House Of Commons Party Roles

Improved Essays
Comparing party roles in the UK House of Commons and U.S. Congress During my research of comparing the party roles of the UK House of Commons and the U.S. Congress, I found a variety of differences between the two bodies of government. I found many of the difference by researching the histories of both the House of Commons and U.S. Congress. I various research tools that I used included websites, books, class material and encyclopedias. My goal for this essay is to describe, in the uttermost detail, the comparing of the party roles in the House of Commons and the U.S. Congress in terms that make sense to the everyday common reader. To achieve this goal of exploring some of the main difference and likeness of the two different government …show more content…
Parliament is the highest legislative authority in the governmental system for Great Britain. The two sides of Parliament are the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is the powerhouse of the legislative authority in Great Britain. Members of the House of Commons must be at least 18 years of age. The House of Commons is primarily made up of 650 members directly elected in a First Past the Post system. The House has authority to vote money or withhold it from various public departments and services. The House also has the right to impose taxes. One of the main functions of the House of Commons is to pass laws. Also, they must debate the major issues of the day. Lastly they are to provide the means on the work of …show more content…
The House of Commons origins date back to the second half of the 13thcentury in Great Britain. This is when landholders and other property owners in the counties and towns began sending representatives to Parliament to present grievances and petitions to the king and to accept commitments to the payment of taxes. This allowed knights and burgesses to be chosen as representatives in the 14th century. Up until the 17th century, the House of Lords was the more powerful sector of the two groups. Over the years, as the centuries have past, it has slowly but surely diminished from its once powerful entity. By the late 17th century, the House of Commons had worked on gaining minimum power. One of the things that they had gained was the sole right to initiate taxation measures among the people of Great Britain. Although the House of Commons had gained power with the taxation rights, the House of the Lords still retained its veto power over bills passed by the Commons. Bills can be introduced into either the House of Lords or the House of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Congressional branch of the American federal government is very complex with many powers, responsibilities, and many people to help decide and carry out its work. Congress gathers the collective ideas and opinions of the American people to create the ideal legislative body. Congress has many powers granted to them by the Constitution in the Federal Government. Congress’ main and greatest power is the power to make laws. The laws put in place by Congress affect the entire nation as a whole, and even other countries if the law affects foreign relations.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Making laws is the main job of Congress. During each two-year Congress, senators and representatives introduce up to 10,000 bills. In that period, Congress passes, and the president signs into law, about 600 bills (Davidson). Congress does more than making laws; it investigates the actions of the executive branch and makes sure the laws are carried out. The executive branch creates and enforces regulations based on the laws (Davidson).…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Although Labour had the most seats in the Commons, they did not have a majority, and consequently a hung parliament. In essence, it's a chain reaction – the 1970s was a very rare case in that general election results did not produce the usual disproportional results attributed to the plurality method. This in turn breaks the mould of the two-party system, with the Liberals being the main benefactors in this case. As a consequence, cabinet do not dominate and are very much accountable to parliament as they can, in such a scenario, force them out of office. However, such an event, although it has happened in the past, is very rare.…

    • 2018 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    British politics is not what it was 20 years ago. Elements of New Labours constitutional reform programme such as The Human Rights Act 1998 have had some impact in affecting the sovereignty of parliament; yet in recent news there have been plans to replace it (Stone 2015). On the other hand, devolution has opened up space for other political parties to be recognized and consequently impacted the voting turnout for what were once the two main political parties (Conservative and Labour) that have governed the UK. Although evidence supports the fact that many elements have had some effects on British politics, it is clear to see that devolution has had the most impact despite minor…

    • 1451 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The most useful action they can perform is to delay a law brought up by the house commons. It is delayed for up to a year, then that law is brought up again and voted on, if it passes the House of Lords can’t do anything else, therefore the law becomes law. There are about 650 members in the House of Commons. The house of commons owns the majority of the power in British parliament. The house of commons has control over all legislative, executive, and judicial powers.…

    • 1481 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The U.S government is based upon the separation of powers, between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch consists of the Senate and House of Representatives called Congress. The major responsibility for the legislative branch is to write laws. The house of Representatives has 435 members, and are elected every two years. Similarly, the Senate has 100 Senators who are elected every 6 years.…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The legislative branch of the government is given the power to make laws in the United States. In addition to this, it is given many other powers to help balance the amount of power between all of the branches of government. For example if the president vetoes a bill to be thrown out, they have the right to over rule this with a two thirds vote. They may also have the president removed from office by impeachment if deemed necessary. They also control the funding needed for any executive action that are taken.…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The U.S house of representatives is one of the two houses of the United States. The lower house of United States Congress with 435 popular elected officials which is often called representative body of federal government. The United States congress is made together with the House of Representatives and Senate, which identify their individual districts in their own state. The main role of this house is basically to vote and pass the laws. The arrangement and powers of the house are established in the United States constitution.…

    • 1123 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Systems Of Government

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Unit Four- Question Three- Tate Sensenbach Congress periodically attributes some of its characteristics to British Parliament. For example, both systems use different houses to voice disparate opinions. However, the two systems of government more often contrast with each other. Parliament, unlike Congress, represents houses through a specific order in society. Members of the House of Lords inherited their seats through ancestors attaining peerage, which is a title of nobility.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The leader of the House is the Speaker of the House and is chosen by the members. Then there is the Senate which is the other part that makes up the Congress. The Senate also has some requirements, such as a thirty year-old limit minimum. In second article, it establishes the executive branch. The President and Vice-President are part of this branch, and they both have their four year terms (Mount, 2010).…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays