The Parliament of Great Britain is one of the oldest estate bodies in the world. It was founded in 1265 and to this day exists with minor changes. The English Parliament consists of two houses: communities and Lords. The first, although it has the name lower, still plays a much greater, if not decisive, role in the British Parliament.
"Mother" of representative bodies of the world
The British Parliament is called that. It has been functioning for nearly 800 years! Just think about it! In world history, not many states can boast such a lifespan. During this time, the country's parliament remained unchanged and both in 1265 and today it consists of the lower and upper chambers, as well as the monarch. The history of the country is inextricably linked with this state body, because how did he (the body) manage it. Laws and decrees, important changes are all the activities of parliament. It can affect public opinion, as well as government action. For several centuries, the English Parliament has been the center of the political life of the United Kingdom.
So is it lower or not?
If we follow the process of political changes and the degree of influence of the chambers, it will not be difficult to come to the conclusion about the supremacy of the lower house. It is in this chamber that elections take place, applicants come to it only through the electoral system and do tremendous work for the longest stay there. Parliamentarians of the House of Commons are the main lawmakers of the state. All the time they should be on the pulse of internal and foreign policy events for the earliest possible response to various kinds of economic, political and social messages. As a result, the leadership of this part of the parliament can be traced even with a superficial familiarization with the functions of the estate-representative body.
House of Commons and suffrage
The House of Commons of Great Britain, having the principle of electivity, has one goal. As you know, the kingdom is a bipartisan system. And the whole political struggle for power takes place between the two parties. As a result of elections to parliament, their representatives come. And then everything is simple: for whose party will be the majority, that will rule the ball. This system has already become traditional for Great Britain with its parties Whig and Tories, which today are called liberals and conservatives, respectively.
All citizens over the age of 18 who live in the district, as well as those on the registration electoral lists, participate in the elections. These lists are compiled annually by October 10th. And on November 29, they are posted on public display with the aim of checking them by the citizens themselves and possible adjustments.
I must say that there is a system of elections by mail, as well as by proxy in cases of illness or absence in the district at the time of the election.
As in other countries, mentally ill citizens, foreign persons serving sentences for grave and especially grave crimes, persons convicted of dishonesty in the elections who have not reached the age of 18, as well as peers, with the exception of Irish, do not take part in the elections.
Who can be elected to parliament?
The House of Commons is formed by citizens who comply with passive suffrage. This right is vested in all citizens who have reached 21 years of age, with the exception of:
- mentally ill;
- paid judges and magistrates;
- peers and peers, with the exception of the Irish, as they do not have the right to be members of the House of Lords of the English Parliament;
- civil servants (a public servant wishing to take part in an election must first quit his job and then run for office);
- military personnel (an officer who wishes to participate in elections must first resign, after which he can nominate his candidacy);
- heads of public corporations (for example, the BBC);
- representatives of the clergy.
If a person does not meet the above requirements, he cannot participate in the elections. In cases where this was not discovered before the election, the candidacy may be withdrawn during the election and even after it. Then the vacated seat is declared vacant, and the elections are held again. An elected member of the House of Commons is vested with all the prescribed powers.
Term of Authority
Newly elected parliamentarians are vested with rights for a period of 5 years. However, the moments of dissolution and self-dissolution should be taken into account. With regards to the first, the British Prime Minister can offer him, and the monarch, in turn, does not even have, in fact, “written” circumstances to reject his proposal. The prime minister can be guided by various facts, most often this is due to precedents within the parliament. For example, after the end of World War II, the first parliament, which worked for the entire term, was elected in 1992.
In some cases (which is extremely rare), the UK Parliament may announce the dissolution or extension of its authority. With regards to the first, the last time this happened more than 100 years ago - in 1911. And if we talk about the extension of authority, they took place during the First and Second World Wars.
Composition and regional formation
The House of Commons is composed of 659 members. This figure has not always been this way; it varies depending on the growth of the population in the districts and cities of the country. For example, over the past 70 years, the size of the lower house has increased by 10%.
If we consider the composition in a regional context, the lion's share is parliamentarians from England - 539 members, Scotland is represented by 61 seats, Wales - 41 and Northern Ireland - 18 seats.
The party composition is formed depending on the work done, as well as the oratory of nominees from districts and cities. I must say that the struggle is quite fierce, no one wants to back down, and most often the voices differ slightly.
Speaker of the lower house
The House of Commons is not just a bunch of deputies united by a common goal. This body has a clear hierarchy and persons performing certain duties. There are few such posts, these include a speaker with three of his deputies, the leader of the chamber, as well as the bailiff.
The speaker is one of the deputies of the House and is elected by his colleagues with the personal approval of the monarch. Usually he elects the most authoritative member of the ruling party, although there are exceptions. His election takes place once, but he remains in his post until he loses the election or resigns of his own free will. The speaker is assigned the functions of establishing the order of performance of deputies. It belongs to him the sole right to close the debate. As a result, the importance and place of speaker for the parliament of the lower house of Great Britain is invaluable. In the exercise of his powers, the speaker wears a robe and a white wig. Interestingly, after the end of his term of office, he is awarded the title of baron, which makes him a member of the upper house.
Deputy Speakers, Leader, Clerk and Bailiff
The speaker has three deputies. The first is also the chair of ways and means. His duty is to replace the speaker when he is absent. In the cases of his absence, the powers are transferred to two other deputies. Three deputies are elected from among deputies at the proposal of the leader of the chamber.
The leader is an equally important chamber official. This position is not elective. The leader is appointed by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, as a rule, the choice falls on the most influential and authoritative figure in the chamber.
The functions of the secretary are assigned to the clerk, who is given 2 assistants to help. The clerk’s main function is to advise the speaker, the opposition, and the government. As a result, he, along with the speaker and the leader of the chamber, is one of the most important persons. Security in the lower house is a matter of national importance, for which the bailiff is responsible.
Meeting place
Historically, meetings of both houses take place in the Palace of Westminster. The green room is given to the lower house, it is small in size and looks quite modest. On two opposite sides of the room are benches. In the middle between them there is a passage. At the end of the room is a place for the speaker’s chair, in front of which is a massive table - a place for a mace. Clerks sit at the table next to the speaker and give him advice. Deputies take seats on benches for a reason: deputies from the ruling party are seated on the right hand of the speaker, and the opposition on the left.
In front of the front rows of benches on each side there are red lines - these are the borders. They are located at a distance of the length of two swords from each other. Deputies are not allowed to cross these lines during debates. At the intersection, it is believed that the speaker wants to attack his opponent. Front seats are secretly assigned to government ministers and opposition leaders.
In crowded but not mad…
A distinctive feature that the lower house is endowed with is the lack of seats. There are only 427 on the benches. Although it was said above that 659 deputies are sitting in the chamber. Thus, more than 200 people are forced to be at the entrance. From Monday to Thursday, the working week lasts, sometimes meetings are held on Fridays. In cases associated with a threat to national security, deputies rest only one day - on Sunday.
Most recently, meetings were allowed to be held in another room of the palace - Westminster Hall. However, serious questions are not understood in it.
Committees
Various committees are created for the final wording and adoption of laws or bills by the chamber:
- Permanent. They are created at the beginning of the convocation of the next parliament and operate throughout the entire period of its powers. Its name does not mean the invariability of its composition. Committees, like the House of Commons, use elections every time to create and review new bills.
- Special. There are 14 ad hoc committees in the English parliament. Their main responsibility is to monitor the activities of ministries. This system was created in 1979 and is regarded as the most important reform of the century, which allows to qualitatively improve the work of the government.
- Session. Some of the committees are created for a year, that is, at a session of the parliament, which is why they got their name. These are mainly production committees, and they operate strictly within the scope of the House of Commons itself.
In addition to the three main types of committees, in some cases joint committees are established. They consist of representatives of both houses of parliament, as they affect the interests of both communities and lords.
Thus, the political system of the United Kingdom, developing over many centuries of its history, has come a long way. The most significant moment in its formation is the creation and evolution of the estate-representative body - the parliament. As a result of the harmonious system of work of its chambers, Britain is today one of the leading countries in the world economy and politics. At the same time, the House of Commons plays a dominant role in political transformations and socio-economic changes within the state.