Activity 1: Create a poster outlining the composition of the two Houses of Parliament

 

Learning objective: To enhance understanding of the relationship between the two Houses of Parliament

Suitable for: Individual work

You will need:

• To have read Blick, A. (2021), UK Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 4
• One sheet of A3 paper or access to a presentation programme such as Microsoft PowerPoint
• Marker pens

Outline of activity:

Design a poster outlining the composition of the two Houses of Parliament. This should outline: characteristics of the members of each House; how many members each House has; how members are selected; who members of each House are affiliated too.

You could dedicate half of the poster to the House of Commons and the other half to the House of Lords.

Need some help? Why not refer to sections 4.1 and 4.2.3 of the book?

Answer guidance: Make notes on what the consequences of the different compositions of each House are.

 

 

Activity 2: Create a presentation outlining the four roles Parliament has

 

Learning objective: To understand and evaluate how Parliament operates

Suitable for: Individual work

You will need:

• To have read Blick, A. (2021), UK Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 4
• Access to a presentation programme such as Microsoft PowerPoint

Outline of activity:

Create a presentation outlining the four main roles Parliament has. Create a slide for each of these roles:

1. To be the basis for the UK central government of the day, providing it with political and financial support.
2. To hold government to account.
3. To legislate.
4. To interface with the public.

On each slide, make sure to include the key details related to how Parliament performs these roles.

Include a summary sentence at the bottom of each slide outlining how important you think this role is and whether Parliament has the power and resources available to perform this role effectively.

Include a concluding slide in which you identify which role you feel is most important for Parliament and why.

You can record your presentation and share it with other people you are studying with for feedback.

Need some help? Why not refer to section 4.2 of the book?

Answer guidance:

Consider the following questions:

• What is the most important role of Parliament?
• How effectively does Parliament perform each of these roles?
• What might enable Parliament to perform these roles effectively?
• What might constrain Parliament from performing these roles effectively?

 

 

 

Activity 3: Debate the question “Has the House of Lords been reformed enough?”

 

Learning objective: To apply knowledge about the history of Parliament and analyse House of Lords reform

Suitable for: Pair or group work

You will need:

• To have read Blick, A. (2021), UK Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 4

 

Outline of activity:

With a partner or in a group, hold a debate regarding the question: “Has the House of Lords been reformed enough?”.

One side should argue the case that the House of Lords has been reformed enough. The other side should argue the case that the House of Lords has not been reformed enough.

Take 10-15 minutes to make notes in support of your case. Each side then has up to five minutes to outline their case before the other responds.

Need some help? Why not refer to section 4.3.1 of the book?

Answer guidance:

Consider the following questions:

• In what ways has the House of Lords been reformed? What have the consequences of these reforms been?
• How powerful is the House of Lords vis-à-vis the House of Commons today? Is this balance of power appropriate?
• What would be the benefits of reforming the House of Lords further? What types of reform might achieve this?
• What would be the disadvantages of reforming the House of Lords further?

 

 

 

Activity 4: Create an essay plan for the question: “Do Select Committees effectively hold the government to account?”

 

Learning objective: To evaluate the importance of House of Commons Select Committees

Suitable for: Individual work

You will need:

• To have read Blick, A. (2021), UK Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 4

Outline of activity:

Write the outline of an essay plan to answer the question ‘Do Select Committees effectively hold the government to account?’

Make notes on what you would include in each paragraph of your essay, making sure to include all sides of the argument.

 

Need some help? Why not refer to section 4.3.3 of the book?

Answer guidance:

Consider the following questions:

• What do Select Committees do?
• What powers do they have?
• In what ways can they influence the government and hold them to account? Is their power ‘soft’ or ‘hard’?
• Who is entitled to sit on a Select Committee? How are they selected? And how are they organized? How might these factors affect their ability to hold the government to account?
• To what extent have reforms of Select Committees made them more effective?

 

 

Activity 5: Debate the statement: “Parliament has become more powerful as a result of Brexit”.

Learning objective: To analyse the consequences of Brexit on the power of Parliament relative to the government

Suitable for: Pair or group work

You will need:

• To have read Blick, A. (2021), UK Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 4

Outline of activity:

With a partner or in a group, hold a debate regarding the statement: “Parliament has become more powerful as a result of Brexit”.

One side should argue the case that Parliament has become more powerful. The other side should argue the case that Parliament has not become more powerful. Take 10-15 minutes to make notes in support of your case. Each side then has up to five minutes to outline their case before the other responds.

 

Need some help? Why not refer to section 4.3.4 of the book?

Answer guidance:

Consider the following questions:

• How powerful was Parliament during the Brexit process? What influence was it able to have over the Government?
• What powers has Parliament gained as a result of the UK leaving the European Union? What powers has the Executive gained as a result of the UK leaving the European Union? Which has benefited more?
• Is it the case that Parliament has become more powerful both in theory and in practice as a result of Brexit?