Lesson 31 Flashcards
When the PM’s MPs ask her (pretend it was you) questions at PMQs, why is the Prime Minister already ready for them?
Because she gives them the questions to ask
David Cameron’s appointment as foreign secretary shows how Parliament isn’t effective. How?
Major ministers can sit in the Lords
E.g. Lord Cameron as foreign secretary
E.g. Lord Carrington as foreign secretary under Thatcher
And as he doesn’t sit in the Commons also (as he isn’t an MP), he can’t be scrutinised by the opposition party
Why are ministers so often so useless?
Ministers are not specialised in their fields
Ministers change positions and stay at their posts for very short periods (e.g. Suella was not home secretary for long)
The PM has to choose from a small pool of terrible talent (her MPs) who aren’t particularly specialised for their ministerial jobs
Ministers are more selected for loyalty
How does Blair show the House of Commons is effective?
Because, just be having a strong majority in Parliament, he was able to pass so many bills that caused real change e.g. House of Lords Act, Belfast Agreement, etc etc
How can the Commons override the Lords? (Acts)
1911 and 1949 Parliament Acts
Example of when the Commons overrode the Lord?
2000
Sexual Offences (Amendment) bill
Made the legal age for gay sex 16 not 18
Lords refused this
Government invoke the 1949 Parliament Act to give the bill royal assent
Example under Brown when a bill was dropped due to now support in the Lords?
2008
Brown wanted to pass the ‘Counter-Terrorism Bill’
But a clause in it enabled terror suspects to be held for 42 days without charge
Won in the Commons by only 8 votes
Defeated in the Lords by 191 votes
Leading to Brown dropping the bill
Example under Johnson when the gov. rejected the Lords’ proposed amendments?
January 2020
EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill
Commons rejected all 5 proposals made by the Lords to amend it
One of them was the Dubs amendment, ensuring that child refugees would still be able to join relatives in the UK after Brexit
Sessional committees
Deal with a particular issue and last from one parliamentary session to the next
Special enquiry (ad hoc) committes
Investigate a specific issue but are set up for a specific time period
Why did Angela Eagle say the gov. was ‘governing from the shadows’?
Veteran Labour MP Angela Eagle said this
About Con. governments
By using secondary legislation
Which can be done by ministers or civil servants
And doesn’t need the Commons to scrutinise it
Example of secondary legislation being abused in the past?
2020
1618 statutory instruments were passed
Whilst only 29 acts of Parliament were
Secondary legislation
Amendments to current acts
Through statutory instruments (known as Henry the 8th clauses)
Which is not scrutinised by Parliament
Primary legislation
Proposed to the Commons
Debated and scrutinised on
When were tons of statutory instruments used in recent times?
COVID-19
Used statutory instruments to develop policy around it
Which Lindsay Hoyle was highly critical of
He said that the way the gov was using these instruments to create policy was ‘totally unsatisfactory’
