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Functions of Parliament - Coggle Diagram
Functions of Parliament
Legislative
Effective
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The government can effectively pursue legislation that they prioritised in the previous election manifesto and pass it through parliament with relative ease
The lords are often experts in certain issues and many are non-affiliated a party allowing for more objective analysis of bills.
The legislative process is robust and requires a bill to pass multiple stages. The committee stage involved detailed analysis of the bill and allows backbench MPs to contribute to the final report back to the commons.
Legislative Process
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Second reading - Debated between opposition and support - No amendments made - Voted upon at the end
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Report and Third Reading - Report back to the chamber and only the amendments will be discussed - No more amendments can take place
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Not Effective
Executive ultimately controls the legislative agenda (most of the time in the commons is dedicated to government bills); Due to government whips, MPs are typically bound to server the government’s interests in a vote.
The House of Lords involvement as an unelected chamber were historically obstructive of legislation using a veto, despite parliament acts curbing this they continue to be assertive against the commons.
Rare for private member Bills to successful as they are typically heard on Fridays and can be shouted down.
Represenative
Trustees – they are elected to act according to their own judgement, even when this goes against the wishes of their constituents
Delegates – they are elected to act according to the wishes of their constituents, even when this goes against their own judgement
Party Representation
The existence of whips means that MPs conform consistently to the party line due to concerns for their own progression or suspension from the party
Electoral system FPTP disproportionately favours two party system and minimises the strength of smaller parties
Existence of independent MPs in parliament suggests that they do not need a party platform to advocate for key issues
Multiparty system exists in the house of commons showcasing a range of political ideologies and policies to develop - Pluralism
Social Representation
2/5 of MPs are women, 64 MPs and LGBTQ+ and 14% of MPs are ethnic minorities compared to 17% of the total population
More reflective of wider British society and the most diverse parliament, however there remains a need for parties to also reflect diversity and there is still progress to be made
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