Abstract
Unlike the Monarchy or the House of Lords, the House of Commons still has real power in the British political system, at any rate on those occasions when it is willing and able to use it. Yet the nature of its power is different from what it was in the nineteenth century when most of the traditional notions about the House of Commons were established. The modern House of Commons is neither the Government of the country nor even the principal place where official decisions or legislative proposals are conceived. It is essentially the sounding board for popular representation and redress, one of the stages on which the party battle is fought, the principal forum within which legislation and other decisions of Government are scrutinised, and the framework for Parliamentary control of the Executive — one of the tasks which it shares with the House of Lords.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Further reading
Biffen, J., Inside the House of Commons (London: Grafton Books, 1989).
Cowley, P. (ed.), Conscience and Parliament (London: Frank Cass, 1998).
Drewry, G. (ed.), The New Select Committees, rev. edn (Oxford: OUP, 1989).
Garrett, J., Westminster: Does Parliament work? (London: Gollancz, 1992).
Griffith, J.A.G. and Ryle, M., Parliament, Functions, Practice and Procedures (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1989).
Heatherington, A. et al., Cameras in the Commons (London: Hansard Society, 1990).
Limon, D. and McKay, W.R. (eds), (22nd edn), ‘Erskine May’s Treaties on the Law, Privileges, Proceedings, and Usage of Parliament’ (London: Butterworth, 1997).
Norton, P., Does Parliament Matter? (London: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993).
Norton, P., The Commons in Perspective (Oxford: Martin Robertson, 1981).
Radice, L., Member of Parliament (London: Macmillan, 1987).
Riddell, P., Parliament Under Pressure (London: Victor Gollancz, 1998).
Ryle, M. and Richards, P.G. (eds), The Commons under Scrutiny (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1988).
Silk, P. and Walters, R. (4th edn) How Parliament Works (London: Longman, 1998).
Walker, R. and Criddle, B., Almanack of British Politics, 5th edn (London: Routledge, 1996).
Walkland, S.A. (ed.), The House of Commons in the Twentieth Century (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979).
Website
Parliament http://www.parliament.uk
Copyright information
© 1999 F.N. Forman and N.D.J. Baldwin
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Forman, F.N., Baldwin, N.D.J. (1999). The House of Commons. In: Mastering British Politics. Macmillan Master Series. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-15045-8_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-15045-8_11
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-76548-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-15045-8
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)