Hello, everyone.
In the last session, we focused on the Parliament and the first component of the Parliament, the Queen. Today we are going to focus on the rest components of the Parliament: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
You may have been excited about the real existence of princes and princesses in the world, such as Prince William and Princess Kate. And you may have even dreamed of a romantic encounter with them. But in reality it is more likely to meet a real noble than the royal members. The five titles of nobility in Britain are Duke, Marquess, Earl ,Viscount and Baron. All the above-mentioned titles are hereditary. They are generally referred to as \" Lords\".
Apart from these hereditary titles of nobility, there are a number of other titles of honour whose bearers are not nobles by blood. The best known of them is knighthood. The title knight is given to men who have won great success in their careers or who have distinguished themselves with great deeds. About 200 men receive this title each year presently. There are about 5,000 knights living in Britain. Among them are politicians, doctors, academics, actors, artists and even trade union officials. A knight is called Sir. The title is not heritable. For example, David Beckham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bill Gates and so on were knighted. Another noble title is baronet which can be passed down to the next generation. But a baronet is not a real noble by blood.
The House of Lords or the Upper House is the successor to the historical Great Council which was an advisory body to serve the king. It is now made up of two kinds of Lords: the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal. The Lords spiritual are the two Archbishops of Canterbury and York plus 24 senior bishops of the Church of England. The House of Lords Act 1999 reformed the seats of the The lords Temporal. Only the life peers and the selected 92 hereditary peers are qualified to sit in the House of Lords. These persons usually have special knowledge and have some influence on social life. The Upper House is a suitable place for them to voice their ideas. The Upper House has a longer history than the House of Commons and it was dominant. After the House of Commons appeared, the two Houses were considered as having equal power except that the Lower House dominated the policy concerning taxation and government expenditure. Theoretically and in form, a bill passed by the House of Commons or the Lower House has to be approved by the Upper House before it is handed to the Queen for Royal Assent. This arrangement gives the Upper House a veto power.
It is not completely correct to say that the Upper House is only a rubber stamp. Since many Lords are experts in different fields, their opinion and criticism are important for the government. Their debates and discussions are usually of a higher level than those in the Lower House. Sometimes they can get a bill amended through their influence. Lastly, the Upper House can serve as a tentacle for the Government to know social reaction to its policy.
The House of Commons is made up of 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) who are directly elected by universal adult voters. The four countries are divided into 650 districts and each area, known as a constituency, elects one Member of Parliament.
The candidate who receives the largest number of votes in a constituency is elected. The party which wins more than half of the seats at a general election to command a majority of supporters in the House of Commons is asked to form the government by the Queen. As a result, the party itself becomes known as the Government Party. The party which wins the second largest number of seats becomes known as the Opposition Party. The general election of MPs for the House is held once every five years. But if the important policy of the Government fails to pass the House of Commons, the Prime Minister either resigns or asks the Monarch to dissolve Parliament. In the latter case another election will be held before the fixed date. Recently, the result of the referendum on whether Britain to leave or stay in European Union was to leave led to Cameron’s resignation and the new Conservative Party leader Theresa May became the new Prime Minister.
In a Parliament session, leaders of the parties sit on the front benches in the House of Commons while their supporters sit on the back benches and become known as backbenchers, meaning “not important”. The task of the Opposition is to supervise the government, contribute to the formulation of proper policies and oppose what is objectionable. The main function of the House of Commons is law-making and the process is characterized by heated debates between the Government and the Opposition.
In a Parliamentary session, one side of the House with five rows of benches is occupied by the Government and the members who support it; while the other side, also with five rows benches facing them, is occupied by the Opposition Party. There are galleries for peers, diplomats, newsmen and civil servants besides the galleries kept for the use of free visitors who are called strangers in the language of Parliament. Every visitor can listen to the debate so long as he has the time and patience.
Each Parliamentary meeting begins with a fifty-minute “question time” during which Members of Parliament ask questions of government. Besides the question relating to national and international problems, there are also questions relating to matters of individual corporate or local interest Government ministers are required to answer all these questions because they are members of the “responsible government”.
The question time is followed by the main debate of the day. There are many debates, but they must center on a specific proposal or \"motion\". A proposal or motion is normally in the form of a bill. A bill is a measure relating to public policy. When a bill is announced to the House, it is called the first reading. Then debates begin on whether to give the bill a second reading. During these debates, new amendments are proposed and debated. After they are passed, the amendments will be included in the original bill. Then another vote marks the end of the second reading. If accepted, the amended bill will go to a special group for improvement of wording. After that, the bill is returned to the House of Commons for the third reading. If passed, the bill goes to the Upper House for approval. After it is passed there, the bill goes to the monarch for Royal Assent. Then this law becomes known as the Act of Parliament.
Tedious and confusing as this process is, it is really significant in making government decisions. And this British Parliamentary debate form is warmly welcomed and widely adopted in all kinds of English debate contests both in China and abroad now so as to cultivate the critical thinking and leadership in students.
With understanding of the history, the components, the function, the form of the British Parliament, it is easier to under the politics in Britain now. Thank you.
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