PARLIAMENT 



sees 



PARLIAMENT 



can lx< dissolved ut a p->\rhulogical 



in. .IP. i D tln-ll pi"! 



own .-xist, -tire long aftor the popu- 

 lar mood has pawed. 'I 



Uaa been unit. it,, I in 

 quarter of tin- g] 



A. F. Pollard 



1'Mll.IAMENTAUY IV,., I HI ICE. In 

 tin- Unli-h I'.uli.iin, nt i.nH-,-,1 



is on similar linen in both Houses, 

 lmt there are differences in 

 At tin- toinmencement of a new 

 11, nt IM, tii Houses meet, and 



tlir < 'iiininoiis :tre summoned tn 

 tin- House ,,t l...nK w hen- t ! 

 informed l-v tin- K)nl chancellor, 

 one of the royal conmiissi,,i 

 the sovereign a intention to address 

 both Houses. They are then 

 directed to return forthwith and 

 elect a speaker for the so\, ; 

 approval, and, new peers having 

 l>een introiliiced, the Lords adjourn. 

 In the Commons, Mr. Speaker 

 having been elected and con- 

 ducted to the chair, the mace is 

 placed upon the table. Next day 

 he heads the Commons to the 

 Lords, where the royal commission- 

 ers signify the sovereign's approval 

 of his appointment, and he, speak- 

 ing for himself and on behalf of the 

 Commons, claims all their ancient 

 and undoubted rights and privi- 

 leges. A few days later Parliament 

 is opened by the speech from the 

 throne in the House of Lords. 



Every sitting of the Commons, 

 who meet at 2.45 p.m. on Monday, 

 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thurs- 

 day, commences with prayers. The 

 first important business, except on 



I'll. I >v, i- < | motion*. The answer- 

 : these (notice of whn-h ln- 



isly been given) by minister* 

 end* at a (Limit, tun.-, and the 

 HOUNO then proceed* to the bui- 

 new of the day, M net out m ih- 



of thr "Day. The-*- usually 

 consist nh lusively of 



MI. -nt lull- in vaiious stages, 

 and delmte eontinues until 7.46 

 p.m., \sh.-n a lialf-lionr interval is 

 allowed for private bills, after 

 whHi tin- int. rrnpt.-d ,1. i 



d until 1 1 p.m., w hen pro 

 < .-.-dings are again interrupted, and 

 unopposed busineHH i* taken until 

 1 1 :tu p.m. The House then stands 

 adjourned unless for special reasons 

 a longer sitting is made, e.g. debate 

 on lulls oiitrin.iiiiiL' m committee 

 of ways and means may be con- 

 tinued indefinitely. The House 

 may, however, adjourn at any 

 earner time. Friday is reserved for 

 private members' bills, the House 

 meeting at noon, and rising at 5 

 p.m., or earlier. 



In both Houses the front Gov- 

 ernment bench is to the right of 

 the Speaker, and is occupied by 

 ministers, whose supporters sit 

 behind, while the Opposition 

 benches are on the Speaker's left. 

 The Speaker of the Commons is the 

 impartial servant of the House, 

 and does not intervene in debate 

 unless to guide its course and main- 

 tain order. But he can speak and 

 vote when out of the chair, i.e. 

 when the House is in Committee, 

 and has a casting vote, when the 

 ayes and noes are equal in number. 



The lord chancellor, who is ex- 

 oflino Speaker of thr HOUM of 

 Lords, is free to vote, and fre- 



v speak*. He ha* no carting 

 vote, the not -content* carrying the 



u if the numbers are < 

 The in iii. it i, .n <>f financial legi*- 

 I it i..n concerns the Common* only. 

 The House of Lord* ha* jurisdiction 

 a* a final court of appeal, whereas 

 the Common* have no such judicial 



M. ' The royal assent to 

 bills is also given in the Lord*. 



The session i* usually closed by 

 formal prorogation, whi-h involves 

 the quashing of virtually all un- 

 finished proceedings, until a defin- 

 ite date. Dissolution, cither by 

 pleasure of the crown or by lapse 

 of time, ends Parliament, and is 

 followed by a general election. 



A. H. Diplook 



liiiili'Hirti/ihi/. Diaries, H. W. 

 l.u.y. 1874-1908; Short History of 

 Parliament, 2 vole., A Biseet, 1882- 

 83 : History of the English Parlia- 

 ment, G. B. Smith, 1892-94; The 

 Development of Parliament in the 

 19th Century, G. L. Dickinson, 

 1895 ; Inner Life of the House of 

 Commons, 2 vols., W. White, 1897 ; 

 The Book of Parliament, M. 

 MacDonagh, 1897 ; Parliament, A. 

 Wright and P. Smith, 1902 ; Un- 

 reformed House of Commons, 2 

 vols., E. Porritt, 1903 ; The House 

 of Commons, its Place in National 

 History, J. H. B. Mastennan, 1908; 

 Reform of the House of.'* Lords, 

 W. S. MacKechnie, 1909; Parlia- 

 ment : its History, Constitution, 

 and Practice, Sir C/P. llbert, 1911 ; 

 The Evolution of Parliament, A. 

 F. Pollard, 1920. 



Parliament ot Commons on the occasion ol an important debate. On thr left a minister, standing at the table. 



with the benches filled with hit supporters behin 1 him, is speaking ; on the meal members ot the Opposition, with ex- 

 ministers and privy councillors on the front bench 



~~ 1Q 7 



