American Reacts to the UK House of Commons
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ส.ค. 2022
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Today I am reacting to a video that will further elaborate on what exactly goes on in the House of Commons, which I recently learned was 1 of 3 parts of the UK Parliament. This will give me more insight into what exactly goes on inside the lawmaking side of the UK government, and how it compares to my American government. If you enjoy my reaction feel free to leave a like, comment, or subscribe for more videos like this!
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The Blitz (short for Blitzkrieg) was the German bombing campaign which took place from 1940-1941 in Britain during the Second World War. Extensive bombing raids were carried out across many British cities I love your interest and enthusiasm 🇺🇸🇬🇧
It's really funny to refer to the UK Parliament voting system as seeming "not quite modern" when in the US everything is religiously configured around a centuries old piece of paper (The Constitution) even though it is completely out of step with the modern world!
Sure pal, the right to free speech is totally out of touch with today’s world! Lol. (By the way it’s the 1st Amendment).
Seems they don't care to modify that their constitution
@@vintagebollinger4439 The UK definitely has free speech.... I don't think they were referring to the 1st ammendment in particular either..
If you truly believe that , it can only be because you’re either ignorant or delusional.
@@user-et3vb7ow7h free speech in the uk is now nonexistence same as the uas it will be illegal in September and in Canada they have lost their right to have guns
My husband occasionally watches bits of Parliament as it’s so very polite and yet hilarious and completely bonkers.
The Germans helped redesign London during the unpleasantness of 1939-45
Not only London, the UK.
Yep, the Luftwaffe's version of town planning
LOL! that's one way to describe it I guess. 🤣🤣
Unpleasantness 🤣🤣🤣
Isd that what they called it !
The unruliness is usually at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). Parliamentary debates are a different ball game.
There's perhaps a fundamental assumption you're overlooking, Tyler; entirely unlike America, there is NO written "Constitution" of the United Kingdom to begin with, merely a system (with laws and statues) that has evolved, changed and grown since the mid 1200s.
YOU have missed the point. The American Constitution ASSUMES that all subjects MUST have their Freedom limited so it says what you can do. In the UK it is the opposite we write Laws to stop people abusing their freedom. Freedom is assumed in UK NOT GRANTED by Congress. UK we are FREE. USA you are GRANTED certain freedoms, often badly!
@@trevorhart545 All very well, mister, but, technically at least, there be no "subjects" in the "amalgamated states". You can call them "united" if ya like. Btw, "freedom" WAS assumed. Eric Blair knew what was coming !
@@trevorhart545 The US Constitution explicitly GUARANTEES certain freedoms. The UK political system deals in ambiguity and assumption (just as my own country's political system - Australia) which is much more subjective in nature. While yourself and a great deal many other subjects of that system might make the assumption that freedom and rights are the pre-existing state and that government exists to curtails those freedom and rights only where neccessary, other subjects of that system can easily proffer the contention that - without a written document that curtails governmental power in relation to the individual - freedom and rights derive solely from government and are entirely subject to the whims of the government of the day. As much as I like your assumption government generally has a tendency to over-reach (see the moden ever expanding bureaucratic state) and once it grabs power over a domain hardly ever lets it go. Outside detractors of the US constitution who find it archaic and inflexible also forget that that document - given enough political will - is open to amendment and has been done so a number of times.
Arguably there is a written constitution, but it is about 1,000 years old and is directly affected by Legal Precedence cases.
The most influential document in this regard is not as many think Magna Carta ( although this paved the way) but The Proclamation of Oxford.
What Americans do not comprehend is this…and it is a simple fact. The Battle Of Britain took place in 1940 and the Battle of Britain was won by Britain, supported by some of her faithful allies eg the Canadians and others. The Battle was already WON in 1940 which, by definition, means that this little island had therefore DEFEATED the Germans in1940. Despite the unrelenting continued bombing of the UK, it wasn’t until December 1941 that the Americans joined in WW2 but our little island was still UNDEFEATED and had even sent armies to aid other countries. The UK became the place where US soldiers were eventually based. it was from here that they, as allies, crossed the sea to mainland Europe. So, the next time you hear someone say that we’d be speaking German now if it weren’t for the Americans, please give them a real history lesson along with my best regards.
Fun fact, Westminster Bridge is painted green as its closest to the House of Commons and Lambeth Bridge is painted Red as its closest to the House of Lords!🤣
And tower bridge was painted blue in 77 because of silver jubilee
I never knew that and I studied Politics.
Irrespective or even if True or Not, that I like! I will use that as FACT from now on!
Tyler, I absolutely loved watching your reactions to our British traditions. You really made me smile with your disbelief and mild confusion. I can see how it must all seem antiquated, but we’re so used to it, and our history. I’m going to indulge in binge watching your entire channel this weekend. Can’t wait to see your episodes on our Monarchy. Thank you 😊
A big difference between the UK parliament and the US house of representatives is that the members of the UK government, ministers, secretaries of state etc are MP's are can be questioned in parliament by the opposition. The US government is separate from the house, the secretaries are not directly answerable to questions from members of the house.
Tyler young laddie; You have to remember that this all dates to the times when the Members of Parlyment wore swords - and the two opposing lines painted on the floor of House marks the point that Members cannot go beyond, so avoiding one MP running another through (on the other side of the House) with his sword. That would be dashed unfortunate, a trifle inconsiderate to the other chap and delay the proceedings of the House, WHAT!
The voice vote occurs first, if there is no dissent (if it's some uncontroversial matter) it will pass without a formal count. If there is dissent (i.e. the speaker hears both ayes and noes), then he calls for a division and exact numbers are counted (as described in the video).
The no-dissent scenario is done in quite a number of situations around the would and is usually called vote by acclamation.
Most countries have more than two political parties. In most European countries and in Australia, these political parties include The Greens, whose policies include environmental protection and social justice issues. Even if they don't get enough votes to hold power, if minor parties like the Greens or independents hold a few seats in a closely divided parliament, they can hold the deciding votes (or balance of power) which can make them very influential as they can bargain for changes in bills or vote against them altogether.
The system of requiring people to be in the House in order to vote means that everyone can visibly see how each member votes. It is part of the principle of open government. People can't say one thing and then quietly go off and vote the other way.
There are TH-cam clips of the former Speaker, John Bercow, which are quite entertaining.
there are division bells outside of the house. the pub St Stephens Tavern and the Red Lion have one, which I frequent. It confuses tourists when the bell rings because they think it is a fire alarm, but locals sit calmly drinking, "oh thats just the division bell"
Check out the "Monster Raving Loony Party", yes thats a real thing!
You have to come to Britain. If you want free accommodation for a trip in County Durham you’ve got it. I love this channel and the fact that you’re starting from an elementary level of knowledge. You’d be amazed by the country and it’s history. I’m sure there’d be many people round the country who’d let you stay for free while learning about and visiting our country. There are so many regional quirks and culture and histories as well. I’m certain historians, academics and politicians would be happy to be interviewed by you so you can ask the questions Americans want to know. I love that someone loves the UK and wants to learn.
Also another fun fact! When in debates MPs on either side of the house are not supposed to cross the two red lines on either side, the lines are basically so two MPs can stand at sword lengths between one and the other which hints at the adversarial nature of the House of Commons!👍
That's a myth
‘The Blitz’ is how we refer to the 1940-1941 German bombing campaign against British civilian targets, mostly large cities like London and centres of industry like Manchester and Liverpool
Blitz is short for ‘Blitzkrieg’, German for ‘lightning war’, which was the main strategy used by the Germans during the early stages of the Second World War
I love how rich the Westminster system is.
If votes are made digitally it opens up the argument for vote manipulation, whether correct or not.
Voting in person removes this doubt
Too right digitally can be fixed , it's said so in Florida and a certain presidential race ( ask the Don lol) , best to look them in the eye as it stops the lying bs
Best Speaker ever Betty Boothroyd
The house of commons being hit by a bomb isn't especially noteworthy when you consider it occurred during ww2. The Blitz was a period of about a year where major British cities and military bases were bombed almost nightly by the Luftwaffe.
The most noteworthy aspect of the bombing was that the fire fighters did not have enough resources to save both the House of Commons and Westminster Hall and a choice needed to be made. A relatively junior politician was put on the spot, being asked to make the decision between saving a building which was merely a century old or another which was almost 900 years with an iconic history. He chose wisely.
Bercow was infamous because he ended up not being impartial.
He was very well regarded and had a good legacy until he threw it away during Brexit.
Then there's the bullying allegations that emerged when he left his post.
MP is a Member of Parliament, yes it can be badly behaved. Always has, there are red lines on the floor, Members are not supposed to step over them when in debate. They are places there so that they cannot have a sword fight, too far apart. The Commons is only part of MPs role. Its very entertaining, love watching Priminister's Question time. PMQs on a Wednesday when the House is sitting.
My parent's generation have never forgotten the 'blitz', short for the German 'blitzkrieg', 'lightning war'. The Germans tried to bomb our cities into submission, much of this taking place 1940-1941. (We stood against this, the US only joining the War in December 1941. Then some Americans go round saying 'We won the war'...)
In 1834 much of the original Palace of Westminster was burnt down, most of the present buildings - including the Elizabeth Tower, housing the bell called 'Big Ben' - being built then. But the House of Commons had to be rebuilt again after a bomb fell on it in 1940.
But attached to the Houses of Commons and Lords is the magnificent Westminster Hall, built in 1090!
The blitz doesn't refer to blitzkrieg, blitzkrieg was the germans military strategy of fast attacks using combined arms. The blitz refers to the battle of Britain and is named blitz due to being like a thunderstorm raining down on the UK.
Blitzkrieg was applied to the German method of fast, mobile, coordinated warfare, in early WW2. The Blitz was just The Blitz. The term may have originated from the term blitzkrieg but it wasn't short for blitzkrieg. No one ever talked about the blitzkrieg on London. It was just The Blitz.
Old school.. of course after all it's the oldest parliament in the world
@@stuarthardy8202 No its not. Icelandic Althing Parliament is older, dating back to 930AD, although it has not been in continuous operation. That fact belongs to the Tynwald it was founded in 979AD and is of Norse origin as the Isle of Man was under Nordic rule at that time.
We did win the bloody war. Our troop committments weren't as big as the Russians. But we bankrolled and produced the majority of war materiel for just about everybody. And that war materiel was flowing to the UK long before Pearl Harbor. Do try to keep up, old boy.
You should react to either John Bercows clips or general speaker clips - Parliament can be almost a riot.
As far as I'm aware, and this might be incorrect, but each vote is preceded by a debate. So it could be argued that if you weren't there to hear the debate you may not be well informed enough to vote. Although most votes are along party lines, so you can usually expect the party in government to vote one way and the opposition parties the other. If the government loses a vote in the commons, which wasn't previously declared a free vote, then the prime minister is expected to resign.
we have had parliament for centuries....yours is still new!!
Most MP's have an agreement with a member of the opposing party, so that if they have to be away from Parliament for a legitimate reason, then neither of them will vote. The exception is votes regarded as critical (the so called 3 line whip) such as votes of confidence when they will still vote. This is necessary so that when a minister is abroad for example on government business, the voting isn't skewed
This is called pairing. One MP recently lost the conservative whip for being abroad and not paired when an important vote happened. According to one report "Other Conservative MPs cancelled foreign trips, left poorly relatives and one MP still attended and voted even though their mother had died that morning"
Famously during one vote in the 1980’s the Labour Chief Whip arranged for a Labour MP who was effectively on his death bed to be brought in to vote.
I’m so glad you wrote this as I was wondering why it wasn’t mentioned in the video. I only know this from a novel I read many years ago and watching “No Job for a Lady” with Penelope Keith. Therefore, I wasn’t 100% sure if I was correct in my thinking that this was the case.
The speaker's 'power' whilst substantial is under perpetual scrutiny by all members of the house sitting in the chamber. There is no way the speaker can play 'fast and loose' with the commons there are simply too many members of parliament watching every move the speaker makes.
Hence the accusations of unfairness levelled at Bercow around the prorogation of parliament issue if I remember rightly.
One of our characterful speakers was Betty Boothroyd - who was one of the famous 'tiller girls' dance troupe, she also took up paragliding in her 60s.... worth a google
MPs dont just roll over if they think the speaker is prejudiced and Bercow was definitely in favour of the Labour Party, the opposite of the Conservatives who have been in power much more than Labour. So loud objections will be heard when it is thought he is being inapproriate!
The Greens are a small party who have only one thing, climate change etc etc.
UKIP are the United Kingdon Independent Party, which is the party that worked for and
eventually got us out of the socialist European Union, which is a collective of many
European countries led by a movement to turn Europe into one huge country, but every on e
to obey end of sovereign states and their own laws etc. same laws, etc etc.
GB eventually revolted against their agenda, for instance, the executive are not even voted for
but appointed .. Brits will not be dictated to. Being a sovereign country is imortant to us,
but somehow we ended IN, and it took us a few years to get OUT, for which they have
never forgiven us, and partly because of many countries only five of us actually paid
IN, the others like Hungary Poland and impoverished east European countries had billions
of pounds paid into their counrtries to bring them into the 21 centur!
We got fed up being a cash cow, but mostly by being told we had to obey the unelected
EU executive. Just adding all these details, so maybe it is something else you can begin
to understand. Brexit means " British Exiit"!!!
I really like the seating arrangements and traditions in the parlament. They are literally "face to face". They have to face each other and react through body language. The voting system definitly wakes people up. It is much more difficult to leave the room through the wrong door than to press the wrong button or raise your hand in the wrong moment by accident.
It's also two sword lengths wide, so they can't stab each other.
The seating arrangements?? No oo, I think it's too close(tight) and that makes mps tense. That's one of the reasons for the rowdy sessions in parliament
And yet there have been cases where exactly that has happened: MPs have gone into the wrong lobby and voted the wrong way! It doesn't help that the Palace of Westminster has so many bars and they are so well patronised!
Yes most Brits know this stuff, it's due to the fact we only have those chambers, we don't have state assemblies, well the devolved admins do but they're not the supreme power, the commons at the palace of Westminster is. We've had this system and this building for so long this stuff is common knowledge, even if people don't follow politics they'll have seen some film or TV show showing either the real commons and lord's or a mock-up set.
...and yes the system works we've been a stable democracy via constitutional monarchy, since the crown was reinstated in the mid 1600's, the bill of rights 1688 made this condition as monarchy, it's replaced the model in place from pre civil war and Cromwell, which had hereditary "MP's" (they weren't called MP's but that's the modern day equivalent of the job and power). It seems absolutely insane and mad chaos, b it works. Its especially beneficial to have a separate head of state and government.
Prime Ministers questions is a weekly event where the opposition choose the questions to the PM they want to ask. That is usually the fun part of Parliament.
The Speaker can suspend MPs who talk out of turn, or use "unparliamentary" terms like "liar". It's usually for 2 days, but if things get really serious he can "Name" the member, and then the House votes to suspend them for longer, or maybe even arresting them to the House of Commons jail cell on charges of Contempt of Parliament.
Whilst living and working in the US for ten years, my kids attended schools in DC. My oldest began in grade 5, as he was nine at the time. One of his first observations made to me the first weekend he was home in VA, was that his US classmates knew less about how the US government worked than he had already learned at his school back home in Kenya.
Look up Betty Bothroyd who was once the Speaker of the House. You don’t always have to be loud to control the House 😂
That was just hilarious, watching that with you. Although I can't think of any particular video immediately, I'm sure there are many that show examples of lively debate in the House of Commons - witty exchanges, often contentious, sometimes dramatic - there must be some entertaining compilations that would give you a good idea of what goes on 🤔 ....maybe from the weekly 'Prime Minister's Question Time'
I love seeing your facial expressions. The MP’s can be crazy. Deliberations during Brexit for example, also when trying to oust Boris J. Tempers also ran high when debating Scotland leaving the UK. You can also view the weekly Prime Minister’s questions on cable tv. I always am surprised at the disregard for decorum. By the way, I believe Boris is not going to suggest John Bercow receive a peerage to the House of Lords. I do believe most Brits are familiar with the color schemes. I highly recommend everyone take a tour of the Palace of Westminster. Very interesting.
You might like the film Cromwell with Alec Guinness and Richard Harris if you can get hold of it. It'll give you an idea about the history of Parliament and the Civil War with Royalists.
The Blitz is an important subject to follow up on but you might want to watch something on Guy Fawkes if you're into UK politics.
lol i mentioned a vid called "13 hours that save uk" it is about the blitz on london
Great reaction mate
Hahahahaha I’m laughing at myself for years I thought they said eyes to the right and nose to the left 😆. I always thought it was just some traditional thing perhaps with significance.
John Bercow although very entertaining to watch has since been barred from Parliament for bullying.
The current speaker is Lindsay Hoyle who is the elected MP (Member of Parliament) for Chorley.
When they bow in front of the speaker they are actually bowing to an ancient alter from the 1400s that once stood in that place,
thats why they have the speaker he keeps them under cotrol
There are MPs from 12 political parties, and 3 independent MPs. Elected to the house of Commons at the moment.
Brexit caused unruliness. The reason was that the majority of MPs of ALL parties in 2015 General Election were pro-EU and wanted to stay in it, but the new Government had agreed to hold a Referendum on EU Membership and recommended that everybody in the country vote to stay. The people Voted to Leave - so there was no majority in the Commons to enact this. The Government felt obliged to put the result to leave into Law. The Speaker - Bercow - use partisan tactics to maneuver and use the procedures to stop either the Government getting its way or to have 'No Deal' with the EU which meant the UK would Leave by default. Bercow had been a Conservative, but got Labour votes to get the role; he represented the vast majority of MPs of all parties to Remain in the EU, but that meant he was opposing government policy.
That was the unruly Commons from 2016 to 2019 when a new general Election was called and Boris Johnson pledged in his Manifesto to Leave the EU. That was the first time a Westminster Party Manifesto promoted this, ALL the Opposition parties wanted another referendum or just simply to remain in the EU.
The speaker in the video John Bercow is infamous because he modernised the speaker role. Not only that, he was very articulate with his words when speaking in the House. Regretfully he started to become biased toward the end of his tenure and as a result decided to resign after some pushback. His replacement and current speaker is Lindsey Hoyle who has thankfully decided to keep the modernisation of the role that Bercow brought to it
people know when the voting is happening, they wouldn’t be in the middle of something , it’s just time to give you to walk to the voting if you are at the other side of the building
Apparently there is also a nearby pub that shows the time available to get to vote.
Our way there is no way to cheat. If an MP has a genuine reason for not getting there they
have the option of finding an MP of the opposite party who agrees ) it is checked) who
does not vote either.
The most frustrating thing about our politics is half is elected and the other half are lords who are not elected. So we are half of a true democracy in a sense. Lords are not for the benefit of the British people. They are born into a world of wealth and look out for only the rich. Passed down through generations
The inherited peerages are being phased out, with them being replaced by peers with expertise in various relevant areas.
I like the idea of a house of experts to balance out the commons. Democratic systems cause the people to vote for what is most appealing, not what will actually work
There's definitely a lowkey "this was the wrong day to quit sniffing glue" vibe to this video
Your getting better Tyler. Im starting to like you . Our laws are very old and complicated. MP means, member of Parliament. You have a long way to go. 😁
You need to watch the battle of Britain film and the one about the blitz. Then you will know more.
Dude, Parliament is not government.
In the U.K. government only refers to the executive branch of the state.
However, the people in top government positions must all be members of Parliament. There is no strict separation of powers in the U.K. constitution.
Have you noticed the red lines on the floor of the House of Commons? Members are not allowed to cross the lines. The lines are just slightly further apart from 2 sword lengths.
one of the reasons and what some would consider the main reason for the speaker John Bercow being controversial is his actions during Brexit, which is the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
He was doing OK, until he threw impartiality to the wind and did everything he could to thwart or delay every single aspect of Brexit. He ruined a decent career.
@@terencejay8845 Fancy upholding parliamentary procedure, and more importantly, the law, eh?
The Tories were attempting to ride roughshod over sovereignty (ironic, considering that was one of their bogus brexit benefits)
@@welshgit Nonsense. Burcow twisted procedure until it screamed. He was blatantly trying to sabotage it. As this chap reacting stated, 'If he can select who speaks, he's got an awful lot of power.' Remainers never accepted they lost the referendum, still don't. Never will. Cry-babies.
How can having a Sovereign Parliament and a Sovereign Legal system be bogus, when prior to Brexit neither was the case when the country’s Supreme Court was in a foreign land and exercised by foreigners and much of this also applied to the Legislature operating out of Brussels.
@@vintagebollinger4439 Sigh. We always had sovereignty. I suggest you look it up before continuing. Why do you think the EU (democratically elected) has problems with Hungary and Poland? How do you think we managed to leave the EU if they didn't want us to?
Stop quoting soundbites without understanding what they mean. The brexit elite lied to you, and the fact that - even now - you can't see it is staggering.
10:28 --
AYE is a NAVAL term for Yes
Secondly as you guessed - the number can usually be determined by the
number of voices heard shouting AYE or NO
Where the count cannot be determined by the vocals- the members will
stand on one line or another - according to their preference - and only
one side needs to be counted - as the total number of seats is known
Back in the old days, the division-bell also used to ring in the local pubs and brothels….
R
The reason for the 8 minute rule is that it is supposed to ensure that all those who are voting were present in the Palace of Westminster during the debate leading up to the vote, so were able to listen to the debate. In theory that means they know what they are voting on. It's an archaic rule and one that may not make sense these days, but he'll, it works so why change it? The main consequence of the rule is that it means that most MPs are in the Palace of Westminster or close by when legislation is being made. Where an MP has to be away from the house there is a system called "pairing" which operates, in which MPs from opposite parties pair off, so that they can both be absent from the House at the same time, without affecting the overall political balance of the house.
IT’s traditional. British parliament os called the mother parliament because all other parliaments take basis from it. The oldest and best
The House of Commons was originally set in a church, so that is why it looks as it does.
The Government MP's sit on one side, & the Opposition MP's sit on the other side.
The Speaker is an MP, he is voted as Speaker by the other MP's. The Front benches have Government ministers facing across to opposition people who would hold their ministries if they were in charge. The Government is the party that has a majority of MP's, voted by the public in a general election for each district (constituency) in the country. Every week on Wednesday the Prime Minister has to answer questions by MP's in House of Commons.
The Government party usually has a good majority of MP's & so wins most votes in the house. A Bill then goes to the House of Lords for them to look for problems & suggest amendments. These go back to the Commons for further discussion & voting. Then it will become Law, when the Monarch passes it by aproving it. The Monarch could refuse, but this rarely happens.
To quote the late, great Robin Williams: "Parliament is like Congress, just with a two drink minimum!"
Just like the House of Commons my grandparents house was blown up in the Blitz. Unlike the House of Commons their house wasn't rebuilt.
But my family all survived & moved to Hertfordshire, resulting in my dad meeting my mum. Had it not been for the Blitz you wouldn't be getting this comment.
it’s YOUR 🇺🇸 History as much as ours 🇬🇧
The phrase 'toe the line' comes from the House of Commons. Your toe is literally on the line, but not across it. The phrase really means, restrain yourself; obey the rules.
The important thing is that the first English parliament sat in 1265. The system then has remained about the same ever since.
I went on a school trip to the Houses of Parliament just before they reopened after the war. The House of Commons part was completely destroyed in the war.
Bit surprised you didn’t know London was bombed pretty severely in the early days, every day except one for about 70 days in 1940/41.
Then what we called “doodlebugs” (flying bombs, no pilot) for several months almost to the last day of the war, and rockets that traveled faster than sound so that you were dead before you could hear them. About seventy thousand people killed.
The Germans suffered very much more, but no fun.
The man who invented the rockets was not locked up (or executed like many) for war crimes. The Americans took him to launch their rocket programme and the moon-landing.
“The Blitz” was the German bombing campaign against Britain in WWII.
The way you say “bobbing” cracks me up 😆😆😆
Nothing about UK government is modern, every state opening they still check the cellars for barrels of gunpowder lol
Out of sheer curiosity I checked the US Congress Chambers and they both seem to have blue carpeting and red seating, so no colour scheme each for House and Senate. Senators get a desk each, that's nice! The UK Parliament colour schemes aren't secret, and the Houses have their proceedings televised on the news, but you might not know them unless you're in to politics.
Unruly = Vigorous debate
Those MPs who can’t make it for urgent reasons, pair with another who would vote the opposite. This balances the vote for absentees. An ‘Aye’ for an “No” instead of an aye for an aye lol.
You should watch the Prime Ministers question time which is every Wednesday, it's a pantomime
As he points out though …. Compared to America, at least it’s more entertaining!
PM question time is aired on C-Span in the US
"It's not like, in American government"
Their parliamentary system is close to 4 times as old as the country of the US is..
They have a traditional way of doing it, the US has a "new" way of doing it.
I'd wager the British way is, although more chaotic and confusing, much more efficient and approachable.
ELISABETH SWANN: "This is madness!"
JACK SPARROW: "This is politics!"
Re: political parties - Al Murray does a video that sums it up and says the Conservatives - don't want to conserve anything, Labour - don't want to work and Liberal Democrats who are neither Liberal nor Democratic 🤣
Admittedly,I am only 68 years old in London but I still do not know what THe Lib Dems stand for😀
@@Isleofskye neither do the LibDems, that’s why they flip flop on issues constantly…in fact, it could almost be said that inconsistency is their only constant.
The blitz was a German bombing champagne against the United Kingdom. 1940 to 1941 in WW2. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term blitzkrieg the German word meaning lighting war.
The most important thing to remember is that a lot of house of commons sessions take place after the members have had a nice long liquid lunch in the house of commons bar.
7:36 In your previous video you asked if there'd ever been a coalition government. Yes, not too long ago. Conservative and Labour are the two main parties but we also have the liberal democrats. The liberal democrats are probably the only other party that has any remote chance of winning. They formed part of the coalition government, if I'm remembering correctly.
The Liberal Party (now the Lib Dems) were a power house during the mid 20th century and did form Governments. They lost their way after WW2 and Labour came into their own.
The chosing of amendments chosen by the speaker is one reason he is infamous..during Brexit John Bercow chose NOT to choose a Brexit amendment meaning the date that we were supposed to leave Europe passed and we had to set another date later in the year ..this was a big issue as he himself was against Brexit so he let his personal views influence this decision which obviously is NOT impartial..
The reason for requiring the physical presence of members in order to vote in divisions is that they are (in principal) expected to vote based on their judgement of the matter at hand as debated in the Chamber. If they aren't there, they can't have taken part so aren't in a position to make a reasoned judgement. In practice, of course, members are expected to follow rgeir party's policy and vote as directed by their leadership. The party Whips' job is to encourage members to remember this with a carrot and stick approach to independently minded members; do as instructed and you might get some official role in the Government (or the matching 'Shadow' position on the Opposition benches), alternatively, be a naughty boy or girl and wave goodbye to any hopes of a promotion. Occasionally, usually on matters of conscience (such as abortion), a Bill will be put to a 'free vote' where members are not bound by party lines.
In regard to the 'sick mother' problem, there are arrangements for this whereby members of the Government and Opposition benches who are unable to attend are 'paired'. That is to say, each promises not to vote in the other's absence thereby cancelling out the missing member. It is a matter of great scandal if the pairing arrangement is broken and a member votes in a division when paired since all MPs are expected to live up to there official designation as 'Honourable Members'.
We’ve moved on a wee bit since this video… but you guessed that. Mr Speaker now is Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle. I think he is very good. Other fellow Brits may disagree with me. We also don’t vote in European elections. That’s a different can of worms!!
there is a division bell in the pub across the road
What you are looking at, these Members of Parliament, our elected representatives,
meet every Wednesday for Prime Ministrs Questions, when they crowd in to question,
and if you are the opposition party, to insult and Diss the party in power as much as
possible. It gets very rowdy. The Speaker is the person in charge of keep it civilised!
One has to look at the House of Lords of England from a historical view.
First of all, England was a Monarchy with full powers. Throughout the history and rulers, the privileged became the Aristocracy that ruled in their domain whether as a Lord, Duke, Viscount and all.
DEMOCRACY AND PARLIAMENTARY RULE SLOWLY DEVELOPED in England.
1215: the Magna Carta in 1215 curtailed the full powers of the Absolute monarchy forced on by the Barons AND the Parliament of England was established
1327:, the representatives of the counties (knights of the shire) and of the towns (burgesses) became a permanent part of Parliament.
1688: The English Parliament seized power from the monarchy
1707: The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707.
1801: BOTH the House of Lords and House of Commons started in 1801 but the Lords as Aristocrats still invoked the RIGHT TO RULE
REFORMS: Reform Bill in 1831, Reform Act 1867, People Act 1884, Parliament Act 1911
1950: Every constituency represented by a single Member of Parliament.
The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament. It works with the House of Commons to:
make laws
check and challenge the actions of the government, and
provide a forum of independent expertise
Basically, it does the checks and balances of what the House of Commons passed in rules, bills, amendments and all. It scrutinises legislation, holds the government to account, and considers and reports upon public policy. AND may also seek to introduce legislation or propose amendments to bills.
The House of Lords Chamber spends about 60% of its time on legislation; the other 40% is spent on scrutiny - questioning Government and debating issues and policy. Committee work takes place outside the Chamber.
The noise is a formality, there is a formal vote called the division.
Running for the division bell is the only exercise they get and sick grannies are not an issue because most have already sold their grannies.
The pubs and restaurants around Westminster are linked to the Division Bell.
Check out Australian Question Time and the Australian Senate. Like in the UK the House of Representatives is the green room whereas the Senate is the red room.
"The Division Bell" is also the title of a Pink Floyd album.
2:04 to be fair, most of the work done by members of Parliaments (MPs) is done away from the chamber shown in that picture.
The chamber is just the showpiece where legislation is officially debated and agreed.
MP = Member of Parliament
Business in Parliament can seem crazy at times, but is that any different to a US representative talking for 6 hours to prevent work being done (filibustering).
Yeah it's true, I love watching pmqs because I always said it just looks like a bunch of children arguing and shouting at each other.
In Canada it’s the same way lol here anyone can visit the house of common whenever they have a debate
I am a uk pensioner, I found out my council was going to withdraw my village Sunday bus services, so I emailed my area politician from the party I voted for his house of commons email address, I got a reply saying will take about a week,I week later I got a headed letter from the house of commons in my mail box,saying my politician,went speak with the mister of transport about the bus service, they said a grant of money had been arranged for my local council, to subside my local Sunday bus service for the whole year
You cant hack a division vote that is theoretically possible with an electronic voting system