PMQs Flashcards
strengths of PMQs
provides essential scrutiny of the government which is essential to democracy as it acts to hold the government accountable
ensure that the Prime Minister is forced to explain their decisions and is held accountable on a wide range of topics
PMQs are dreaded, this can act as a deterrent and make the government consider their actions more deeply as they know they will be asked about them — Blair described them as “the most nerve racking experience” in his political life — as a result, they are intensively prepared for, showing that they are a significant event
highlights and brings awareness to key issues, forces the Prime Minister to engage in a variety of topics and raises even more awareness in the public as it is televised and reported on
limitations of PMQs: limited effectiveness
leader of the opposition only gets to ask six questions, this means there are limits to questioning time
questions are rarely enlightening as politicians are skilled in avoiding questions by answering a completely different one or simply giving a rehearsed speech of waffle — PMQs therefore provide ineffective scrutiny as getting a straight answer is almost impossible
more effective scrutiny would come from the House of Lords or select committees which can provide more detailed questioning and dedicate more time to issues — the House of Lords in particular is made up of a wide range of experts meaning they can provide higher quality debate
the House of Lords is made up of a wide range of experts from all sorts of areas, including…
• Professor Lord Hennessey — one of Britain’s leading experts on constitutional matters
• Baroness Greenfield — a science and technology expert
limitations of PMQs: stage managed and often immature
it is also increasingly staged by the government, who ask their MPs to put forward pre-written questions, allowing the Prime Minister to present their decisions in a positive light
in 2012, Cameron’s private secretary Desmond Swayne orchestrated the heckling of Ed Miliband when he attempted to scrutinise the Prime Minister
Desmond Swayne also asked Conservative MPs to create a “protective wall of sound” around the Prime Minister when he faced criticism from the opposition
questioning is very chaotic and unprofessional, backbenchers often call out and heckling is common
arguably, having the TV cameras encourages worse behaviour, MPs play up in front of the cameras as PMQs attract considerable attention in press and media reporting
limitations of PMQs: theatrical point scoring system
reveals more about the personality of the leaders than about government policy
it is often used as a point scoring system rather than a serious time for scrutiny and tends to be very theatrical
for example, Cameron once attacked Corbyn’s choice of suit in 2016, this illustrates the trivial and immature nature of PMQs
when are PMQs held?
began in 1961 as two weekly 15 minute sessions on a Tuesday and a Thursday
in 1997, Blair changed this to a 30 minute session on a Wednesday every week
what do PMQs provide?
PMQs provide scrutiny of the Prime Minister and their government, they force them to explain their decisions and speak about key issues
what improvements could be made to PMQs?
improvements that could be made include…
- banning backbenchers from calling out
- stop heckling
what do PMQs attract?
they attract considerable attention in the press and television reporting
