The British Parliament - How the Powers of Parliament and those of the Government are balanced

Abstract or Introduction

This paper is about the British Parliament, which constitutes such a wide range of topics that some selected aspects have to be concentrated on. For that reason the political function of the British Crown will be neglected. The main aim of this essay will be to find out how the powers of Parliament and those of the Government are balanced. It is assumed that the powers of making und passing laws und the control of the executive are indicators of this problem.
First of all, the role that Parliament plays in the British Constitution will be defined. In this context it will be important to note that the British Constitution as such does not exist in writing, which raises the question as to whether this fact causes any negative consequences for the democratic process. Moreover, the structure and composition as well as the functions of the two Houses of Parliament will be dealt with. And some characteristic features of the parliamentary system in Britain will be pointed out in order to draw a comparison between the British and the German Parliament. Of course, this comparison will have to focus on the most significant aspects. In the final part the preceding considerations wi11 be summarized and a personal judgement on the two different systems in Britain and Germany will be made.