PARLIAMENT, COMPOSITION, ROLE AND FUNCTIONS

Question 1

Vernon Bogdanot quote?

Answer 1

“The British constitution can thus be summed in 8 words, what the Queen enacts in Parliament is law”

Question 2

Parliament, as a legislative body, consists of…

Answer 2

• House of commons
• House of Lords
• The Crown
  By convention, the monarch exercises her parliamentary functions on Prime Ministerial advice (influenced by the PM)

Question 3

What is ‘bicameralism’?

Answer 3

• A bicameral legislature is one that consists of two chambers/houses
• Bi = two, camera = chamber
• In the UK, the HoC is democratically elected.

Question 4

How many MPs is the HoC made up of?

Answer 4

650

Question 5

The Conservative Party Manifesto 2015?

Answer 5

‘In the next parliament, we will address the unfairness of the current parliamentary boundaries, reduce the number of MPs to 600 to cut the cost of politics and make votes of more equal value.’

Question 6

What is ‘first past-the-post electoral system’?

Answer 6

• Also called ‘single member district pluraliy’
• Single member constituencies
• Candidate with plurality of votes (more than any other candidate) wins the seat.
• Outcome is not a mirror of the nation.
• Favours on adversial approach to politics and popular approval is critical because minor shifts in support lead to major gains/losses of seats in parliament.

Question 7

Fixed Parliaments Act 2011?

Answer 7

An act to make provision about the dissolution of Parliament and the determination of polling days for parliamentary general elections, and for connected purposes.

Question 8

How many people in House of Lords?

Answer 8

683 life peers, 91 hereditary peers, 24 Lords spiritual.