Influences on Parliament Flashcards
How many MP’s are there in the house of commons?
650
What is the composition of the House of Commons?
The HOC are elected by the public. Each MP represents a constituency . Members of the HOC change with each general election every 5 years.
What is the composition of the House of Lords?
The HOL are non-elected members of parliament. These members are known as peers. There are 640 life peers and 92 hereditary peers.
What are the 6 influences on parliamentary law making?
- Public Opinion
2.King’s speech - Pressure groups
- Media
- Lobbyists
- Manifesto
What is Public opinion?
When there is a strong opinion about a change to the law. For example, the EU referendum 2016.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Public Opinion
+ The public raises government awareness or concerns on the law.
- The public can be manipulated because the media helps create public opinion.
What is the King’s Speech?
The King’s speech provides the government with an opportunity to highlight its priorities for the months ahead.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the King’s Speech
+ Gives the public a better idea of the priorities of the government for the year ahead.
- Some of the topics covered in this speech may not always come into practice.
What are pressure groups?
Groups with a particular interest aiming to bring matters to the attention of the general public and the government.
Advantages and disadvantages of pressure groups
+Able to raise public awareness of matters affecting their interests or cause.
- They are quite biased in favour of their own interest. Campaigns by pressure groups may not produce a balanced argument.
What is the media?
The ways in which information is supplied to the public.
Advantages and disadvantages of the media?
+ Pressure form the media forces the government to act.
-The media can supply false information and whip up panic in the general public.
What are lobbyists?
Members of the public meet MPS’s in the lobby of the houses of parliament. Any individual can lobby their MP.
Advantages and disadvantages of lobbyists
+ A lobbyist can bring concerns of the general public to the attention of those in power and can help shape the decisions made.
- Lobbying can be inconvenient for the MP’s and lead to a large amount of money being spent on campaigns and other political efforts creating an uneven playing field.
What is a manifesto?
The main way in which a political party aims to persuade people to vote for them. The winning party has the whole life of parliament (5 years) to bring in the reforms in their manifesto.
