Parliament
- Parliament
The British Parliament is bicameral, comprising the elected House of Commons and the largely appointed House of Lords. It has the ability to pass new laws, repeal old ones and even to extend its own life. Other than via the right of the courts to interpret its laws, its authority cannot be challenged. It derives its authority from the people and is answerable to them alone. Parliament is then supreme, there being no legal limitation upon its sovereignty except in so far as it is in conflict with legislation deriving from the European Union. Yet there are other constraints upon its sovereignty, among them political reality (it is inconceivable that any government would seek to abolish the Scottish Parliament) and the need to consult with outside interests.
Parliament’s duties are wide-ranging. It is, in Harold Macmillan’s words, ‘the grand inquest of the nation’: it provides a forum where Government can explain its policies and where those policies can be debated, subjected to detailed scrutiny and amended by the elected representatives of the people and peers; it raises and spends public money; and it is a channel via which individual grievances can be aired.
For several decades, it has been argued that Parliament – in common with many legislatures – is in decline. Its ability to carry out its functions effectively has been questioned, for it has increasingly been dominated by the Executive. As Prime Minister, Tony Blair has distanced himself from the House of Commons further than any of his predecessors, but as a general trend prime ministerial activity in and accountability to Parliament has decreased over several decades. It is not just the present Government which has marginalised Westminster.
Further reading: P. Norton, Parliament in British Politics, Palgrave, 2005
Glossary of UK Government and Politics .
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Parliament — par·lia·ment / pär lə mənt, pärl yə / n [Anglo French parlement conference, council, parliament, from parler to speak] 1 a: an assemblage of the nobility, clergy, and commons called together by the British sovereign as the supreme legislative… … Law dictionary
Parliament — Par lia*ment, n. [OE. parlement, F. parlement, fr. parler to speak; cf. LL. parlamentum, parliamentum. See {Parley}.] 1. A parleying; a discussion; a conference. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] But first they held their parliament. Rom. of R. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
parliament — par‧lia‧ment [ˈpɑːləmənt ǁ ˈpɑːr ] noun [countable] the group of people elected to make a country s laws and discuss important national issues: • The Dutch parliament voted to begin lifting economic sanctions. * * * parliament UK US /ˈpɑːləmənt/… … Financial and business terms
parliament — ► NOUN 1) (Parliament) (in the UK) the highest legislature, consisting of the Sovereign, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. 2) a similar body in other countries. ORIGIN Old French parlement speaking … English terms dictionary
parliament — [pär′lə mənt] n. [ME parlament < OFr parlement < parler: see PARLEY] 1. an official or formal conference or council, usually concerned with government or public affairs 2. [P ] a) the national legislative body of Great Britain, composed of… … English World dictionary
Parliament — Parliament, s. Parlament … Kleines Konversations-Lexikon
parliament — (n.) late 13c., from O.Fr. parlement (11c.), originally speaking, talk, from parler to speak (see PARLEY (Cf. parley)); spelling altered c.1400 to conform with M.L. parliamentum. Anglo Latin parliamentum is attested from early 13c. Related:… … Etymology dictionary
parliament — parliament, parliamentary Both words are spelt with an a in the middle, but are pronounced with the ia as a single syllable … Modern English usage
Parliament — This article is about the legislative institution. For other uses, see Parliament (disambiguation). Parliaments redirects here. For the American style doo wop quintet, see The Parliaments. The House of Representatives Chamber of the Parliament of … Wikipedia
parliament — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ current, present ▪ new ▪ outgoing ▪ bicameral, unicameral ▪ elected … Collocations dictionary
parliament — /pahr leuh meuhnt/ or, sometimes, /pahrl yeuh /, n. 1. (usually cap.) the legislature of Great Britain, historically the assembly of the three estates, now composed of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal, forming together the House of Lords, and… … Universalium
