The House of Commons within the UK Constitution

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Introduction to these pages
These are introductory pages which cover the following issues
Objectives
Intended learning outcomes
General reading
World Wide Web sources
Linked pages
Problem solving
Acknowledgements

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Objectives

The purpose of these pages is to give you an outline of the constitutional impact of the House of Commons. Since they lack detail, my pages are not a substitute for reading the relevant materials in an old technology textbook. These pages do not contain the extensive narratives, profusive footnotes and erudite allusions that you can expect from a textbook. So, the idea is that you should start your studies here but they should not finish here. At this point, you will no doubt ask yourself why not go straight to the substantial textbook and ignore these pages? There may be three reasons why you might derive some value from these pages

• first, they provide a straightforward, accessible outline which will provide a platform for more detailed research

• second, they guide you as to the syllabus of this part of the module. The emphases chosen here will be reflected in your assessments;

• third, the medium of the web allows me to emply illustrations and links which are not available in any textbook (nor would they be possible in a lecture).

To put it more simply, "what's in it for me, the reader?" Some possible positive outcomes might be:

• the acquisition of a coherent structuring and substantive body of knowledge in the subject area of the role of the House of Commons within the UK Constitution

• the development of an ability to understand that role, to locate it within the organising principles of the constitution and to evaluate critically its results

• the advancement of legal research skills, especially through computer-based research and learning

• the encouragement of student-centred (independent) learning

• the ability to answer examination or essay questions on this issue - though the mode of learning may be different from the rest of the module, this certainly does not imply that the subject is less important or will not be the subject of an examination question

• Allen, M. and Thompson, B.,Cases and Materials on Constitutional and Administrative Law (6th ed., Blackstone, London, 2000), chap 6.

• Barendt, E., Introduction to Constitutional Law (Clarendon Press, 1998) Chap.5

• Barnett, H., Constitutional and Administrative Law (3rd ed., Cavendish, London, 2000) chaps. 14-16

• Blackburn, R., and Plant, R., Constitutional Reform (Longmans, London, 1999) chap.5

• Bradley, A.W., and Ewing, K.D., Constitutional and Administrative Law (12th ed., Longman, Longman, 1997) chaps.9, 10

• Brazier, R., Constitutional Practice (2nd ed, Oxford UP, 1994) chaps. 8 and 10

• Griffith, J.A.G. & Ryle, M., Parliament (Sweet & Maxwell, 1989)

• Jowell, J., and Oliver, D., The Changing Constitution (4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2000) chap. 10

• Riddell, P., Parliament under Pressure (Gollancz, London, 1997)

The following addresses should be consulted regularly (some are listed more specifically in these pages). Most important is: United Kingdom Parliament World Wide Web Service including information about:

• Debates (plus the Order Paper and Weekly Information Bulletin)

• Members of Parliament

• Select Committees and their current work

• Factsheets i.e. informative briefings about the working of Parliament, including the foregoing matters.

There is also a more visual site (mainly intended for school-age students) called "Explore Parliament", which is run by the Parliamentary Education Unit.

In addition to these official parliamentary sites, see also the following addresses

• British Politics Page

• BUBL - Bulletin Board for Libraries. See especially the Government and Public Administration page.

• Charter 88 This is a pressure group fighting for and ensuring citizens rights in the face of Government legislation. Its site includes papers on the impact of legislation, e.g right to silence and ID cards.

• Constitution Unit, University College London This is an academic unit which issues papers about constitutional issues, especially proposals for reform.

• Fabian Society A pressure group concerned with, amongst other matters, Parliamentary reform.

• Hansard Society A group which studies the worlings of Parliament.

• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Web site of the world organization of parliaments

• Political Resources for the European Union A wide range of data about political matters in the UK and the rest of Europe

• Political Resources on the Net Listings of political sites available on the Internet sorted by country, with links to Parties, Organizations, Governments, Media and more from all around the world

• Political Science ResourcesIncludes links to Official Government pages, constitutions, treaties and official declarations, elections and electoral systems and so on.

• Prime Minister@10 Downing StreetEnter the door of Number 10 and learn about Prime Ministers, the Cabinet and government.

• SOSIG - Social Science Information Gateway

• StatewatchThe state and civil liberties in UK & Europe.

• The Stationery Office This contains Bills and Acts of Parliament as well as selected Government papers

• UK Citizens Online Democracy Britain's first national online democracy service

• UK Government Online Government departmental information