American Reacts to the UK House of Commons

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Today I am reacting to a video that will further elaborate on what exactly goes on in the House of Commons, which I recently learned was 1 of 3 parts of the UK Parliament. This will give me more insight into what exactly goes on inside the lawmaking side of the UK government, and how it compares to my American government. If you enjoy my reaction feel free to leave a like, comment, or subscribe for more videos like this!

[@catkin1671]

As a brit, my heart stopped for a second when you said you didn't know what the blitz is. That's unimaginable for anyone who went through the UK school system. It still holds quite a reasonable chunk of the british psyche, especially in the generation that experienced it, and a lot of british cities were completely changed in the blitz. My grandma was 4 during the height of the blitz. Her family lived in Sheffield (a large industrial city in the north of England which manufactured a lot of machines for the war effort - the blitz mostly focussed on London, industrial areas and air bases although many other places across the UK were caught in the crossfire). She was bombed out of the house she was staying in three times in a week. Her earliest memory is running to the shelters with the sirens going. Her younger brother was in the stroller and she was being carried by her father, who was recovering from injuries he'd suffered during Dunkirk. A bomb landed right in front of them and threw her brother out of the stroller. He still has a nasty scar on his forehead from it. If you do decide to look into the blitz, make sure you don't just learn about the London blitz. The Sheffield blitz was absolutely wild and there's lots of history around the blitz like the mass evacuation of children to the countryside (the inciting incident in The Lion, The WItch and The Wardrobe), the bomb shelters and the black out measures.

[@reddwarfer999]

You do wonder that whatever Americans actually learn about WW2 it's just the bit after they got directly involved in after Pearl Harbor in Dec 1941.

[@planetwatch0000]

It's really funny to refer to the UK Parliament voting system as seeming "not quite modern" when in the US everything is religiously configured around a centuries old piece of paper (The Constitution) even though it is completely out of step with the modern world!

[@vintagebollinger4439]

Sure pal, the right to free speech is totally out of touch with today’s world! Lol. (By the way it’s the 1st Amendment).

[@jamesinameti6184]

Seems they don't care to modify that their constitution

[@user-et3vb7ow7h]

@@vintagebollinger4439 The UK definitely has free speech.... I don't think they were referring to the 1st ammendment in particular either..

[@vintagebollinger4439]

If you truly believe that , it can only be because you’re either ignorant or delusional.

[@antonygill5104]

@@user-et3vb7ow7h free speech in the uk is now nonexistence same as the uas it will be illegal in September and in Canada they have lost their right to have guns

[@bryan7938]

My husband occasionally watches bits of Parliament as it’s so very polite and yet hilarious and completely bonkers.

[@geoffpoole483]

The unruliness is usually at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). Parliamentary debates are a different ball game.

[@caitlinmclaren8785]

The Blitz (short for Blitzkrieg) was the German bombing campaign which took place from 1940-1941 in Britain during the Second World War. Extensive bombing raids were carried out across many British cities I love your interest and enthusiasm 🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@gazlator]

There's perhaps a fundamental assumption you're overlooking, Tyler; entirely unlike America, there is NO written "Constitution" of the United Kingdom to begin with, merely a system (with laws and statues) that has evolved, changed and grown since the mid 1200s.

[@trevorhart545]

YOU have missed the point. The American Constitution ASSUMES that all subjects MUST have their Freedom limited so it says what you can do. In the UK it is the opposite we write Laws to stop people abusing their freedom. Freedom is assumed in UK NOT GRANTED by Congress. UK we are FREE. USA you are GRANTED certain freedoms, often badly!

[@blackbob3358]

@@trevorhart545 All very well, mister, but, technically at least, there be no "subjects" in the "amalgamated states". You can call them "united" if ya like. Btw, "freedom" WAS assumed. Eric Blair knew what was coming !

[@3rdEyeWide]

@@trevorhart545 The US Constitution explicitly GUARANTEES certain freedoms. The UK political system deals in ambiguity and assumption (just as my own country's political system - Australia) which is much more subjective in nature. While yourself and a great deal many other subjects of that system might make the assumption that freedom and rights are the pre-existing state and that government exists to curtails those freedom and rights only where neccessary, other subjects of that system can easily proffer the contention that - without a written document that curtails governmental power in relation to the individual - freedom and rights derive solely from government and are entirely subject to the whims of the government of the day. As much as I like your assumption government generally has a tendency to over-reach (see the moden ever expanding bureaucratic state) and once it grabs power over a domain hardly ever lets it go. Outside detractors of the US constitution who find it archaic and inflexible also forget that that document - given enough political will - is open to amendment and has been done so a number of times.

[@keithorbell8946]

Arguably there is a written constitution, but it is about 1,000 years old and is directly affected by Legal Precedence cases.

[@vintagebollinger4439]

The most influential document in this regard is not as many think Magna Carta ( although this paved the way) but The Proclamation of Oxford.

[@frankmitchell3594]

A big difference between the UK parliament and the US house of representatives is that the members of the UK government, ministers, secretaries of state etc are MP's are can be questioned in parliament by the opposition. The US government is separate from the house, the secretaries are not directly answerable to questions from members of the house.

[@reluctantheist5224]

The Germans helped redesign London during the unpleasantness of 1939-45

[@Paul-hl8yg]

Not only London, the UK.

[@tallthinkev]

Yep, the Luftwaffe's version of town planning

[@rustygear447]

LOL! that's one way to describe it I guess. 🤣🤣

[@domdouse3575]

Unpleasantness 🤣🤣🤣

[@marycarver1542]

Isd that what they called it !

[@mxlexrd]

The voice vote occurs first, if there is no dissent (if it's some uncontroversial matter) it will pass without a formal count. If there is dissent (i.e. the speaker hears both ayes and noes), then he calls for a division and exact numbers are counted (as described in the video).

[@aphextwin5712]

The no-dissent scenario is done in quite a number of situations around the would and is usually called vote by acclamation.

[@damianpritchard1456]

there are division bells outside of the house. the pub St Stephens Tavern and the Red Lion have one, which I frequent. It confuses tourists when the bell rings because they think it is a fire alarm, but locals sit calmly drinking, "oh thats just the division bell"

[@Addsy]

Fun fact, Westminster Bridge is painted green as its closest to the House of Commons and Lambeth Bridge is painted Red as its closest to the House of Lords!🤣

[@jamieeadle7223]

And tower bridge was painted blue in 77 because of silver jubilee

[@mairiconnell6282]

I never knew that and I studied Politics.

[@trevorhart545]

Irrespective or even if True or Not, that I like! I will use that as FACT from now on!

[@susanroberts2289]

What Americans do not comprehend is this…and it is a simple fact. The Battle Of Britain took place in 1940 and the Battle of Britain was won by Britain, supported by some of her faithful allies eg the Canadians and others. The Battle was already WON in 1940 which, by definition, means that this little island had therefore DEFEATED the Germans in1940. Despite the unrelenting continued bombing of the UK, it wasn’t until December 1941 that the Americans joined in WW2 but our little island was still UNDEFEATED and had even sent armies to aid other countries. The UK became the place where US soldiers were eventually based. it was from here that they, as allies, crossed the sea to mainland Europe. So, the next time you hear someone say that we’d be speaking German now if it weren’t for the Americans, please give them a real history lesson along with my best regards.

[@robynmurray7421]

Most countries have more than two political parties. In most European countries and in Australia, these political parties include The Greens, whose policies include environmental protection and social justice issues. Even if they don't get enough votes to hold power, if minor parties like the Greens or independents hold a few seats in a closely divided parliament, they can hold the deciding votes (or balance of power) which can make them very influential as they can bargain for changes in bills or vote against them altogether. The system of requiring people to be in the House in order to vote means that everyone can visibly see how each member votes. It is part of the principle of open government. People can't say one thing and then quietly go off and vote the other way. There are KZbin clips of the former Speaker, John Bercow, which are quite entertaining.

[@frankparsons1629]

Tyler young laddie; You have to remember that this all dates to the times when the Members of Parlyment wore swords - and the two opposing lines painted on the floor of House marks the point that Members cannot go beyond, so avoiding one MP running another through (on the other side of the House) with his sword. That would be dashed unfortunate, a trifle inconsiderate to the other chap and delay the proceedings of the House, WHAT!

[@abih724]

Tyler, I absolutely loved watching your reactions to our British traditions. You really made me smile with your disbelief and mild confusion. I can see how it must all seem antiquated, but we’re so used to it, and our history. I’m going to indulge in binge watching your entire channel this weekend. Can’t wait to see your episodes on our Monarchy. Thank you 😊

[@Addsy]

Also another fun fact! When in debates MPs on either side of the house are not supposed to cross the two red lines on either side, the lines are basically so two MPs can stand at sword lengths between one and the other which hints at the adversarial nature of the House of Commons!👍

[@helenwood8482]

That's a myth

[@hb4072]

You have to come to Britain. If you want free accommodation for a trip in County Durham you’ve got it. I love this channel and the fact that you’re starting from an elementary level of knowledge. You’d be amazed by the country and it’s history. I’m sure there’d be many people round the country who’d let you stay for free while learning about and visiting our country. There are so many regional quirks and culture and histories as well. I’m certain historians, academics and politicians would be happy to be interviewed by you so you can ask the questions Americans want to know. I love that someone loves the UK and wants to learn.

[@richardjames7905]

John Bercow although very entertaining to watch has since been barred from Parliament for bullying. The current speaker is Lindsay Hoyle who is the elected MP (Member of Parliament) for Chorley.

[@joshuabruce9599]

The house of commons being hit by a bomb isn't especially noteworthy when you consider it occurred during ww2. The Blitz was a period of about a year where major British cities and military bases were bombed almost nightly by the Luftwaffe.

[@MrBulky992]

The most noteworthy aspect of the bombing was that the fire fighters did not have enough resources to save both the House of Commons and Westminster Hall and a choice needed to be made. A relatively junior politician was put on the spot, being asked to make the decision between saving a building which was merely a century old or another which was almost 900 years with an iconic history. He chose wisely.

[@raysutton2310]

Check out the "Monster Raving Loony Party", yes thats a real thing!

[@andrewmoore810]

IT’s traditional. British parliament os called the mother parliament because all other parliaments take basis from it. The oldest and best

[@guydawe7231]

Best Speaker ever Betty Boothroyd

[@amandaluker7970]

One of our characterful speakers was Betty Boothroyd - who was one of the famous 'tiller girls' dance troupe, she also took up paragliding in her 60s.... worth a google

[@TheRattyBiker]

You should react to either John Bercows clips or general speaker clips - Parliament can be almost a riot.

[@Matt-cz6ti]

‘The Blitz’ is how we refer to the 1940-1941 German bombing campaign against British civilian targets, mostly large cities like London and centres of industry like Manchester and Liverpool Blitz is short for ‘Blitzkrieg’, German for ‘lightning war’, which was the main strategy used by the Germans during the early stages of the Second World War

[@Gambit771]

Bercow was infamous because he ended up not being impartial. He was very well regarded and had a good legacy until he threw it away during Brexit. Then there's the bullying allegations that emerged when he left his post.

[@jonathangoll2918]

My parent's generation have never forgotten the 'blitz', short for the German 'blitzkrieg', 'lightning war'. The Germans tried to bomb our cities into submission, much of this taking place 1940-1941. (We stood against this, the US only joining the War in December 1941. Then some Americans go round saying 'We won the war'...) In 1834 much of the original Palace of Westminster was burnt down, most of the present buildings - including the Elizabeth Tower, housing the bell called 'Big Ben' - being built then. But the House of Commons had to be rebuilt again after a bomb fell on it in 1940. But attached to the Houses of Commons and Lords is the magnificent Westminster Hall, built in 1090!

[@blucksy7229]

The blitz doesn't refer to blitzkrieg, blitzkrieg was the germans military strategy of fast attacks using combined arms. The blitz refers to the battle of Britain and is named blitz due to being like a thunderstorm raining down on the UK.

[@Codex7777]

Blitzkrieg was applied to the German method of fast, mobile, coordinated warfare, in early WW2. The Blitz was just The Blitz. The term may have originated from the term blitzkrieg but it wasn't short for blitzkrieg. No one ever talked about the blitzkrieg on London. It was just The Blitz.

[@stuarthardy8202]

Old school.. of course after all it's the oldest parliament in the world

[@joeegg90]

@@stuarthardy8202 No its not. Icelandic Althing Parliament is older, dating back to 930AD, although it has not been in continuous operation. That fact belongs to the Tynwald it was founded in 979AD and is of Norse origin as the Isle of Man was under Nordic rule at that time.

[@armorer94]

We did win the bloody war. Our troop committments weren't as big as the Russians. But we bankrolled and produced the majority of war materiel for just about everybody. And that war materiel was flowing to the UK long before Pearl Harbor. Do try to keep up, old boy.

[@catherinewilkins2760]

MP is a Member of Parliament, yes it can be badly behaved. Always has, there are red lines on the floor, Members are not supposed to step over them when in debate. They are places there so that they cannot have a sword fight, too far apart. The Commons is only part of MPs role. Its very entertaining, love watching Priminister's Question time. PMQs on a Wednesday when the House is sitting.

[@neuralwarp]

The Speaker can suspend MPs who talk out of turn, or use "unparliamentary" terms like "liar". It's usually for 2 days, but if things get really serious he can "Name" the member, and then the House votes to suspend them for longer, or maybe even arresting them to the House of Commons jail cell on charges of Contempt of Parliament.

[@dapablo2]

Prime Ministers questions is a weekly event where the opposition choose the questions to the PM they want to ask. That is usually the fun part of Parliament.

[@nightowl5395]

That was just hilarious, watching that with you. Although I can't think of any particular video immediately, I'm sure there are many that show examples of lively debate in the House of Commons - witty exchanges, often contentious, sometimes dramatic - there must be some entertaining compilations that would give you a good idea of what goes on 🤔 ....maybe from the weekly 'Prime Minister's Question Time'

[@libertasdemocratiam887]

Yes most Brits know this stuff, it's due to the fact we only have those chambers, we don't have state assemblies, well the devolved admins do but they're not the supreme power, the commons at the palace of Westminster is. We've had this system and this building for so long this stuff is common knowledge, even if people don't follow politics they'll have seen some film or TV show showing either the real commons and lord's or a mock-up set.

[@libertasdemocratiam887]

...and yes the system works we've been a stable democracy via constitutional monarchy, since the crown was reinstated in the mid 1600's, the bill of rights 1688 made this condition as monarchy, it's replaced the model in place from pre civil war and Cromwell, which had hereditary "MP's" (they weren't called MP's but that's the modern day equivalent of the job and power). It seems absolutely insane and mad chaos, b it works. Its especially beneficial to have a separate head of state and government.

[@beverlytaff4914]

The speaker's 'power' whilst substantial is under perpetual scrutiny by all members of the house sitting in the chamber. There is no way the speaker can play 'fast and loose' with the commons there are simply too many members of parliament watching every move the speaker makes.

[@jaystevens1965]

Hence the accusations of unfairness levelled at Bercow around the prorogation of parliament issue if I remember rightly.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Whilst living and working in the US for ten years, my kids attended schools in DC. My oldest began in grade 5, as he was nine at the time. One of his first observations made to me the first weekend he was home in VA, was that his US classmates knew less about how the US government worked than he had already learned at his school back home in Kenya.

[@andreathompson7896]

As far as I'm aware, and this might be incorrect, but each vote is preceded by a debate. So it could be argued that if you weren't there to hear the debate you may not be well informed enough to vote. Although most votes are along party lines, so you can usually expect the party in government to vote one way and the opposition parties the other. If the government loses a vote in the commons, which wasn't previously declared a free vote, then the prime minister is expected to resign.

[@barbarabenoit3667]

I really like the seating arrangements and traditions in the parlament. They are literally "face to face". They have to face each other and react through body language. The voting system definitly wakes people up. It is much more difficult to leave the room through the wrong door than to press the wrong button or raise your hand in the wrong moment by accident.

[@alanmackinnon3516]

It's also two sword lengths wide, so they can't stab each other.

[@jamesinameti6184]

The seating arrangements?? No oo, I think it's too close(tight) and that makes mps tense. That's one of the reasons for the rowdy sessions in parliament

[@MrBulky992]

And yet there have been cases where exactly that has happened: MPs have gone into the wrong lobby and voted the wrong way! It doesn't help that the Palace of Westminster has so many bars and they are so well patronised!

[@JT.Pilgrim]

I love how rich the Westminster system is.

[@JonathanElliotMay]

The speaker in the video John Bercow is infamous because he modernised the speaker role. Not only that, he was very articulate with his words when speaking in the House. Regretfully he started to become biased toward the end of his tenure and as a result decided to resign after some pushback. His replacement and current speaker is Lindsey Hoyle who has thankfully decided to keep the modernisation of the role that Bercow brought to it

[@martynhill3479]

Most MP's have an agreement with a member of the opposing party, so that if they have to be away from Parliament for a legitimate reason, then neither of them will vote. The exception is votes regarded as critical (the so called 3 line whip) such as votes of confidence when they will still vote. This is necessary so that when a minister is abroad for example on government business, the voting isn't skewed

[@peterjackson4763]

This is called pairing. One MP recently lost the conservative whip for being abroad and not paired when an important vote happened. According to one report "Other Conservative MPs cancelled foreign trips, left poorly relatives and one MP still attended and voted even though their mother had died that morning"

[@keithorbell8946]

Famously during one vote in the 1980’s the Labour Chief Whip arranged for a Labour MP who was effectively on his death bed to be brought in to vote.

[@spanishdncr71]

I’m so glad you wrote this as I was wondering why it wasn’t mentioned in the video. I only know this from a novel I read many years ago and watching “No Job for a Lady” with Penelope Keith. Therefore, I wasn’t 100% sure if I was correct in my thinking that this was the case.

[@maryalford5417]

I love seeing your facial expressions. The MP’s can be crazy. Deliberations during Brexit for example, also when trying to oust Boris J. Tempers also ran high when debating Scotland leaving the UK. You can also view the weekly Prime Minister’s questions on cable tv. I always am surprised at the disregard for decorum. By the way, I believe Boris is not going to suggest John Bercow receive a peerage to the House of Lords. I do believe most Brits are familiar with the color schemes. I highly recommend everyone take a tour of the Palace of Westminster. Very interesting.

[@stevenjohnson4190]

lol i mentioned a vid called "13 hours that save uk" it is about the blitz on london

[@danielferguson3784]

The House of Commons was originally set in a church, so that is why it looks as it does. The Government MP's sit on one side, & the Opposition MP's sit on the other side. The Speaker is an MP, he is voted as Speaker by the other MP's. The Front benches have Government ministers facing across to opposition people who would hold their ministries if they were in charge. The Government is the party that has a majority of MP's, voted by the public in a general election for each district (constituency) in the country. Every week on Wednesday the Prime Minister has to answer questions by MP's in House of Commons. The Government party usually has a good majority of MP's & so wins most votes in the house. A Bill then goes to the House of Lords for them to look for problems & suggest amendments. These go back to the Commons for further discussion & voting. Then it will become Law, when the Monarch passes it by aproving it. The Monarch could refuse, but this rarely happens.

[@jeanneale9257]

Great reaction mate

[@pureholy]

The narrator didn’t mention pairing and whips. The whips are people in each party responsible for organising their members as well as discipline. The whips organise an informal system where by each MP from the majority party is paired with one from another party, if either is away and so can’t vote, their pair will abstain. This doesn’t hold for the really important votes that are going to be very close, these are called a ‘3 line whip’ vote meaning everyone must vote in person if they possibly can, it has been known for MPs to vote in wheelchairs attached to a drip! This doesn’t happen very often.

[@nz3901]

Unruly = Vigorous debate

[@nigelmansfield3011]

Have you noticed the red lines on the floor of the House of Commons? Members are not allowed to cross the lines. The lines are just slightly further apart from 2 sword lengths.

[@dreadlindwyrm]

The Blitz happened during this little scuffle we had here in Europe from 1939 to 1945. You might have heard of it? And quite a lot of London got involuntarily remodelling courtesy of our German neighbours. So did quite a few other towns and cities.

[@marycarver1542]

Our way there is no way to cheat. If an MP has a genuine reason for not getting there they have the option of finding an MP of the opposite party who agrees ) it is checked) who does not vote either.

[@abbiecorcoran6006]

people know when the voting is happening, they wouldn’t be in the middle of something , it’s just time to give you to walk to the voting if you are at the other side of the building

[@maryalford5417]

Apparently there is also a nearby pub that shows the time available to get to vote.

[@marycarver1542]

MPs dont just roll over if they think the speaker is prejudiced and Bercow was definitely in favour of the Labour Party, the opposite of the Conservatives who have been in power much more than Labour. So loud objections will be heard when it is thought he is being inapproriate! The Greens are a small party who have only one thing, climate change etc etc. UKIP are the United Kingdon Independent Party, which is the party that worked for and eventually got us out of the socialist European Union, which is a collective of many European countries led by a movement to turn Europe into one huge country, but every on e to obey end of sovereign states and their own laws etc. same laws, etc etc. GB eventually revolted against their agenda, for instance, the executive are not even voted for but appointed .. Brits will not be dictated to. Being a sovereign country is imortant to us, but somehow we ended IN, and it took us a few years to get OUT, for which they have never forgiven us, and partly because of many countries only five of us actually paid IN, the others like Hungary Poland and impoverished east European countries had billions of pounds paid into their counrtries to bring them into the 21 centur! We got fed up being a cash cow, but mostly by being told we had to obey the unelected EU executive. Just adding all these details, so maybe it is something else you can begin to understand. Brexit means " British Exiit"!!!

[@andrew_koala2974]

10:28 -- AYE is a NAVAL term for Yes Secondly as you guessed - the number can usually be determined by the number of voices heard shouting AYE or NO Where the count cannot be determined by the vocals- the members will stand on one line or another - according to their preference - and only one side needs to be counted - as the total number of seats is known

[@Aw-zc2lt]

You might like the film Cromwell with Alec Guinness and Richard Harris if you can get hold of it. It'll give you an idea about the history of Parliament and the Civil War with Royalists. The Blitz is an important subject to follow up on but you might want to watch something on Guy Fawkes if you're into UK politics.

[@RalphEllis]

Back in the old days, the division-bell also used to ring in the local pubs and brothels…. R

[@cutelittledoll]

The way you say “bobbing” cracks me up 😆😆😆

[@neuralwarp]

They only really fill the House for Prime Minister's Question Time, about an hour a week on Wednesdays. The rest of the time there's maybe 15-20 Members of Parliament (MPs) in there. The rest are in committees, having meetings, chatting ideas in the tearoom, reading, or sleeping in their offices.

[@grahamsmith9541]

There are MPs from 12 political parties, and 3 independent MPs. Elected to the house of Commons at the moment.

[@dotunn]

Hahahahaha I’m laughing at myself for years I thought they said eyes to the right and nose to the left 😆. I always thought it was just some traditional thing perhaps with significance.

[@keithorbell8946]

“The Blitz” was the German bombing campaign against Britain in WWII.

[@the98themperoroftheholybri33]

If votes are made digitally it opens up the argument for vote manipulation, whether correct or not. Voting in person removes this doubt

[@lawrenceglaister4364]

Too right digitally can be fixed , it's said so in Florida and a certain presidential race ( ask the Don lol) , best to look them in the eye as it stops the lying bs

[@andrewgreen5892]

There's definitely a lowkey "this was the wrong day to quit sniffing glue" vibe to this video

[@Jamieclark192]

Dude, Parliament is not government. In the U.K. government only refers to the executive branch of the state. However, the people in top government positions must all be members of Parliament. There is no strict separation of powers in the U.K. constitution.

[@thetropicaldream5933]

The most frustrating thing about our politics is half is elected and the other half are lords who are not elected. So we are half of a true democracy in a sense. Lords are not for the benefit of the British people. They are born into a world of wealth and look out for only the rich. Passed down through generations

[@mehitabel6564]

The inherited peerages are being phased out, with them being replaced by peers with expertise in various relevant areas.

[@permets2apollox453]

I like the idea of a house of experts to balance out the commons. Democratic systems cause the people to vote for what is most appealing, not what will actually work

[@eileentaylor1691]

we have had parliament for centuries....yours is still new!!

[@keithorbell8946]

The pubs and restaurants around Westminster are linked to the Division Bell.

[@RollerbazAndCoasterDad]

I lost a TV quiz when I rushed my answer and got my commons/Lords bench colours backwards.

[@davidporter499]

Business in Parliament can seem crazy at times, but is that any different to a US representative talking for 6 hours to prevent work being done (filibustering).

[@ianprince1698]

there is a division bell in the pub across the road

[@maureen348]

You should watch the Prime Ministers question time which is every Wednesday, it's a pantomime

[@cutelittledoll]

As he points out though …. Compared to America, at least it’s more entertaining!

[@stpaley]

PM question time is aired on C-Span in the US

[@pamelamitchell8789]

Betty Boothroyd was a wonderful speaker, she treated the elected members of Parliament as naughty schoolkids! LOL

[@ianport2185]

Just like the House of Commons my grandparents house was blown up in the Blitz. Unlike the House of Commons their house wasn't rebuilt. But my family all survived & moved to Hertfordshire, resulting in my dad meeting my mum. Had it not been for the Blitz you wouldn't be getting this comment.

[@henryviii6341]

it’s YOUR 🇺🇸 History as much as ours 🇬🇧

[@eileentaylor1691]

thats why they have the speaker he keeps them under cotrol

[@nadeansimmons226]

It is often boring but often it is very exciting and fun too watch which is why it is great to go and see for yourself

[@nigelgordon]

The reason for the 8 minute rule is that it is supposed to ensure that all those who are voting were present in the Palace of Westminster during the debate leading up to the vote, so were able to listen to the debate. In theory that means they know what they are voting on. It's an archaic rule and one that may not make sense these days, but he'll, it works so why change it? The main consequence of the rule is that it means that most MPs are in the Palace of Westminster or close by when legislation is being made. Where an MP has to be away from the house there is a system called "pairing" which operates, in which MPs from opposite parties pair off, so that they can both be absent from the House at the same time, without affecting the overall political balance of the house.

[@jimgill19770]

Considering you’ve done a number of videos about the UK, have you ever had a go at the British Citizen test to see how well you do? Might be an interesting video to do

[@judithgray1836]

Your getting better Tyler. Im starting to like you . Our laws are very old and complicated. MP means, member of Parliament. You have a long way to go. 😁

[@kp7032]

Look up Betty Bothroyd who was once the Speaker of the House. You don’t always have to be loud to control the House 😂

[@jamieeadle7223]

Nothing about UK government is modern, every state opening they still check the cellars for barrels of gunpowder lol

[@SgtSteel1]

This was a fun reaction.

[@Jee123123]

one of the reasons and what some would consider the main reason for the speaker John Bercow being controversial is his actions during Brexit, which is the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

[@terencejay8845]

He was doing OK, until he threw impartiality to the wind and did everything he could to thwart or delay every single aspect of Brexit. He ruined a decent career.

[@welshgit]

@@terencejay8845 Fancy upholding parliamentary procedure, and more importantly, the law, eh? The Tories were attempting to ride roughshod over sovereignty (ironic, considering that was one of their bogus brexit benefits)

[@terencejay8845]

@@welshgit Nonsense. Burcow twisted procedure until it screamed. He was blatantly trying to sabotage it. As this chap reacting stated, 'If he can select who speaks, he's got an awful lot of power.' Remainers never accepted they lost the referendum, still don't. Never will. Cry-babies.

[@vintagebollinger4439]

How can having a Sovereign Parliament and a Sovereign Legal system be bogus, when prior to Brexit neither was the case when the country’s Supreme Court was in a foreign land and exercised by foreigners and much of this also applied to the Legislature operating out of Brussels.

[@welshgit]

@@vintagebollinger4439 Sigh. We always had sovereignty. I suggest you look it up before continuing. Why do you think the EU (democratically elected) has problems with Hungary and Poland? How do you think we managed to leave the EU if they didn't want us to? Stop quoting soundbites without understanding what they mean. The brexit elite lied to you, and the fact that - even now - you can't see it is staggering.

[@paulharvey9149]

Not altogether apparent here, is that everything that is spoken by MPs (Members of Parliament) in the House of Commons has to be formally addressed to the Speaker. If they want to refer to something that has been said by another member, they must use the title, "The Honourable Member for (name of the constituency they represent,) and must not use their personal names - unless the particular member is a "Right Honourable Member," which is the case for certain senior ministers. The Prime Minister however, may be referred to as "The Prime Minister." It is The Speaker's responsibility to reprimand any member who fails to follow correct procedures - usually in the first instance by inviting them to withdraw the offending statement; but if they refuse and all else fails, the Speaker can have them removed from the House - by force if necessary. There are quite a number of spectacular clashes of this type recorded on KZbin and elsewhere - try searching for 'Betty Boothroyd', who was Speaker when proceedings began to be televised in the early 1990s - and a character indeed, by all accounts! There is much criticism about the more archaic practices of the Commons that are the responsibility of a government minister with the title, "Master of the House," currently this is Jacob Rees-Mogg, who appears to have been detailed to put procedure before content whenever the going gets particularly tough for the government. This has the effect of angering the opposition parties and almost the whole of the public - and is another of the many areas that are need of serious overhaul. The ongoing lack of capacity for all the members - as well as the lack of a computerised voting system that also allows members to take part in debates from remote locations, is a major part of this - but doesn't change as it works in the favour of whichever of the major parties is in office at the time - and ensures that none of the smaller parties grows much bigger. MPs are also elected on the first-past-the-post system and there is no form of proportional representation in the Commons - which also favours the two main parties by limiting the influence of all the others. The Conservative and Unionist Party is the Government Party at the moment; while for much of the 20th Century and up until 2011 the main opposition has been the Labour Party - although since its' reinvention by Tony Blair in 1997 as New Labour, many of its former trade union and other links have been abandoned in favour of much closer alignment to the Conservatives ( or Tories, for short) in order that they might poach one another's members at times of major disagreement. Traditionally the Liberal or Liberal-democrat party was seen as the third party of the UK, but with perhaps only a quarter of the number of members of even the main opposition party, they tended to be viewed by the big two as potential coalition partners, in the event of an election returning no overall majority. For the past two or three terms of Government the Scottish National Party have taken their place as the third-largest party however - and within Scotland have largely replaced Labour as the main centre-left party that the majority of the population tends to vote for in elections. As Labour has never won an election without winning the majority of Scottish seats it is therefore difficult to see how they might ever do so again - at least in the ongoing absence of PR in the Commons . (In Scottish internal politics they are now in fourth place, behind both the Tory opposition and the Liberal Democrats!). The Liberal Democrats are now the 4th party of the Commons, followed by The Ulster Unionist Party, which is the Northern Ireland equivalent of the Conservatives; Sinn Fein, which is the Irish Nationalist Party, The Social and Democratic Liberal Party (another Northern Ireland party that sits somewhere between Labour and the Lib-Dems on the political landscape), UKIP (the pro-Brexit, United Kingdom Independence Party), Plaid Cymru (the Welsh nationalist party), The Green Party and any Independent MPs who may have been elected. Other parties that don't currently have any seats also exist and field candidates in certain constituencies - even the Monster Raving Loony Party! (Just think what PR could do for them!!) You may wish to compare the Commons to the devolved Scottish Government, which has both first-past-the-post constituency members and regional list members elected by proportional representation; remote member input, computerised voting - and none of this honourable member nonsense!

[@ruk2023--]

The most important thing to remember is that a lot of house of commons sessions take place after the members have had a nice long liquid lunch in the house of commons bar.

[@danielrussell2904]

When they bow in front of the speaker they are actually bowing to an ancient alter from the 1400s that once stood in that place,

[@charlieyerrell9146]

You need to watch the battle of Britain film and the one about the blitz. Then you will know more.

[@nick7076]

The government party and the opposition parties have an agreement that if an MP is incapacitated eg in hospital, an MP from the other side will not vote, to keep the balance fair. If ita an important piece of major legislation then the whips (party officials that organise their party) will ensure all their MPs are there to vote. For less important or technical amendments there may only be a couple of hundred MPs present. The vote is always simple majority. Which ever has most votes yes or no, carries. So a vote could be 113 to 75 if not many are present. Not sure if you can access BBC iplayer (may need a VPN) but parliament channel is a good watch to understand how parliament and government works. In recess until September though

[@jamieeadle7223]

Yeah it's true, I love watching pmqs because I always said it just looks like a bunch of children arguing and shouting at each other.

[@MrPaulMorris]

The reason for requiring the physical presence of members in order to vote in divisions is that they are (in principal) expected to vote based on their judgement of the matter at hand as debated in the Chamber. If they aren't there, they can't have taken part so aren't in a position to make a reasoned judgement. In practice, of course, members are expected to follow rgeir party's policy and vote as directed by their leadership. The party Whips' job is to encourage members to remember this with a carrot and stick approach to independently minded members; do as instructed and you might get some official role in the Government (or the matching 'Shadow' position on the Opposition benches), alternatively, be a naughty boy or girl and wave goodbye to any hopes of a promotion. Occasionally, usually on matters of conscience (such as abortion), a Bill will be put to a 'free vote' where members are not bound by party lines. In regard to the 'sick mother' problem, there are arrangements for this whereby members of the Government and Opposition benches who are unable to attend are 'paired'. That is to say, each promises not to vote in the other's absence thereby cancelling out the missing member. It is a matter of great scandal if the pairing arrangement is broken and a member votes in a division when paired since all MPs are expected to live up to there official designation as 'Honourable Members'.

[@christofferknight8567]

check out prime ministers question times ... sometimes it shows parliament in a disreputable manner so please dont think ill of it. but holding to account is what you wished for , but mainly it is a very good example of democracy.... the monarch can dissolve parliament by right of accession, it is one of the fail safes, it never happened since the civil war , also when ellected the prime minister has to ask the monarch if the government can be formed ,they always agree

[@privateincognita71]

I really like the division voting, it is so COOL!

[@tamioenmu3190]

16:19 there is an order paper which might have 50 MPs out of 650 MPs that want to ask a question to a minister or the prime minister and when they Bob that means they’re not on the list but they still want to speak but if you’re on the list then you won’t need to bother because you know that you’re going to be called eventually to ask a question

[@widsof7862]

There’s a convention for absent MPs who are ill or for eg if it’s a Cabinet member like the Foreign Secretary, who might be on a visit abroad, that the opposition have an MP not vote so it cancels out the absence fairly. The intitial shouting of aye and no, that’s not him counting votes but just to get an indication as to whether there’s consensus on the issue, if not that’s when it goes to a vote.

[@Iluvantir]

To quote the late, great Robin Williams: "Parliament is like Congress, just with a two drink minimum!"

[@johnbecaus8324]

Just to add something that is traditional, the distance between the government and the opposition benches is two sword lengths plus in the MPs cloakroom they all have a place to put swords, although no one is allowed to have a sword.

[@typicalmovie7329]

A fun way to see the difference between the UK and US government's are the videos USA VS UK politics

[@OriginalPuro]

"It's not like, in American government" Their parliamentary system is close to 4 times as old as the country of the US is.. They have a traditional way of doing it, the US has a "new" way of doing it. I'd wager the British way is, although more chaotic and confusing, much more efficient and approachable.

[@mskatonic7240]

Out of sheer curiosity I checked the US Congress Chambers and they both seem to have blue carpeting and red seating, so no colour scheme each for House and Senate. Senators get a desk each, that's nice! The UK Parliament colour schemes aren't secret, and the Houses have their proceedings televised on the news, but you might not know them unless you're in to politics.

[@mariafletcher6603]

The blitz was a German bombing champagne against the United Kingdom. 1940 to 1941 in WW2. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term blitzkrieg the German word meaning lighting war.

[@raysutton2310]

The noise is a formality, there is a formal vote called the division.

[@tonybennett7904]

Colour scheme yes it's also reflected I the lampposts on the bridges by parliament Westminster bridge is nearest the House of Commons so are painted green,,while Lambeth bridge is nearest the Lords ,so is painted red

[@richt71]

The commons can get quite heated. However there are strict rules about what you can and can't say to each other. Name calling is a no no and MP's can be removed for such use.