Jan 13 - Parliament Agenda: Notes: Parliament PMQT HW: Finish the UK Chapter Take out: Notes Pen/Pencil Queens Speech Worksheet

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

Only power to delay legislation: A chamber of revision 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 2009 Life Peers (appointed by the Crown on recommendation of the PM) Hereditary Peers Church of England Cross Benchers

Hereditary: Elected by Party By Party Strength Party Life Peers Hereditary: Elected by Party Hereditary: Elected Hereditary: * Royal Bishops Total Conservative 150 39 9 198 Labour 212 2 216 Liberal Democrat 67 3 72 Crossbench 173 29 206 26 Other** 12 14 TOTAL 614 75 15 732 By Type Men Women Total Archbishops and bishops 26 Life Peers under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 22 1 23 Life Peers under the Life Peerages Act 1958 457 145 602 Peers under House of Lords Act 1999 90 2 92 TOTAL 595 148 743 Wakeham Commission Most Hereditary Peers were stripped of their right to speak or vote in 1999 I'm in the House of Lords because my forebears got pissed with Pitt and wallowed with Walpole," said the seventh Earl of Onslow in a burst of alliterative bluntness in 2003. He might have added that, had it not been for the cunning Conservative Cranborne, there would be no hereditary peers left in the Lords. Viscount Cranborne - whose family had sat in the Lords since the time of Elizabeth I – brokered a deal with Labour in 1998 to protect some of the hereditary peers from constitutional reform. By threatening all-out war on Labour's legislative programme he orchestrated a compromise to save 92 of them. The 759 contenders were given a maximum of 75 words to argue their case. One wrote just three: Sedeo ergo sum - I sit therefore I am. – from The Guardian NB Excludes 11 peers who are on leave of absence.

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 PM Citizens 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: 1990-1997 1979-1990 1997-2006 Key functions of the Cabinet: Responsible for policy making Supreme control of government Coordination of all government departments There is a collective responsibility Checks on the power of PM/ Cabinet

House of Commons Vote of No Confidence Backbenchers Shadow Cabinet Elections follow no-confidence or dissolution in one month Backbenchers MPs 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

PM LO Press Gallery Speaker Backbenchers Clerks Shadow Cabinet Cabinet Seating arrangement?  what encourage? Direct interaction, tables interfere with direct physical confrontation, which the arrangement seems to promote. Encourage 2 sided debate. Side by side means discussion and negotiation with allies is difficult (more party leader role). Govt sits side by side so should show agreement. Speaker less central role. Cabinet 2 swords-lengths apart Government Loyal Opposition

Members move into special division lobbies Doors are locked 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>. Called ‘Division’ Lasts for 10 minutes Members move into special division lobbies Doors are locked

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 The Supreme Court hears appeals from the following courts in each jurisdiction: England and Wales The Court of Appeal, Civil Division The Court of Appeal, Criminal Division (in some limited cases) the High Court Scotland The Court of Session Northern Ireland The Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland 17

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