The role of the opposition Flashcards
Who are the opposition
The main party that is not in govt
what did Disraeli say about the opposition
“No government can be secure without a formidable opposition”
What did Burke say about the opposition
“He that watches with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper”
What do the two quotes by Disraeli & Burke in regards to the opposition suggest
Suggest the opposition is necessary to develop the party and establish their articulacy in politics
Why is the opposition necessary
without opposition the govt does not have to justify its policies which encourages complacent & incompetent govt
What are 4 things the opposition party should do
- ensure the govt justifies its legislative programme & exec decisions
- create a public debate by providing reasoned arguments why then can’t support govt decisions
- use PMQT as leader of the O to present themselves as having the political stature to be PM in waiting
- use various front bench spokespeople to focus on the govt dept they are shadowing exposing any failures of policy implementation
How many opposition days are there
20
What is the purpose of the opposition days
To provide an important opportunity to make govt debate issues which the opposition believes are important - choose motion for debate on 17 days
What is the role of shadow ministers
To expose the mistakes and failures of their opposition numbers in govt - highlight failures of govt policy development & implementation
Give three examples of current shadow ministers
Angela Rayner - Lab - deputy leader of the opposition
David Lammy - Lab - shadow secretary of state for foreign & commonwealth affairs
Rachel Reeves - Lab - shadow chancellor of the exchequer
Give an example of Labour Party shadow govt challenging conserv actions
Windrush case study - Dianne Abott - April 2018 - put the case against the Home Secretary Amber Rudd -
7 days later Rudd resigned admitting she had ‘inadvertently misled parliament’ - following this Abott upped pressure on govt specifically May e.g. ‘all roads lead back to May’
