Parliament of the United Kingdom

{{ukpolitics}}The '''Parliament of the United Kingdom''' consists of the House of Commons and House of Lords.

== House of Commons ==
[[File:House of Commons 2010.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Hot Air]]

The '''House of Commons''' is the "lower" house (meaning the real power-house) of the [[UK]] Parliament. Britons elect its members ("Members of Parliament" or MPs) on a [[first past the post | first-past-the-post]] basis, one member per geographical electorate, at least every five years. Since 2010 the Commons has had 650 MPs.

===Glorious history===
The Commons started as an intermittent Medieval [[lobbying]] organisation — promoting the opinions of elected/appointed representatives to the {{wpl|executive branch|executive power|,}} the [[British monarchy | King of England]].<ref>
Compare:
{{cite book
| last1 = Moloney
| first1 = Kevin
| chapter = 4: Corporate and government communication: relationships, opportunities and tensions
| editor1-last = Oliver
| editor1-first = Sandra M.
| title = A Handbook of Corporate Communication and Public Relations
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AOB-AgAAQBAJ
| location = London
| publisher = Routledge
| publication-date = 2004
| page = 63 
| isbn = 9781134314485
| access-date = 2017-10-13
| quote = [...] lobbying is a modern expression of the medieval right to petition the sovereign and to seek redress [...].
}}
</ref>
In a series of gradual power-grabs over the centuries, the House started dictating to the Crown (stopping [[tax | income]], rebelling, denying Divine Right(!), [[English Civil War | executing one monarch]], {{wpl|Glorious Revolution|deposing monarchs|,}}) and edging out the House of Lords to become the actual centre of influence and legislation and to incorporate some of its own members - the Cabinet - as the ''de-facto'' executive.

===Relationship with the Government===
By convention, the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] holds office so long as they hold the confidence of the Commons. The electoral system generally returns a majority for one or other of the major parties, and the leader of that party is appointed Prime Minister by the [[monarch]]. The second largest party forms Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, and has its own "Shadow Cabinet" to reflect the Government Cabinet. In the 2010 election, however, neither party obtained an absolute majority and a coalition government was formed between the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], (whose leader [[David Cameron]] became Prime Minister) and the [[Liberal Democrats]] led by the Deputy Prime Minister [[Nick Clegg]]. This state of affairs ended when the Tories took an absolute majority of seats in [[UK General Election, 2015|2015]].

===Expenses scandal===
In May 2009 the ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'' began publishing details of MPs' expenses claims (for the costs of maintaining a second home in London) which had been leaked to it. The Commons had been for some time been fighting a rearguard action against a Freedom of Information Act request by the journalist Heather Brooke for details of these claims. Having lost before the Information Tribunal and the High Court, the Commons authorities decided against changing the law to exempt themselves from the requirements they had imposed on everyone else (which puts them a step ahead of [[Tom DeLay|Congressional Republicans]] in the US) and announced they would publish heavily-redacted details of these claims. However, during the process of redaction a copy of all the claims was made and leaked to the Torygraph.

Among the revelations were that the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith had claimed for two pay-TV [[pornography|pr0n movies]] (watched by her husband) and 89p for a bathplug, which was ironic since her ministerial position then disappeared down the plughole, followed quickly by her seat in Parliament.<ref>Andrew Sparrow, [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/oct/12/smith-expenses-breach Jacqui Smith apologises to MPs for misusing second home allowance]. ''[[The Guardian]]'', 12 October 2019.</ref>

As a result of the revelations numerous MPs decided not to contest their seats at the 2010 General Election, and a number were later imprisoned for making false claims.

{{cquote|The expenses scandal also exposed a striking hypocrisy among the political elite. The outriders had preached the rolling back of the state, and their sermon was picked up and amplified by politicians. [[Benefit scrounger|Those people portrayed as dependent on the state]] became particularly demonized ... It's ironic, then, that the individuals most vociferous about rolling back the state were also the most desperate to milk it – even though, in many cases, they were already independently wealthy.|||Owen Jones<ref>Owen Jones, [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LOG2AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT69&lpg=PT69&dq=The+expenses+scandal+also+exposed+a+striking+hypocrisy+among+the+political+elite.+The+outriders+had+preached+the+rolling+back+of+the+state,+and+their+sermon+was+picked+up+and+amplified+by+politicians.+Those+people+portrayed+as+dependent+on+the+state+became+particularly+demonized+...+It%27s+ironic,+then,+that+the+individuals+most+vociferous+about+rolling+back+the+state+were+also+the+most+desperate+to+milk+it+%E2%80%93+even+though,+in+many+cases,+they+were+already+independently+wealthy.&source=bl&ots=Xkl0EGnaG5&sig=-19aT2YybfIDG6Dv-6mFWgDrvoo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjU7Kiq7qfXAhVEAxoKHb5iDckQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=The%20expenses%20scandal%20also%20exposed%20a%20striking%20hypocrisy%20among%20the%20political%20elite.%20The%20outriders%20had%20preached%20the%20rolling%20back%20of%20the%20state%2C%20and%20their%20sermon%20was%20picked%20up%20and%20amplified%20by%20politicians.%20Those%20people%20portrayed%20as%20dependent%20on%20the%20state%20became%20particularly%20demonized%20...%20It's%20ironic%2C%20then%2C%20that%20the%20individuals%20most%20vociferous%20about%20rolling%20back%20the%20state%20were%20also%20the%20most%20desperate%20to%20milk%20it%20%E2%80%93%20even%20though%2C%20in%20many%20cases%2C%20they%20were%20already%20independently%20wealthy.&f=false ''The Establishment and How They Get Away With It'']</ref>}}

===Prime Minister's Questions===
Prime Ministers Questions (often called PMQs) is a House of Commons tradition in which Members of Parliament, including the Leader of the Opposition, can put questions to the sitting Prime Minister. Well either that or rant and rave and make spectacles of themselves while trying to score political points.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/a-z_of_parliament/p-q/82556.stm "Prime Minister's Questions"] [[BBC]] News Online, 24 January 2006</ref>

It takes place every Wednesday at noon and usually lasts for thirty to forty minutes.

Opinions of PMQs are mixed among the British public. Many consider it to be an important part of British tradition. Others see it as important for democracy as it allows for heavy scrutiny of the Prime Minister. Some have criticised it for child-like and noisy behaviour from MPs.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34264683 "Jeremy Corbyn asks David Cameron ;questions from public'"], [[BBC]] News 16 September 2015</ref> Others have criticised MPs for attending PMQs while not showing up for important debates.

===Notable Members of Parliament===
*[[David Tredinnick]] was forced to resign from his position as a Parliamentary Private Secretary, the lowest (unpaid) rung on the ministerial ladder, after being found to have accepted a £1,000 bribe for asking questions in Parliament. He later drew derision after claiming in a Parliamentary debate that, during certain phases of the moon "Surgeons will not operate because blood clotting is not effective and the police have to put more people on the street."<ref>http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2009-10-14c.412.0</ref> The outgoing Chief Scientist, Sir John Beddington, later suggested that Tredinnick had fallen for the [[Galileo fallacy]].
*[[Ignaz Trebitsch Lincoln]], a multi-national chameleon-like charlatan, who had a short and unusually uneventful (for him) time as an MP.

== House of Lords ==
[[File:House of Lords 2011.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Uncertain Purpose]]

The '''House of Lords''' refers to the [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom's]] upper house of parliament and, until (relatively)<ref group=note>Remember, almost a thousand years of continuous post-Norman governance, and the House of Lords' appellate function dates to about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_functions_of_the_House_of_Lords#Historical_development 1399].</ref> recently, its highest appeal court. The lower house is the House of Commons. Most of its members are appointed by the UK's reigning monarch on the advice of the prime minister.<ref name="lordsappoint">[https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/members-and-their-roles/how-members-are-appointed/ How members are appointed] Parliament of the UK</ref> Non-party-political members must be recommended by the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission.<ref name="lordsappoint"></ref> The primary practical function of the House of Lords is to scrutinize laws and policies of the government. While it cannot prevent the passage of legislation, it can delay bills or force the House of Commons to hold another debate on previously passed legislation to reconsider.<ref>Carmichael, Paul; Dickson, Brice (1999). The House of Lords: Its Parliamentary and Judicial Roles. Hart Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-84113-020-0.</ref>

The number of seats in the House of Lords is not fixed, and it is the only upper house of a legislature to have a larger number of seats than its corresponding lower house.<ref>Alan Siaroff, Comparing Political Regimes, University of Toronto Press 2013, chapter 6.</ref> Today, most of the members of the House of Lords are "life peers," individuals granted titles by the monarch who cannot pass these titles to their family.<ref>[https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/life-peers/ Life Peers] Parliament of the UK</ref> Of the hereditary peers, only 92 remain.<ref>[https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/hereditary-peers/ Hereditary Peers] Parliament of the UK</ref> The House of Lords also has 26 seats reserved for Bishops, known as "Lords Spiritual".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/lords-spiritual-and-temporal/|title=Lords Spiritual and Temporal|publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom}}</ref>

===The judicial bit===
The Appellate Committee of the House of Lords was, until October 2009, the highest court of appeal in the United Kingdom. Its members, the Law Lords (which would make a great band name) were also members of the legislative bit of the House of Lords. Despite a long standing convention that Law Lords take no part in debates on pieces of legislation, it was still generally felt that having judges as members of a legislature was a bit dodgy in a supposedly democratic nation. So, in 2005, they decided to move the Law Lords to a new Supreme Court, which opened in 2009. Basically nothing changed, but things look a bit more legit now.

===The legislative bit===
As of 2024, the House of Lords consists of 805<ref>Sam Francis, [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1ln8z0jdz3o Sue Gray among 30 newly appointed Labour peers]. ''BBC'', 20 December 2024.</ref> "peers" who are mostly appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, which basically means "appointed by the Prime Minister". Significant modernisation took place during the 20th century, including:

*The Parliament Act 1911, which reduced the power of the Lords to account for the fact that, at the time, it was full of evil landowning money-grabbing wankers who always voted with the Conservatives. Since then, the Lords have only been able to delay Bills, not defeat them outright. This is a good thing, because peers are not elected, unlike members of the House of Commons.
*The Life Peerages Act 1958 allowed the Prime Ministers to create "life" peers rather than having to justify creating a hereditary peer.
*The House of Lords Act 1999 reduced the number of hereditary peers to 92, with plans to get rid of those too. This is definitely a good thing. This means that the majority of peers are now life peers.

On appointment, peers remain in the House until they die, voluntarily retire, or are dismissed for being very naughty. Voluntary retirement from the House of Lords only became possible in 2014 with the introduction of the House of Lords Reform Act. The same Act also allows for a peer to be dismissed for non-attendance, criminal conviction, or misconduct.

The modern House of Lords functions essentially as an expert advisory body, whose members are appointed for their services to business, to the arts, to technology, to basically anything.

===The other bit===
The Lords are often accused of being up to no good. These accusations roughly fall into three groups:
* Expenses scandals.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13599624 Ex-Tory peer Lord Taylor jailed for expenses fraud] [[BBC]] News 31 May 2011</ref><ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11771859/Revealed-The-silent-peers-who-have-claimed-nearly-2m.html Scandal of the 'silent peers' who claim more than £1.6m in expenses despite mimimal participation in House of Lords] ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'' 29 Jul 2015</ref><ref>[https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/house-of-lords-in-fresh-expenses-row-after-17-peers-claim-400k-despite-minimal-work-a3666086.html House of Lords in fresh expenses row after 17 peers claim £400k despite minimal work] ''Evening Standard'' 24 October 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41336667 House of Lords rejects 'couch potato peers' allegation] [[BBC]] News 21 September 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/house-of-lords-expenses-peers-claim-contribute-attend-debates-votes-lord-kirkhill-baroness-adams-a8016981.html House of Lords: New expenses row as 16 peers claim around £400,000 despite failing to contribute] ''The Independent'' 24 October 2017</ref>
*Sex related scandals.<ref>[https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/sexist-sign-taken-down-from-house-of-lords-bar-amid-westminster-sexual-harassment-scandal-a3674841.html 'Sexist' sign taken down from House of Lords bar amid Westminster sexual harassment scandal] ''Evening Standard'' 2 November 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11130144/Top-10-British-sex-scandals.html Top 11 British sex scandals] ''[[Daily Telegraph]]''</ref><ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/uk-lord-quits-after-coke-sex-scandal U.K. Lord Quits After Coke, Sex Scandal]</ref> Including claims one in five Parliamentary staff are sexually harassed, mainly aimed at members of the neighbouring House of Commons.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/westminster-sexual-harassment-one-five-report-leaked-mps-lords-staff-a8199401.html Westminster scandal: Report shows one in five people in Parliament have experienced sexual harassment] ''The Independent'' 7 February 2018</ref><ref>Rob Merrick, [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/westminster-bar-sexual-harassment-claims-sports-and-social-club-privat-firms-staff-mps-parliament-a8046446.html Westminster announces crackdown in Parliament's Sports and Social Club bar after sexual harassment claims]. ''The Independent'', 9 November 2017.</ref>
*Drug related scandals, such as the incident with Lord Sewel.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/27/lord-sewel-scandal-financial-sexual The real Lord Sewel scandal is financial, not sexual] ''[[The Guardian]]'' 27 July 2015</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/watch-the-undercover-footage-that-allegedly-shows-labour-peer-lord-sewel-snorting-cocaine-with-two-10417927.html The undercover footage that allegedly shows peer Lord Sewel snorting cocaine with two prostitutes] ''The Independent'' 27 July 2015</ref>

Like most scandals, the media grabs hold of the smallest thing and blows it way out of proportion, leading to mass embarrassment.{{citation needed|joke}}

== Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:British politics]]
[[Category:Law]]
[[Category:United Kingdom government]]

Categories: British politics, Law, United Kingdom government