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In a parliament the people who form the government - the prime minister and other ministers, secretaries of state, etc. sit in the front benches, facing their opponents. Those who are in the same party, but who do not hold any government office, are known as backbenchers, because they sit in the seats towards, or at, the back. Opposition parties have 'spokespersons' on variou subjects.... they are often called the 'shadow Minister for ..... ' because they are said to 'shadow' the minister in charge of whatever their interest is.... These are usually referred to as 'front-bench spokespersons' or 'The Shadow Cabinet'. People in the opposition party, or parties, who are not spokespersons are also called backbenchers. Again, because the spokespersons sit at the front.
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What are MPs called if they are not ministers?
MPs who are not ministers are typically referred to as backbenchers. Backbenchers are Members of Parliament who do not hold any ministerial or leadership positions within a political party. They are generally involved in legislative work, representing their constituents, and sometimes participate in committee work.
Who are the people who are the members of parliament who are not members of the cabinet or shadow cabinet?
They're called the "Backbenchers"
What problems have to face to backbenchers?
Backbenchers often face challenges such as limited influence on policy-making, as most decisions are made by frontbenchers and party leadership. They may struggle to have their constituents' concerns adequately addressed within the party framework. Additionally, backbenchers can experience pressure to align with party lines, which may conflict with their personal beliefs or the interests of their electorate. Finally, they often contend with a lack of resources and media attention compared to their more prominent colleagues.
Why is backbenchers job difficult sometimes?
because they work very hard and the goovernment doesn't support maybe........ because they work very hard and the goovernment doesn't support maybe........
Who is the british cabinet responsible to?
The British Cabinet is responsible to Parliament, specifically to the House of Commons, where they must maintain the confidence of the majority of its members. This accountability ensures that the Cabinet can govern effectively while being subject to scrutiny, debate, and potential challenges from opposition parties and backbenchers. Ultimately, the Prime Minister and their Cabinet members must also answer to the electorate during general elections.
What limitations does the Prime Minister of England have?
Before the general elections of 2010, the Prime Minister would have been limited by backbenchers. If they chose to revolt then the position of the PM could become very weak. another limitation would be Cabinet revolt, although this is historically rare. PM's question time could be considered a limitation as a poor performance can lead to loss of support and a damaged reputation.
How powerful is the Church of England in politics?
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Head of the Church of England, is an important member of society. The Church of England is active in politics mainly through its involvement with Parliament. This includes 26 Bishops in the House of Lords, Second Church Estates Commissioner. The Ecclesiastical Committee of Parliament comprises 30 members; 15 drawn from the House of Commons and 15 from the House of Lords. Members, who are by convention backbenchers, are appointed by the Speaker of each House early in a Parliament, and usually remain on the Committee for the life of the Parliament. The Speaker's Chaplain says the prayers for Parliament in the Chamber each day at the beginning of the day's business
Analyze the main factors which limit the effectiveness of Parliament?
Legitimacy: Eg.Unelected House of lords and the FPTP system, specifically compared to PR systems.Extent of party unity: Specifically seen in the Blair years, making a comparison between his first and last term.Size of the majority: Again compare the majority of Blairsfirst and last term - evaluate which one was more effective, and note that all good changing governments (parliaments) who have effective legislature THROUGH parliament have large majorities , eg.Margret thatchers 1983 government.Coalition: Specifically between Backbenchers of the Lib demparty, who as the smaller coalition partner often feel their ideological character being lost, and compare lib-demswith the toryright - and how government therefore find it hard to pass law that satisfy both parties - therefore compromise is needed.- this is seen as in 2010 - 2012 24% of all divisions involved a Lib-demrebellion.
Why do the cabinet ministers need the backbencher's support?
In a parliamentary system, the cabinet is the executive branch of government, and is usually simply referred to as 'the government.' The leader of the political party that elects the most members of parliament in a general election usually becomes the prime minister. The prime minister then appoints several of his/her party members to the cabinet. Most cabinet ministers are also members of the House of Commons, although one or two are members of the Senate. A cabinet minister can be neither; however, this occurs but rarely. Those members of the prime minister's party who are not in the cabinet are usually referred to as 'government backbenchers.' It is a fundamental principle of parliamentary democracy that the government (i.e., the cabinet) must at all times have the 'confidence' (i.e., support of the majority of the members) of the House of Commons. If a government fails to win the majority on any vote in the House of Commons, it is said to have 'lost confidence.' Another way to describe this would be to say the government was 'defeated.' Usually this would result in another general election being called. If a party, in an election, elects more than half the members of the House of Commons, that party is said to have a 'majority' government. In this situation, having the support of a majority of the members of the House (i.e., having the 'confidence' of the House) is almost automatic, because the 'government backbenchers' will support the government. However, if a party elects the most members, but not a majority of members, it is said to be a 'minority' government. A minority government can easily 'lose confidence' and be 'defeated,' simply by being outvoted by the opposition parties (i.e., those parties that elected fewer members than the government party). Thus, a minority government could be 'defeated' on any one of the several votes taken in the House each week. Generally, however, one of the opposition parties will introduce a 'motion of non-confidence' when it truly wants to 'defeat' the government and have a general election. A government has occasionally lost a vote in the House simply because not enough of its members showed up for the vote. Such a circumstance is embarrassing to the government, which usually, after a day or two, introduces a motion to the effect that the motion that was lost was not considered to be a 'confidence' motion. If this motion passes, the government is not 'defeated' and things carry on as usual (at least until the next vote).
Is the jury of UK obsolete today?
The jury is anything but obsolete today. Said to be one of the leading exports of the U.K., apart from common law system and football, it still holds high levels of respect among billions of individuals.If compared to its history, riddled with drunk judges and property ownership jury members, todays jury come from all walks of life and have finally settled down into a mould initially designed for them.Many have still criticised certain aspects of the system, from its composition to selection process. The Conservative government have been known to be critical of the jury system, and this has not differed when the Labour took over the helms. The unsuccessful, yet purposive attempts by Labour to end trial by jury has been seen in the Criminal justice(Mode of trial) Bill No.1 1999, and No.2 2000. It had been heavily critised, even by Labour very own backbenchers. Keith Vaz stands out, saying "when you take away a fundamental principle going back to the Magna Carta, you have to be very, very careful." Thus, as much as the Government of the day might try to make the jury system obsolete today, it will never be obsolete. In every member of parliament itself, i am very sure, cries a citizen demanding his/her right to be protected via this very mean, the jury system. Dr.Delvinder Singh PhD(Law), LLM, LLB(Hons) London, Barrister
Why did margaret thatcher become prime minister?
Margaret Thatcher was a research chemist before becoming a barrister was elected Member of Parliament for Finchley in 1959. She was appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science by Edward Heath in 1970. She defeated Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election in 1975. She became Prime Minister after winning the 1979 general election.
Who did Margaret thatcher replace as leader of the conservative party?
Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, following a poll of her fellow Conservative MP's beating former PM Ted Heath. She had never been considered for the leadership before this, and had actually declared that she did not think there would be a woman Prime Minister in her lifetime. It was when Heath refused to step down that the Tories had to organise a 2-stage ballot, where the front-runners were asked to stand aside first time round, so that the anti-Heath votes could be concentrated on one candidate, who was clearly meant to be a stalking-horse. They chose Thatcher for this, as she was the only candidate of Ministerial rank who had no chance of actually getting elected - being a woman. But to everyone's surprise, many backbenchers decided to vote for her in the second ballot, and she became the first-ever woman party leader - to the fury of Labour, who felt that this honour would fall to one of theirs.
