
What is the Law Commission?
Look at areas of law which need to be reformed, making a consolation paper on the topic. Set out in reports. They can repeal laws, getting rid of the old, pointless ones. For example, the Fraud Act 2006. Also do ‘codification’, bringing multiple acts together on the same thing, simplifying the law.
What are the advantages of the Law Commission?
- Focus on small parts of the law which the government do not focus on
- Codification makes the law easier
- Repealing laws makes sure to get rid of the old, useless ones
- Consultation means it is multiple opinion
- LC is made up of lawyers, so they have good knowledge of the law
What are the disadvantages of the Law Commission?
- Not often enacted by parliament
- Takes a long time for the report to be made
- New parties in power can just repeal
How does politics influence parliament?
Party manifesto’s promise to do certain things, gaining support from the public depending on what the promises are
What are the advantages of politics influencing parliament?
- If keeping to the manifesto, changes made will be mostly appreciated
- As the party will have more seats (therefore more power) laws they want will be easily passed
What are the disadvantages of politics influencing parliament?
- If they do not follow their manifesto, public won’t be happy
- Law can take a long time to pass, may not be able to do all things they had promised
How does public opinion / media influence parliament?
A strong opinion on a change of the law can be viewed in the media. For example, on television, radio, papers, magazines, etc. Parties want to stay in power for as long as possible, so will follow through as much as possible with the requests
What are the advantages of public opinion / media influencing parliament?
- Brings public opinion to the attention of the government
- Free press; can criticise government policies and bring issues to their attention
What are the disadvantages of public opinion / media influencing parliament?
- Media can manipulate information
- Quick responses can result in a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ law, for example the Terrorism Act 2001
- Can create biased opinions
Who are pressure groups?
A group of people who have a particular interest in changing certain laws depending on their interests.
Examples include ‘Fathers 4 Justice’ and ‘Greenpeace’.
What are advantages of pressure groups?
- Bring up a range of issues
- Good way of gaining governments attention
What are the disadvantages of pressure groups?
- A lot have conflicting interests
- A group with little support but with huge funding can give parliament the impression that it has more support than it really does in reality
What is a ‘private members bill’?
Introduced by a single MP in parliament. Uses a ballot (20 members picked in a raffle only on Friday) or use the 10 minute rule (10 minutes to gain MP’s support).
This happened in the Abortion Act 1967
