Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence in the Making of British Law
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| Anteprima |
The
Westminster parliament is a highly visible political institution, and
one of its core functions is approving new laws. Yet Britain's
legislative process is often seen as executive-dominated, and parliament
as relatively weak. As this book shows, such impressions can be
misleading. Drawing on the largest study of its kind for more than forty
years, Meg Russell and Daniel Gover cast new light on the political
dynamics that shape the legislative process. They provide a fascinating
account of the passage of twelve government bills - collectively
attracting more than 4000 proposed amendments - through both the House
of Commons and House of Lords. These include highly contested changes
such as Labour's identity cards scheme and the coalition's welfare
reforms, alongside other relatively uncontroversial measures. As well as
studying the parliamentary record and amendments, the authors draw from
more than 100 interviews with legislative insiders. Following
introductory chapters about the Westminster legislative process, the
book focuses on the contribution of distinct parliamentary 'actors',
including the government, opposition, backbenchers, select committees,
and pressure groups. It considers their behaviour in the legislative
process, what they seek to achieve, and crucially how they influence
policy decisions. The final chapter reflects on Westminster's influence
overall, showing this to be far greater than commonly assumed.
Parliamentary influence is asserted in various different ways - ranging
from visible amendments to more subtle means of changing government's
behaviour. The book's findings make an important contribution to
understanding both British politics and the dynamics of legislative
bodies more broadly. Its readability and relevance will appeal to both
specialists and general readers with interests in politics and law, in
the UK and beyond --Front flap.
