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Parliament has three
main functions which may be described as legislative,
financial and critical. Only Parliament can pass laws,
impose taxes and authorize public expenditure. The
critical function is largely exercised by the Members of
the opposition parties, who have a duty to the country
no less important than that of the Government. A highly
significant feature of the parliamentary system is that
the Opposition has an officially recognized status. The
leader of the Opposition, who is the leader of the party
in opposition having the largest number of members, is
paid by the state, and like all arties, Government and
Opposition alike, are provided with money for research.
Since Parliament spends most of its time
dealing with government business its critical function
is of great importance. The opposition parties are
always anxious to keep the government "on its toes" and
by making the most of their parliamentary opportunities
they are able to exert their influence both on
government and public opinion. All parties are concerned
with the impact they are making in the country and none,
whether in or out of power, can afford to ignore the
views of its opponents. The unceasing confrontation of
political parties and the cut and thrust of debate
between them are essential to the parliamentary system.
All members of Parliament are free to
vote as they choose on the various matters which come
before the House, but they rarely vote against their own
parties on major issues. The effective operation of
Parliament depends today upon the party system which
assumes that in most circumstances a party can count on
the solidarity of its supporters. As already
noted, the parties in opposition are officially
recognized. The leader of the Opposition is entitled to
the same salary as a Cabinet minister in addition to his
indemnity and allowances as a Member of the House of
Commons. In the official order or precedence he ranks
immediately after the members of the Cabinet.
The job of the opposition parties is to
scrutinize everything that the government does; to
criticize its measures and policies and propose
alternatives of their own; and to draw attention to any
inefficiency or maladministration in the conduct of
national affairs. But an opposition does more than
merely oppose. Its aim is to be constructive and
there are occasions when an opposition party decides
that it is in the national interest to co-operate with
the Government.
The Principal opposition party normally
regards itself as a government-in-waiting and its leader
as a potential Prime Minister. The system assumes that
at any time an alternative government is standing by and
ready to assume the responsibilities of office. As a
part of this preparation leading members of the
opposition, sometimes designated 'shadow ministers', do
duty as critics of the various departments of
government., acting as counterparts to the ministers of
the Cabinet.
The rules and practice of the House of
Commons protect the rights of the opposition parties in
various ways. There are days when they have the right to
select the subject for debate; they are usually given
precedence by the speaker during the daily question
period; and opportunities for expressing lack of
confidence in the government occur regularly. |
