Parliament

• Parliament is made up of 3 parts:

  • House of Commons
  • House of Lords
  • Monarchy
• House of Commons:

  • most important part of Parliament
  • represents the people (650 members chosen through elections)
  • government has a majority (326 members)
  • Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party
  • make proposals for new laws / bills
• House of Lords:

  • members (800) are called peers
  • used to be fully hereditary but now only 90
  • includes Church of England bishops and archbishops
  • life peers can’t pass on to children
  • main job is to double check on new laws
  • most peers are ex-MPs or experts in a particular field
• The House of Lords

  They check that laws are right for the country and not just for the government. Because they are not elected, they don’t have to worry too much about public opinion – they can do the right thing, even if the majority of people think differently – they can resist the ‘tyranny of the majority’ Double checking is designed to be more objective / philosophical / ethical – same reason why the Ancient Greeks didn’t elect lawmakers. Traditionally, because they were all wealthy and powerful, they could resist pressure from the

  government – they could resist tyranny.