Parliament
- Created by: Holly Jackson
- Created on: 29-05-15 12:39
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- Parliament
- Function
- represent
- geographic constituecies
- single member constituencies
- legislation
- bills must pass through both houses
- scrutiny
- parliamentary committees
- Prime Ministers Questions
- legitimise
- government is not directly elected
- confidence of the commons
- vote of no confidence
- 1979 - Labour under James Callaghan
- vote of no confidence
- recruitment
- some ministers may be brought into the Lords as a mean of bringing them into Parliament
- 2005 - Andrew Adonis
- some ministers may be brought into the Lords as a mean of bringing them into Parliament
- represent
- Legislative Process
- public bills
- government bills
- fulfill manifesto commitments
- most likely to succeed
- government controls the parliamentary timetable
- private member bills
- introduced by an MP on any issue
- rarely succeed without government support
- time pressures
- legitimise issues of conscience
- Abortion Act 1967
- government bills
- private bills
- specific areas of policy or organisations
- may only affect 1/2 people
- e.g. granting dispensation from existing law
- normal passage
- 1st/2nd reading > standing committee > 3rd reading > house of lords > royal assent
- short cutting
- whip the standing committee
- formally guillotine committee action
- limit time for commons debate
- make concessions for backbenchers and lords
- use of the parliament act
- public bills
- Relative Powers
- parliaments act
- 1911
- Lords attempted to block the budget in 1909
- replaced the lords power to veto legislation with the power to delay bills for up to 2 years
- prevented them from vetoing, amending or delaying money bills
- 1949
- reduced powers of delay to 1 parliamentary session
- gives commons ulitimate power over the lords
- only happened on 4 occasions
- War Crimes Act 1991
- European Parliamentary Election Act 1999
- Sexual Offences Act 2000 (amendment)
- Hunting Act 2004
- only happened on 4 occasions
- 1911
- salisbury doctrine
- established the convention that the lords should not oppose government bills at 2nd readings
- especially where they had established a clear electoral mandate to act
- established the convention that the lords should not oppose government bills at 2nd readings
- is the lords weak?
- Yes
- parliaments act and salisbury doctrine provide real checks on the lords
- No
- experience
- security of tenure
- weak party ties
- Yes
- parliaments act
- Lord Reforms
- first stage
- prior to house of lords act 1999
- 759 hereditary peers among its 1330 membrs
- 471 conservative
- 179 labour
- 1997 labour manifesto commitment
- to remove these hereditary peers
- 759 hereditary peers among its 1330 membrs
- Weatherill Amendment
- 92 hereditery peers were allowed
- prior to house of lords act 1999
- second stage
- Wakeham Commission Report 2000
- labours 2001 white paper proposal
- proposed a 2nd chamber of 600 members
- 20% elected
- 80% appointed
- under the auspices of an independent appointments commission
- proposed a 2nd chamber of 600 members
- labours 2001 white paper proposal
- the commons was presented with 8 different models
- ranging for abolition to fully elected
- 4 Feburary 2003 - all 8 models were rejected
- ranging for abolition to fully elected
- 2005 manifesto
- predominantly elected 2nd chamber
- 2007 white paper
- commons retain its primacy
- split 50:50
- single fixed term (12 years?)
- elections held under open regional list system
- statutory appointment commission
- 20% non-political appointments
- no single party would have a majority
- 2007 white paper
- deadlocked once more
- commons rejected all but fully elected
- lords rejected all but fully appointed
- predominantly elected 2nd chamber
- Wakeham Commission Report 2000
- first stage
- Parliamentary Sovereignty
- A.V.Dicey
- rule of law
- english constitution
- 3 principles
- parliament can make or unmake law
- only parliament can make UK law
- no parliament can bind its successors
- question its extent
- EU law superiority
- new labours devolution programme
- increased use of referendum
- A.V.Dicey
- Scrutiny and Accountability
- committees
- standing
- consider specific pieces of legislation
- 15-25 members
- party members are proportional to the house itself
- appointed by committee of selection
- select
- scrutinise the work of specific gov departments
- Norton Report 2000
- Newton Report 2001
- 2010 - Wright Committee
- standing
- prime minsters questions
- may be seen as theater rather than real politics
- allow backbench MPs and opposition leaders opportunity to raise issues
- a chance for frontbenches to make a name for themselves
- 2007 - Vince Crabe
- observed that Brown had turned from "Stalin to Mr Bean"
- 2007 - Vince Crabe
- vote of no confidence
- 1979 - Labour under James Callaghan
- early day motions & topical debates
- MPs can add their names to motions and thereby raising their concerns with government
- often little time for debate
- can vent constituents' grievances
- MPs can add their names to motions and thereby raising their concerns with government
- commons liaison committee
- do not have the power to subpoena witnesses to appear before them
- however, Tony Blair did agree to appear twice a year
- compromises of the chairs of various departmental select committees
- meet at Portcullis House in the Boothroyd Committee Room
- do not have the power to subpoena witnesses to appear before them
- committees
- Backbenchers
- role
- loyal party drone
- Watchdog
- through debates, committees, PMQ's and ministers questions
- Tony Benn & Dennis Skinner
- private members bill
- rarely find their way to the statute books
- Abortion Act 1967
- career politicians
- role
- Party Whips
- carrot & stick approach
- offer promotion
- John Major
- threat of life on the backbench
- offer promotion
- removing the whip
- makes MP vulnerable to deselection
- 1994 - 8 conservatives were known as the "whipless wonders"
- disloyalty over the provisions of the Maastrict Treaty
- carrot & stick approach
- Function
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