Role of Parliament in the British Government Essay

Role of Parliament in the British Government - Essay Example Therefore, it is paramount to determine the extent of this influence in the present day context in order to draw relevant conclusions. Most members of the cabinet of Britain sit in the House of Commons (Campbell & Peters 1988, p. 168). This house has been previously criticized for its compositions with a large number of sitting representatives hailing from a single party. This means that the decisions that may be arrived at in many cases may not be representative of the professional opinion of those undertaking the decision but may be reflective of a stance taken by the party rather than the individual representatives. The majority of those in the House of Commons who may be hailing from the same party are also bound to be supportive of the executive’s decisions which may not be in the best interest of democracy. This kind of trend that is reflective of a majority of representatives following the same course and having the same characteristics and backgrounds reflects a very u nhealthy trend in the course of representatives who are in the legislature providing checks and balances to the executive. Discussion In the recent past, there has been an increase in the attempts by the executive to increase controls of measures of parliament. The effects have been that parliament has been compelled to support the decisions that the executive makes. The result has been a dominance of parliament by the executive that has seen the latter’s power wane the executive has become the decision maker in parliament.... 168). This house has been previously criticized for its compositions with a large number of sitting representatives hailing from a single party. This means that the decisions that may be arrived at in many cases may not be representative of the professional opinion of those undertaking the decision but may be reflective of a stance taken by the party rather than the individual representatives. The majority of those in the House of Commons who may be hailing from the same party are also bound to be supportive of the executive’s decisions which may not be in the best interest of democracy. This kind of trend that is reflective of a majority of representatives following the same course and having the same characteristics and backgrounds reflects a very unhealthy trend in the course of representatives who are in the legislature providing checks and balances to the executive. Discussion In the recent past, there has been an increase in the attempts by the executive to increase cont rols of measures of parliament. The effects have been that parliament has been compelled to support the decisions that the executive makes. The result has been a dominance of parliament by the executive that has seen the latter’s power wane. The perception among policy makers, other experts and the public in general has been that the executive has become the decision maker in parliament. Already, this depicts that something is wrong since parliament cannot effectively put checks and controls on the executive while the executive is dominating decision making (Knight 2010, p. 331). Recognition is given to the fact that parliament in Britain does not consist of a single house. Rather, it is constituent of two with the House of Commons