Parliament Overview

parliament: most common name for an elected body that forms the legislature

vote of no confidence: a vote held in the HofC following a debate where the government has been criticised; it holds the govt to account and tests whether parliament thinks they should still govern

reserve powers: powers that exist but should/are only ever used in extreme circumstances

bicameral: a word used to describe a political system with two chambers

backbencher: an MP that is not seniot nor holds a cabinet position; usually more independent

party whip: maintains party discipline and loyalty, informs MPs of parliamentary business and informs party leadership on voting intentions

accountability: key part of true democracy; they must justify what they do to the people that elect them, explain and face criticism

consent: a law/decision must have the consent of the people. in a parliamentary democracy consent can be granted by parliament on behalf of the people

crossbencher: members of the HofL that are not formally a member of a political party

redress of grievances: an MP will raise an issue that a constituent may have against a public body. can result in legislation being thrown out of the amended

scrutiny: both house do this - process of checking that legislation is clear, fair and protects ministers; they do not require the approval of parliament

secondary legislation (delegated legislation): laws and regulations made by govt ministers; they do not require the approval of parliament

division: the name used for a vote in parliament

life peer: a prominent member of society that is granted a peerage

cronyism: an accusation that party leaders offer peerages to their supporters whether or not they deserve the honour

white paper: a doc that outlines the main aims and terms of a public bill - used before it is converted into a bill and problems are identified at this stage

  • the UK Parliament has two Houses > House of Commons and the House of Lords

  • our system is one of bicameralism: 2 houses of the legislature/parliament which complement each other

  • UK Parliament = Westminster model

    • government is drawn from parliament and not separately elected

    • govt should therefore theoretically be accountable to

the birth of modern parliament:

  • Some point to Magna Carta under ‘bad King John’ as the first step but the biggest impact was the battle between Parliament and the Monarchy in the Seventeenth Century.​

  • Disputes over money, power and the religious division between a King who seemed to favour elements of Catholicism and a Parliament who were largely Puritan ended up in war in 1642. ​

  • At the war’s end, King Charles 1 was executed and Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector. Parliament were now much more powerful

  • In 1688 the Monarchy was restored (the Glorious Revolution) but now Parliament was entrenched as the decision making body of the country. ​

  • From here on, the Divine Rights of Kings and Queens no longer applied and the Monarch became more of a figurehead. The last time a Monarch refused to pass a law made by parliament was in 1708.

Parliamentary: a system of politics where government is drawn from Parliament and is accountable to Parliament. In other words, the government has no separate authority from that of Parliament.​

Presidential: in contrast to parliamentary government, a president normally has a separate source of authority from that of the legislature. This means that the executive is accountable to the people directly, not to the legislature. 

parliamentary govt:

  • Parliament is the highest source of political authority.​

  • Government must be drawn from Parliament.​

  • No strict separation of powers​

  •  between legislative and executive.​

  • Government is accountable to Parliament.​

presidential govt:

  • Legislative and executive (President) have separate sources of authority and are separately elected.​

  • The president is not part of the legislature.​

  • The president is accountable directly to the people, not the legislature.​

  • There is a clear separation of powers between the executive and the legislature.​

  • A codified constitution separates these powers.

seven key functions of HofC:

  1. Legitimising​

  2. Legislating​

  3. Make government accountable​

  4. Scrutiny of legislation​

  5. Constituency representation​

  6. Representation of interests ​

  7. National debate​