Jan 13 - ParliamentAgenda: Notes: Parliament PMQT

HW: Finish the UK

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Parliament

The Westminster Model In the 1200’s Parliament became the official

gathering of feudal barons summoned by the King whenever he required their consent to special taxes

By the 15th century they gained the right to make laws

The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Assembled

Only power to delay legislation:Suspensive veto

A chamber of revision Types of Peers (618 seats)

Law Lords – until 2009Life Peers (appointed by the Crown on

recommendation of the PM)Hereditary Peers Church of EnglandCross Benchers

By Party Strength

Party Life PeersHereditary:

Elected by Party

Hereditary: Electe

dHereditary:

* Royal Bishops Total

Conservative 150 39 9 0 0 198

Labour 212 2 2 0 0 216

Liberal Democrat 67 3 2 0 0 72

Crossbench 173 29 2 2 0 206

Bishops 0 0 0 0 26 26

Other** 12 2 0 0 0 14

TOTAL 614 75 15 2 26 732

By Type Men Women TotalArchbishops and bishops 26 0 26Life Peers under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 22 1 23Life Peers under the Life Peerages Act 1958 457 145 602Peers under House of Lords Act 1999 90 2 92

TOTAL 595 148 743

Virtual Tour! House of Lords

Parliament Explained 5: Debates in Parliament. London: Parliament, 2007. Printed Resources. Parliament Education Service, Mar. 2007. Web. 29 Dec. 2009. <http://www.parliament.uk/education/online-resources/printed-resources.htm>.

The Honorable Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament Assembled

646 MPs Called the Commons because MPs represent

a commune or community NOT because they are commoners

Each serves about 65,000 people in Single Member Districts

MPs serve a maximum of 5 years, but there isn’t a fixed election cycle

PM can dissolve Parliament Technically the Crown does this

The Prime Minister (PM) PM is the head of government

People don’t vote for the PMCitizens vote for their MP in their

district• David Cameron represents Witney

Majority Party of Parliament picks the PM

Presidential (US, Sep of pwr) v. Parliamentary (UK, Fusion of pwr)

Witney shown within Oxfordshire, and Oxfordshire shown within England

The Cabinet The cabinet contains the PM and

roughly 2 dozen ministers Ministers members from Parliament

(Commons or Lords)• Fusion of Executive and Legislative powers

Not fixed positions or portfolio Foreign Office (Sec St) Home Office (AG) Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treas)

What does it do?

Key functions of the Cabinet:Responsible for policy makingSupreme control of governmentCoordination of all government

departments There is a collective responsibility Checks on the power of PM/ Cabinet

1979-1990 1990-1997 1997-2006

House of Commons Vote of No Confidence

Elections follow no-confidence or dissolution in one month

BackbenchersMPs with little seniority – only seats for 346

Shadow Cabinet Safe Seat

House of Commons Speaker

Chosen by majority after consultation with the minority

Doesn’t eat in the HoC dining room or attend official party functions

Similar to the monarchy in they are above the system

Government Loyal Opposition

Speaker

Clerks

Press Gallery

2 swords-lengths apart

Shadow Cabinet

Cabinet

Backbenchers

An Introduction to Parliament. London: Parliament, 2007. Printed Resources. Parliament Education Service. Web. 29 Dec. 2009. <http://www.parliament.uk/education/online-resources/printed-resources.htm>.

http://www.number10.gov.uk/number-10-tv

MPs submit to Speaker, shuffled. Question #1 Leader of Op – 6 LibDems – 2

Whitehall: The brains of the operation (and the Bureaucracy)

The PM, Cabinet and senior level civil servants determine policy

Successful policy goals must be translated into policy This is completed by half a million civil

servants draft legislation, prepare briefs,

permanent secretaries Labor created NPM (New Public

Management) to streamline the Bureau It is now more transparent, accountable

and efficient

In many countries such as Nigeria,

personal connections and

informal networks play a large role in policy making and implantation. How

different is the British system?

The US?

Judiciary Courts have NOT had judicial review (now,

nonbinding) But 1 system for Scotland, 1 for England and

Wales, another for Northern Ireland. Law Lords: Old final court of appeal Supreme Court of the UK – separated from the

parliamentary process (Oct 09) Final court of appeal 12 independently appointed judges (Justices)

Pressures from above (EU mostly) required the UK to look into this – European Convention on Human Rights especially

QUANGOs: Quasi Autonomous Non Governmental Organizations

They perform a specific function of the government (often at a very local level) Unitary system!

• Education, job training, health, housing Take advantage of private-sector expertise and

efficiency Non-elected Became popular in the 1970s and have increased

in both scope and power The point is to get all of the interested parties

together at one table and create the rules British Potato Council