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Politics - Parliament > Politics - Parliament > Flashcards

Politics - Parliament Flashcards

1
Q

No. of MPs in commons

A

650

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2
Q

Lords Spiritual

A
  • Bishops and Archbishops of the church if England
  • 26 in number
  • traditionally been appointed by the Prime Minister

(under coalition proposals for lords reform will reduce their number to 12)

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2
Q

Life Peers

A
  • entitled to sit in HoL for their own lifetimes
  • appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958
  • appointed by the Prime Minister
  • they make up 678 out of the total 792 peers
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3
Q

No. of Lords

A

792

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4
Q

Lords Spiritual

A
  • Bishops and Archbishops of the Church of England
  • 26 in number
  • collectively referred to as ‘Lords Spiritual’
  • traditionally been appointed by the Prime Minister

(under coalition proposals for lords reform will reduce their number to 12)

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5
Q

House of Commons (powers)

A
  • dominant chamber of parliament
  • has supreme legislative power
  • can make, abolish and amend laws (lords can only delay these)
  • legal sovereignty is practiced by the house of commons
  • house of commons alone can remove government of the day based on the theory of collective ministerial responsibility
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7
Q

Functions of parliament:

LEGISLATION

A
  • making laws
  • parliament is the supreme legislature in UK parliament, meaning that it can make and unmake laws
  • not restricted by an codified constitution, meaning that there is no superior law making body
  • no other law making body can challenge Parliament’s authority

BUT

  • Bills are usually passed because the leading party dominated the house of commons. Rather legislation is passed through Parliament not by Parliament
  • Lords pay a subordinate role in legislative process - they refine bills that aren’t adequately scrutinized in the commons, making it merely a ‘revising chamber’
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8
Q

Functions of parliament:

REPRESENTATION

A
  • parliament is the link between government and the people (parliamentary democracy)
  • elective House of Commons carries out the representative function (relationship of MP and their constituents)
  • MPs use their own judgement on acting on behalf of their constituents (Burkean theory)
  • Doctrine of the Mandate suggest that MPs ‘toe a party line’

BUT

  • House of Lords is unelected, therefore carries out no representative role and undermines democratic responsiveness
  • FPTP undermines the effectiveness of representation in HoC
  • MPs and peers are socially unrepresentative of larger society
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9
Q

Features of parliamentary government:

A
  • Governments are formed as a result of parliamentary elections
  • government can dissolve parliament (flexible electoral terms within a five year period) - however this has been changed under coalition.
  • government is responsible to parliament - can be removed through a ‘vote of no confidence’
  • government has a collective face meaning that it’s based on the principle of cabinet government (contrary to personal leadership)
  • PM is head of government but not head of state
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10
Q

House of Commons: Composition

A
  • 650 MPs
  • size will reduce to 600 in 2015
  • MP is elected by a single-member parliamentary constituency using FPTP
  • MPs represent their party subject to a system of party discipline
  • most MPs are categorised as backbenchers
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11
Q

House of Lords: Composition

A
  • complex and controversial
  • four kinds of peers
  • none are elected (controversial)
  • current membership stems from the House of Lords aAct 1999 which removed all but 92 hereditary peers
  • the 2005 Constitutional Reform Act set up a Supreme Court and came into existence in 2009
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12
Q

House of Lords: Powers

A
  • legislative powers are set out in the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949
  • they can delay bills passed by the House of Commons for up to one year
  • BUT they can’t delay ‘money bills’ (significant financial measures) or defeat measure that are outlined in the government’s election manifesto (salisbury convention)
  • Lords possesses some veto powers (can’t be overridden by the House of Commons) which include:
  • extension to the life of Parliament
  • the sacking of senior judges must be done with consent from both Houses of Parliament
  • the introduction of secondary or delegated legislation
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13
Q

What did Walter Bagehot say about the Monarch?

A

‘the monarchy is dignified rather than effective institution’

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14
Q

What a money bill?

A

A bill that contains significant financial measure as determine by the speaker of the House of Commons

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15
Q

What’s the Legislature

A

The branch of government that has the power to make laws through the formal enactment of legislation

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16
Q

What’s a private member’s bill?

A

A bill that is proposed by an MP who is not a member of the government, usually through an annual ballot

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17
Q

What’s a responsive government?

A

A government that is answerable or accountable to an elected assembly and, through it, to the people

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18
Q

Functions of Parliament:

SCRUTINY AND OVERSIGHT

A
  • role is to check or constrain the government of the day
  • need to ‘call government to account’
  • force ministers to explain their actions and justify their policies
  • they scrutinise and oversee what government does
  • this id to ensure ‘responsive government’

BUT

  • the majority of the House of Commons belongs to the governing party therefore they primary role is to support government; not to embarrass it
  • Question Time is often weak and ineffective. It often turns into an oral battle (lol) between the leader of the opposition and PM. It generates more heat than light! Answers are seldom produced
  • Select Committees are more effective than QT but the majority are of the government (reflecting the composition of the House of Commons) > Individual committee appointments are influenced by the whips > SC have no executive power; they can’t change government policy
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19
Q

Function of Parliament:

RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING OF MINISTERS

A
  • Parliament is a major channel of political recruitment
  • all ministers must be MPs of peers
  • gain experience being backbenchers before being frontbenchers
  • participate in debates, asking parliamentary questions and sitting on committees
  • they gain understanding of how government works and how policy is developed

BUT

  • Ministers are recruited from a small pool of talent: mainly MPs of largest party in House of Commons
  • they do not gain bureaucratic or management skills to run a government department despite gaining speechmaking skills
  • fewer and fewer ministers have experience of careers outside politics
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20
Q

Function of Parliament:

LEGITIMACY

A
  • promote legitimacy
  • when governments govern through parliament their actions are more likely to be seen as ‘rightful’ and therefore to be obeyed
  • Parliament, in a sense, stands for the public by being a representative assembly. When it approves a measure its as if the public have approved it
  • approval is based on the assumption that the government’s actions have been properly debated and scrutinised

BUT

  • House of Lords has not democratic legitimacy because its unelected
  • Respect for Parliament has been undermined by scandals involving ‘cash for questions’ or ‘cash for peerages’
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21
Q

What’s a presidential government?

A
  • Separation of powers
  • Governments are separately elected
  • Separation of personnel
  • Legislature cannot remove government
  • Fixed term elections
  • Presidentialism
  • Presidents are both head of state and head of government
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22
Q

Theories of Parliamentary power:

THE WESTERMINISTER MODEL

A
  • Parliament is the lynchpin of the UK system of government
  • Parliament delivers both representative government and responsible government
  • Parliament has significant policy influence
  • Popular during the ‘golden age’ of Parliament
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23
Q

Theories of Parliamentary power:

THE WHITEHALL MODEL

A
  • Political and constitutional power have shifted from Parliament to the executive
  • Parliament is executive dominated
  • Parliament has no meaningful policy influence
  • This model was widely accepted during the 1980s
24
Q

Theories of Parliamentary power:

THE TRANSFORMATIVE MODEL

A
  • Accepts that Parliament is no longer a policy-making body but neither is it a simple irrelevance.
  • Parliament can transform policy only by reacting to executive initiatives
  • Widely accepted in recent years
25
Q

How does Party unity and its decline affect the relationship between Parliament and government?

A
  • the more unified a party is, the more power government has over Parliament
  • a clear example of this would be during the 19th century
  • in the 1900s, 90 % of votes in HoC were party votes
  • during much of the 20th century, MPs appeared as mere ‘lobby fodder’; government had nothing to fear from Parliament
  • this created an elective dictatorship
    BUT
  • party unity reached its peak in the 50s and 60s
  • backbench power has since risen
  • E.G. Tony Blair 2001-07 experienced numerous backbench revolts such as the Iraq War (139) and the replacement of Trident nuclear submarines (94)
26
Q

Why has party unity declined?

A
  • MPs are better educated that they were in 50s and 60s, which has made them more critical and independently minded
  • More MPs are career politicians meaning they have more time to take issues seriously. Many MPs used to have second job usually in business or as lawyers
  • Divisive issues amongst the Labours MPs of Blair’s governments were becoming more prominent, which include: the Iraq War, anti-terrorism legislation, welfare reform and university top up fees
27
Q

How does the size of majority affect the relationship between Parliament and government?

A
  • the nature of FPTP means that larger parties tend to be overrepresented
  • since 1945 there has only been one minority government (1974)
  • the larger a government’s majority, the weaker backbenchers will be
  • Labour’s 1997 landslide victory with a majority of 178 meant it would have taken 90 Labour MPs to defeat the Blair government
  • Once Blair’s majority fell to 65 after the 2005 general election, it could be defeated by just 34 MPs
  • The 1974 minority Labour government which has a majority of 4 was defeated in the House of Commons with on 41 occasions
  • Blair suffered no defeats in his first two parliamentary terms with majorities of 178 and 167
28
Q

How is Party unity maintained?

A
  • Party whips: reward loyalty through advising promotions and punish disloyalty. They make sure MPs know how their parties want them to vote.
  • Ministers and shadow ministers must support their party because of the convention of collective ministerial responsibility, ensuring loyalty between 100 and 110 frontbench MPs
  • Promotion prospects: most backbench MPs wish to become ministers and loyalty is the best way to gain support of ministers and whips
  • Ideological unity: most MPs join parties for a reason; they believe in their party or government. They don’t need to be forced to ‘toe a party line’
29
Q

What would have been the problem if the Conservative formed a minority government in 2010? And why is it good that they formed a coalition?

A
  • They were 19 seats short of a Commons majority. They would have been vulnerable to pressure in Parliament both from other parties and their own backbenchers (the conservative party has a lot of disunity)
  • Created possibility of an effective government
    Resist parliamentary pressures
30
Q

What was the 2010 coalition’s majority?

A

83

31
Q

What are the disadvantages of having a minority government?

A
  • They’re weak and short-lived

- examples include Labour 1924, 1929 and 1974

32
Q

In what ways is a coalition government vulnerable?

A
  • they not only need to maintain inner party unity but unity across two or more parties
  • they can’t take for granted backbench support anymore
  • they lack ideological unity that is normally associated with a single party government
  • the smaller coalition parties tend to suffer from a loss of identity as their support may be difficult to maintain. This problem has been seen across continental Europe
  • under the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition, only 42 Lib Dem or Conservative MPs are needed to threaten government is in opposition to policy
33
Q

What issues have the Liberal Democrats faced?

A
  • issue of increasing university tuition fees despite Vince Cable proposing this policy change (21 Lib Dem MPs against 28 for)
  • ideological divide between far rights in Conservative party and far left in Liberal Democrat party
34
Q

What reason are there to believe that the coalition will be able to maintain unity in the Commons?

A
  • they rapidly produced a programme of government and resolved many of the policy issues that may otherwise have threatened the government
  • independent commissions and forums have been used when issues haven’t been resolved, allowing the issues to be resolved peacefully and neutrally
  • Lib Dems are also marginally overrepresented in government
  • In the run up to the 2010 general election, both parties experienced ideological shifts meaning that the range of policy differences between the two coalition partners had been significantly reduced
  • A coalition can be seen as a ‘one way street’. If the coalition were to fail it could significantly affect the electoral success of the two parties. Therefore they have no realistic option but to make the coalition work.
35
Q

In what ways does the House of Lords hold power, despite being the subordinate chamber of Parliament?

A
  • party unity is more relaxed because, being non-elected, peers do not need a party machine to remain in post. Peers are there for life. Governments can’t discipline peers and ‘enforce’ the whip.
  • There is no guarantee of majority control. Until 2000, the dominance of hereditary peers meant that the Conservatives had an inbuilt majority in the Lords. Labour confronted a consistently hostile second chamber
36
Q

The House of Lords’ checking power was used in a highly partisan way. Why?

A
  • While Blair governments suffered no defeats in the Commons during their first two terms, the Lords defeated it on 353 occasions.
  • Whereas the Conservative governments of 1979-97 were defeated on just over 13 occasions.
  • Labour governments faced fierce clashes over terrorism legislation. Measures were either delayed or amended as a result of Lords’ pressure e.g. introducing foundation hospitals, restrictions on jury trial and changes to pension regulations.
37
Q

The ‘partially reformed’ House of Lords seem to have a more significant check on the government than the traditional House of Lords. Why?

A
  • no majority party in the House of Lords > there’s a balance between Conservative and Labour representation, each party having about 29 per cent support. All parties have to seek support from other parties and from crossbenchers in order to get legislation passed
  • as peers now feel that the Lords is more properly constituted they are more willing to challenge the government, especially over controversial proposals and legislation
  • because of landslide majorities in the Commons, some peers argued that they had a duty to check the government of the day because the Commons had become so ineffective due to landslide majorities
  • DON’T UNDERSTAND LAST POINT. GO BACK
38
Q

In what way did the coalition government reform the House of Lords?

A
  • strengthened executive control over HoL by appointing a substantial number of new peers (117 were appointed in the period of May 2010 to January 2011 alone) and the majority of these were Conservatives and Liberal Democrats
  • they aimed to strengthen support for the government in the House of Lords and ensure representation for the major parties reflected that of a general election
  • the coalitions strategy thus threatens to reverse the situation established by the removal of the bulk of hereditary peers in 1999 which deprived any government of majority control of the Lords
39
Q

Why has there been, for over 100 years, debate about reforming Parliament?

A
  • Growth of executive power

- Parliament’s declining ability to effectively check the government of the day

40
Q

What reforms did Blair make to the House of Commons?

A
  • Once-a-week Prime Minister’s questions > introduced in 1997, halved the number of occasions that the PM stood before the Commons, time remained the same (30 minutes). This is seen as an attempt to reduce PM’s exposure to Parliament
  • Liaison Committee scrutiny > introduced in 2002, twice yearly PM appearances before the Liaison Committee that is mainly composed of the chairs of the departmental select committees. PM is thus subject to scrutiny
  • Freedom of Information Act 2000 > an attempt to widen the public’s access to information that is held by a wide range of public bodies helping to ensure an open government. This has however strengthened parliamentary scrutiny by giving MPs wider access to information. But also helped to expose the MPs involved in the expenses scandal of 2009.
  • Wider constitutional reforms > Devolution gave rise to domestic legislation in the hands of Scotland, Wale and Northern Ireland instead of Parliament. HRA transferred responsibility for protecting individual rights from Parliament to the courts. Referendums have given the people, rather than Parliament, final control over range of issues. All of this marginalizes Parliament rather than strengthening it.
41
Q

Reforms under Brown:

A
  • reduce prerogative powers which strengthened the role of Parliament
  • decision in 2007 allowed parliamentary private secretaires to sit on committees
42
Q

When were departmental select committees introduced?

A
  • 1979
  • thought to be the most significant reform of the Commons in the 20th century
  • However, they have failed to bring about a significant shift of power from the executive to Parliament
43
Q

What is the House of Commons Reform Committee and what did it do?

A
  • Tony Wright was Chair
  • Proposed in 2009 that chair of departmental select committees should in future be directly elected by a secret ballot using AV voting system
  • This would free select committees from the control of the whips and in particular from the government of the day
44
Q

Commons reform under Cameron and Clegg:

A
  • Fixed-term Parliaments > prevent PM from calling general election at a time most favourable to their party. Reduces size of government majorities and make changes in government more frequent
  • Referendum on AV > even though this was rejected in 2011, AV would have brought about more minority and coalition governments which would have forced the executive to be more accountable to Parliament
  • Recall of MPs > if MPs are naughty (lol) voters are allowed to force a by-election. A petition is needed signed by 20 percent of his or her constituents. This is intended to strengthen the representative function of the House of Commons
  • Public initiated bills > public can suggest topics to be debated in parliament. Petitions need to secure at least 100,000 signatures
  • Public reading stage > introduced for bills. Gives the public an opportunity to comment on proposed legislation online.
  • House business committee > coalition proposed to establish a House of Commons business committee by 2013 which would give backbenchers greater influence over the management of their affairs.
45
Q

Why are there doubts over the coalitions reform plan?

A
  • doesn’t mean that there would be a balance of power between the executive and Parliament
  • five year fixed term elections may erode democratic legitimacy of Parliament
  • AV would only have marginally reduced the likelihood of single-party majority governments and the proposal was rejected anyway
46
Q

What were some of the motives for Lords reform?

A
  • the majority of peers sat in the House of Lords on the basis of hereditary
  • the Lords exhibited a strong and consistent bias in favour of the Conservative party
47
Q

Plans for stage one and two of Lords reform?

A
  • stage one: removal of hereditary peers

- stage two: replacement of the House of Lords by a revised second chamber

48
Q

Why were the hereditary peers reduced to the number of 92 under stage one of Lords reform?

A
  • to ease the passage of this bill
  • government agreed to compromise whereby a proportion of hereditary peers survived until stage-two reform took place
  • there were 777
49
Q

Why was stage two reform much more difficult?

A
  • declining appetite within the Labour government to press ahead with further reform
  • the new spirit of assertiveness after stage one reform made some ministers anxious about the prospect of a partially or wholly elected second chamber
50
Q

What was the Wakeham Commission?

A
  • chaired by Lord Wakeham
  • set up under Blair government to outline proposals for stage-two reform
  • reported in 2000, recommending a largely appointed second chamber, with only a minority of peers elected
51
Q

What did Jack Straw propose? And who was he?

A
  • Leader of House of Commons
  • made 9 proposals
  • the retention of bicameral parliament was approved (backed by a majority of 253)
  • an 80 per cent elected element of the House of Lords (38 majority)
  • fully elected Lords (113 majority)
  • the removal of the remaining hereditary peers (280 majority)
  • BUT, no legislation subsequently emerged
52
Q

In concerning the stage-two reforms, what did the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition agree on?

A
  • for a wholly or mainly elected second chamber on the basis of proportional representation
  • Nick Clegg chaired a cross party committee set up for this purpose and proposed to produce a draft bill by December 2010. The fact that the bill didn’t emerge until 2011 shows how difficult it is to make progress on this issue
  • The proposals were that there would be 300 members, 80 per cent of whom would be elected using STV electoral system and will serve for a single 15-year term
  • The proposals do not recommend changes to the powers of the second chamber
53
Q

What is bicameralism?

A
  • theory or practice of breaking up legislative power through the creation of two chambers.
  • Partial bicameralism is when the legislature has two chambers but these are clearly unequal either because the second chamber has restricted popular authority of because it has reduced legislative power. The UK is a good example of this.
  • Full bicameralism exists when there are two co-equal legislative chambers, each able to check the other. The US congress is a good example of this
54
Q

Arguments for an elected second chamber:

A
  • Democratic Legitimacy > popular consent delivered through competitive elections. Only basis for legitimate rule in a democracy. Appointed members do not have this
  • Wider Representation > two elected chambers would widen representation.
  • Better Legislation > popular authority would encourage the second chamber to exercise greater powers of legislative oversight and scrutiny.
  • Checking the Commons > only an elected chamber can properly check another elected chamber. Full bicameralism requires two co-equal chambers
  • Ending Executive Tyranny > the executive dominates Parliament through its majority control of the Commons. The only way to overcome this is through a democratic or more powerful second chamber, preferably elected by PR
55
Q

Arguments against an elected second chamber:

A
  • Specialist knowledge > its members, like life peers, are appointed on the basis of their expertise and specialist knowledge
  • Gridlock government > bicameralism would create rivalry between the executive and Parliament. Likely to occur if elected under different systems and at different times
  • Complementary chambers > only one chamber need to express popular authority instead of having two chambers that carry out similar roles.
  • Dangers of Partisanship > Any elected second chamber is going to be dominated by a party, with members who rely on a party to get elected an re-elected. An appointed second chamber, by contrast, would have reduced partisanship allowing peers to think for themselves.
  • Descriptive Representation > although elected peers have popular authority, its difficult to make sure that they resemble larger society as the make-up of the Commons demonstrates. The appointment process takes account of representation.

Politics - Parliament (1 decks)

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