The Structure of Parliament Flashcards
What chambers are in parliament?
House of Commons and House of Lords
Who was the last Lord to become Prime Minister?
Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1963, resigned his peerage, won a by-election so that he could sit in the Commons as an MP rather than remaining as a Lord.
What is the House of Commons?
-Consists of 650 members of parliament who are directly elected to represent a single-member constituency using First Past the Post.
What is the House of Lords?
-Almost entirely full of un-elected members and lacks any democratic mandate, reflected by the lack of powers.
-In contrast to the Commons, a large number of independents also known as cross benchers sit in the Lords but have not enjoyed a majority since 1999.
How many peers were there in 2021?
Around 800 peers.
What have the Lords consisted of since the 1999 Blair reforms?
Life peers, Hereditary peers and Lord spirituals
What are life peers?
Those who are appointed to peerage for their lifetime only. This was made possible by the Life Peerages Act 1958. Most peers today who are life peers are often nominated by the leaders of political parties.
What are hereditary peers?
92 hereditary peers (Prior to the Blair reforms there were around 700) chosen from hereditary peers, so when a vacancy appears from death or resignation then the election has a very small electorate (Lords temporal).
What are Lord spirituals?
26 Church of England bishops, selected on the basis of seniority.
How has democracy developed since the 19th century?
Parliaments membership was increasingly chosen by all of the people has the UK moved further into a democracy.
How has balance of power developed since the 19th century?
Balance of power between the Commons/Lords shifted so now the only real political power lies within the Commons (Parliament acts 1911 and 1949).
How has diversity developed since the 19th century?
-Growth of democracy has made the Commons more diverse.
-First female MP Nancy Astor 1919.
-Racial diversity has increased but ethnic minorities are still proportionality underrepresented.
-Increase in LGBTQ+ representation.
-Following the 2019 election, 65 MPs were BAME.
How have checks and balances developed since the 19th century?
-Growing trends in central control and discipline via political parties with less scope for independent voting and policy-making. This means the government has been able to dominate parliament with reduced scrutiny and checks on the executive.
-Backbench MPs have been increasingly rebellious. Theresa May was unable to get her Brexit deal through parliament.
How have committees developed since the 19th century?
Increased use of committees as a form of discussion and debate in place of the main chambers.
How has broadcasting developed since the 19th century?
Parliament has been televised since 1989 which has arguably raised its profile and enabled the electorate to become more familiar which procedures, personalities and tone.
-Effective parliamentary debate and less distinguished contributors are available for all to see.
