Parliamentary Approval for Deploying the Armed Forces

The House of Commons Library has published an excellent Research Paper introducing the issues involved in Parliament's approval for the deployment of the armed forces - which is likely to be part of the constitutional reforms given effect this session.

The paper begins which some useful definitions and explanations of the Royal Prerogative.

The Paper is available at
http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2008/rp08-088.pdf

The first days of a new session

The first few days of a session are spent by both Houses of the UK Parliament debating the Queen's Speech. The first part of this occured yesterday afternoon with the proposer and seconder of a motion -

"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, as follows:
Most Gracious Sovereign, We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom and Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament."

The first two speeches are by tradition humourous. Then the serious business begins. The Leader of the Opposition spoke first and the debate will continue into next week. Each day's debate in each House deals with particular subject areas. The details can be found at http://services.parliament.uk/calendar/

Video about the Queen's Speech

The Lord Speaker has made a video about the State Opening of Parliament -



A timetable of events is available at - http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/occasions/stateopening/timetable.cfm

The New Session

The Queen opens the new session of Parliament this morning. Each session lasts for about one year - usually running from one November to the next. The only exceptions are when a session is ended early because a General Election is called, and the subsequent first session may be extended until the November in the year following the General Election.

This is the 54th Parliament of the United Kingdom. However unlike most legislatures - as with the US Congress [the 111th Congress will begin on 3rd January] - Parliaments are more usually referred to by the year of their election - so most people will call this the 2008-09 (or 4th) session of the 2005 Parliament.

State Openings of Parliament involve many references to history. The cellars of the Palace of Westminster are ceremonially searched by the Yeomen of the Guard led by the Deputy Chief Whip of the Lords (who has the title of the Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeoman of the Guard). This relives the search which discovered Guy Fawkes in 1605. There will be a proper search undertaken by the police too.

When 'Black Rod' is sent by the Queen to summon the House of Commons, his approach to the House is marked by the slamming of the door in his face. Only after knocking three times is the door reopened to him. This is an assertion by the Commons of its independence - they initially refuse entrance to the Queen's messenger - and then when summoned amble over to the Lords, chatting loudly.

A hostage is held at Buckingham Palace pending the Queen's safe return. Normally this is the Vice Chamberlain of Her Majesty's household, one of the senior whips in the House of Commons (currently Claire Ward MP)

Graham Allen MP once described the experience to the BBC "I am also held hostage once a year when the Queen opens Parliament pending her safe return. If by some chance she is executed or spirited away by MPs, I have my head removed from the rest of my body. Fortunately, the two times I've been held hostage it hasn't happened. It is very onerous, I sit in a comfortable chair, drink a gin and tonic and eat sausages on sticks. I sit with the Queen's private secretary, the Duke of Edinburgh's private secretary and the Princess Royal's private secretary and various ladies in waiting and watch the Queen's Speech on television."

A pdf file on the State Opening is available at http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/HofLstateopening.pdf

Why it Matters!

I'm not a big fan of Damien Green. I object to Tory civil servants (who are supposed to be neutral in the performance of their job) leaking information just to embarass the political party they personally don't think should be governing...

BUT

The arrest and search of Damien Green raises important issues central to Parliament. At the heart of the struggles between the Crown and Parliament in history was the fight over an MP's ability to act and speak without fear of intimidation by the Executive. It is at the heart of the ceremonies surrounding the State Opening of Parliament which takes place on Wednesday. When Black Rod approaches the Commons the door will be slammed in his face - and only after knocking 3 times will he be allowed to enter. It was the attempt by Charles I to arrest some MPs which was thwarted by the Speaker - which lies behind this Commons tradition.

One of the ancient privileges of MPs is freedom from arrest. This doesn't cover arrest for criminal activity - but for the enforcement of civil debt. However, when an MP is arrested - or the police want to search his offices - the Speaker is informed - and it would be a contempt of Parliament for the police to search an Mp's office without the permission of the Speaker.

I agree with those MPs who are outraged at what has happened. The Speaker should have declined permission - constituents should expect that their mail to MPs cannot be read. MPs should not have to fear police raids and arrest whilst carrying out their parliamentary activities. That is why in almost every parliament, including Congress, these rights are protected and fiercely defended.