How Does the Government Organise its Majority -The Whips Overview
Carrots and Sticks used by the Whips
Managing your majority through Parliamentary Private Secretaries
Managing your majority by working with Party Groups
Free Votes in the House of Commons
Types of MPs – The Constituency Activist
Types of MPs – The Aspiring Minister
Types of MPs- The House of Commons Expert
Types of MPs- The Policy Entrepreneur
Controlling the Executive – Introduction
Controlling the Executive by Legislation
Controlling the Executive with Finance
Controlling the Executive through Appointments
Controlling the Executive through Questions
Controlling the Executive through Ministerial Statements
Controlling the Executive with Opposition Debates
Controlling the Executive through Select Committees
Overview of MP Expenses and Interests
The main Opposition parties are given 20 days each session to choose an issue for debate.
They will choose a topic that they think is currently very important or one on which they think the Government is weak.
They tend to become set piece debates between Government and Opposition rather than scrutiny as such. As with Prime Ministers Questions they are really part of the battle between the opposing political parties to win the support of the voters at the next general election.
Labour’s choices in the period after the 2015 General Election have included climate change, tax credits, the steel industry and junior doctors’ contracts and the SNP chose the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, Trident and tax office closures.
