American Reacts to British MPs Behaving Badly 

I just couldn't imagine an American president taking direct questions from all politicians in the senate once a week

Dennis is a legend, love him ❤

The guy shouting order is the Speaker and his role is to chair the debate impartially and keep order in the chamber.

The guy calling for order is the longest serving member of the house of commons. He/She is expected to be totally neutral on all facets of politics within the House of Commons. If he calls Order the house MUST give way to his instructions. Failure brings a warning, to continue gets a second warning, continue again and the member is suspended for seven days from Parliament. The leader depicted was probably the best chair of the house that I have ever witnessed, John Bercow really had the total respect of the whole House of Commons. He took no prisoners at all.

There is a rule in the House of Commons if you withdraw your comment you will get a reprieve, if not you will get thrown out of the House.

With regards to the size of the chamber, there are 650 MPs and seats for only about 400-450 in the chamber itself. This means that not all MPs can be sitting in the chamber at once, and on busy occasions like the Budget Speech (once a year the Chancellor (secretary of the Treasury equivalent) will give a speech to the Commons covering the budget for that year, which the House then votes on. It's treated as a "confidence" vote in the Government really so if the budget is not passed there has to be a General Election by convention) not all MPs can fit into the chamber. Members usually don't turn up for debates unless they want to speak or they have an interest in the topic being debated, so most of the time the chamber is very sparsely populated, giving people like Jacob Rees-Mogg the space to "recline" onto one of the benches and take in a speech whilst "resting his eyes" or some such nonsense. For those busy occasions there's a "reservation" system for seats in the chamber, which is, as everything in Parliament is, tradition-based. Members turn up before a set time (I think 8AM but I can't remember for sure) and place a "prayer card" in a holder on the back of each seat. If the member is then sitting in that seat when the Chaplain arrives for Morning Prayers at the time the House starts sitting (about 9AM) then the seat is theirs for the day. The "front benches" are exempt from this, as this is where the Government sits and you can't have your Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition not showing up for a debate because they can't get a seat. The prayers thing is Christian and Church of England (Anglican), because that's the official religion of the UK and the Monarch (who's Parliament it is and who's Palace of Westminster the Parliament is sitting in (so "my house, my rules") is the Head of the Church of England, so "no other faiths allowed". However, when the prayer is given Members face outwards (towards the walls of the room) so no one can see if they make the sign of the cross - a sign of being a Catholic, which was not tolerated for large parts of our history. This turning around being so they wouldn't be kicked out as an MP if they were a Catholic - "if no one saw you you couldn't be accused so just keep quiet about it" sort of thing. With regards to where members sit, the Government always sit on the front bench in front of the Despatch Boxes, which are the large cases on the long table in front of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. By tradition they each have a bible in, so the leaders are speaking on "holy relics", which translates from an old Catholic tradition that if you swear/promise on holy relics the promise is binding between you and God. Anyway, the Prime Minister (or the person speaking on behalf of the Government) always sits in front of the Despatch Box on the left side of the room as you walk into it from the doors at the far end of the chamber (on the Speaker's right as they look out into the room at the Chamber doors). The Government ministers in attendance always occupy the other seats on that front bench around the Prime Minister, in general order of seniority spreading outwards from the PM. The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition (made up from the second-largest party) always sits opposite the despatch box on the front bench opposite, with their "shadow cabinet" spread out similarly as the Government. The Opposition is a formal (by tradition) role for the second-largest party - they form a "shadow government" who basically prepare for being in Government (elections could be called at any time by the Government traditionally, or a vote of no confidence could be called and lost at any time, so the Opposition always had to be ready to take over at a few day's notice), so they plan policies and form counter-arguments to Government policy and basically say what they would do if they were in power. This is all paid for by the taxpayer so that governing may continue immediately in the event of the Government changing hands. The rest of the Government's party occupy the benches behind the Government front bench on the left-hand side of the room (from the doors) in general (in theory as the largest party wins the election and gets the seats they should have enough members to fill all the seats up otherwise they wouldn't have a majority) and the other parties sit on the right, with the second-largest party sitting behind the Opposition front bench. In more recent times the Scottish National Party (SNP) have taken to sitting on the next "front bench" down towards the doors from the Opposition front bench, with their leader taking the seat closest to the Speaker on that bench.

He's the appointed Speaker, he is an MP

Prime Ministers Questions are good ones to watch

The thing he picked up was the ceremonial mace. Taking it is a big no-no, a bit like taking a cross out of a church.

The biggest joke is that they have to be addressed as 'the right honourable'..... there is not an honourable one amongst them !! lol

You can't use insulting words in the house - otherwise debate and order would deteriorate. The guy in the big seat is the speaker - seems like the speaker is pretty important in the USA too according to the current news.

Very funny....they could make film on this lot

The 2nd word to be withdrawn is “liar” you’re not allowed to suggest anyone in parlement is doing anything illegal or impolite without reasonable evidence to back up their claims to the point they are 100% un deniably right. If not they get kicked out for the day

The idea behind “withdrawing” a phrase is to try to foster relatively polite - if intense - political debate. This is also why there is a rule against calling someone a liar; it’s to maintain a degree of mutual respect and equality within the chamber (even if everyone knows the person is a liar). It is a bit odd, but it does generally work, and if it works, it works, you know! Also: the thing the mp picks up and tried to carry away is the Mace, the symbol of the Monarch in the chamber. If the mace isn’t on the table, any debate in the chamber is technically illegal! Also also (sorry for the long comment!): if you want to know more about the Speaker of the Commons and the Commons in general, there are some handy videos by TLDR on those topics

You comment about it being packed and rowdy, but that is its actual intent! When the Commons was being rebuilt after WW2, Churchill purposefully had it rebuilt exactly as it was originally, meaning it was too small to fit all the MPs in at once (hence why many stand in this video). His justification was that it makes debates and question sessions more intense due to being packed in.

A great bit of old history you should watch is the changing of the speaker. Seeing the ceremony that goes on and the role of 'black rod' thats the lady who took the gold mace back into the chamber. Im from the UK and love watching Parliament in action but I think this ceremony would really interest you.

Withdraw means more rephrasing it 🎩

IF you want to watch a good show in UK House of Commons, just check when they debate about a future Trump visit to UK.... Was 1st time I watch how everyone agree and unanimous all were.

I can’t remember the channel Uk parliament including PMQTS are shown in America

The speaker is chosen from among the elected MP's, and is voted into the Chair by them. Once eelected as Speaker he/she has to become non-political and abandon's their party loyalties. They are not allowed to vote when the House divides. By convention, if there is a General Election whist they are still in office, the main parties will not put up candidates against him in their constituency and they effectively get re-elected by default. There is no fixed term for the Speaker, they can keep the job until they decide to retire, resign, or lose the confidence of the House; i.e. lose a vote of confidence amongst all members. A simple majority of voting members will suffice eitrher way. I'm pretty sure that John Burcow ( the first Speaker in the clip ) survived at least one vote of confidence instigated by hard line Brexiters in the Conservative party because they thought he was pro-remain and not neutral. The House of Commons proceedings are televised, on www.parliamentlive.tv when they are sitting. Unless it is a very contentious debate, a major statement from a minister or the Prime Minister, or Prime Minister's Questions (1230h on Wednesdays) there will usually only be a handful of members in the chamber. Crowds as shown in these clips are the exception.

When a statement is withdrawn it is removed from the written record of the debate. My favourite from Mr Skinner:- “Half the members opposite are criminal, When he was ordered to withdraw or rephrase he decided to rephrase with:- “Half the members opposite are NOT criminal” This was accepted and entered into the record!

In British Politics you can be asked to withdraw a statement. There is nuance here, it doesn’t literally mean you are pretending you never said something it is more like saying “I went a bit far, crossed a line and apologise for it”.

It has nothing to do with apologising. there are rules about what can be said, you either agree to NOT use those words, or get kicked out.

Imagine how long an American president would last at Prime Minister's Questions in parliament.

The Mace you saw being stolen represents the Monarch's royal authority and dates back to Charles II. Without the Mace being present the House can't meet or pass laws.

The item removed is called a mace. It signifies the power of the monarch and has to be in place for the House to sit and debate etc.

Dennis Skinner was my MP until the last election . A marvellous politician who genuinely cared for his constituents, I’m also proud to say he lives near me in my village . The prime minister was at that time called David Cameron.

The the thing about 'withdraw it' is about the parliamentary record, which is called Hansard. There's a whole thing about unparliamentary language, for instance calling an MP a liar isn't allowed so there's loads of creative ways around it.

Speaker of the house John Berkow, basically his job is babysitting the house to make sure they behave.

The most ridiculous rule is they aren't allowed to call an MP a liar, even when every single person in the House of Commons knows damn well that's what they are!

Accusing someone of "inadvertently misleading the house" is the closest a member can come to accusing another member of lying because all members are considered honourable and truthful, but can make mistakes so they can lie accidentally if they were misinformed or ill-informed etc, but members must have proof to accuse another member of lying. The penalty for intentionally lying is they must resign as an MP.

Dennis Skinner is a legend, he stood for what he believed in and always called out the scum for their actions

The reason for the strict rules on what accusations are used like "dishonesty" is that its illegal to deceive the house and calling a member of the commons dishonest is a direct accusation and cannot be thrown about at will. Its a way of keeping the house on topic and not devolve into personal attacks. Just because you feel someone is dishonest that doesn't mean they are. You have to debate at their word not what you think their motive is

As a Brit, I love seeing another perspective on things we just take for granted.

I love PMQs (Prime Minster’s Questions) which take place every Wednesday where MPs get to ask him/her questions and hold the opposition to account. The Speaker of the House has a tough job maintaining order. Love it!

Little fact those red lines on the floor by there feet are from when they used to carry swords and the distance is 2 blade lengths apart from when it got a bit rowdy

If you want to see an American funny you need to watch "George Galloway before the Senate " to say he ripped them apart, is an understatement. Before him was Alex Salmond, needless to say they haven't asked British MPS to appear before them, once bitten, twice shy.

Dennis Skinner was that dude who wouldn't withdraw the question. He's one of the few politicians that has always fought for the people. Westminster is steeped in a 1000 years of history & traditions, that may seem archaic to you. But it's the way it's always been.

Hi Steve, hope you had a good Christmas and new year. Yes this is British parliament at its finest, it’s hilarious to watch, it always gets rowdy, this is the House of Commons, if you look at the House of Lords they’re all just sat there sleeping lol.

David Cameron is the name of the Prime Minister, Dodgy Dave is so funny 😂

2:14 Dennis Skinner, "The Beast of Bolsover". a real character and someone who was never afraid to speak his mind. You might not have always agreed with him but he was one of the most honest and hard working MPs we had and, since his retirement in 2019 is sorely missed.

The ‘gold thing’ that the disrespectful MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle lifted and carried is the Ceremonial Mace , the symbol of the Queen’s authority. The MP was angry over the debate delay that day

During the interminable Brexit debates,things got very heated indeed!

That is the House of Commons, Green benches. More MP'S than seats. There are certain words not allowed or allegations. Erskine May was clerk to the Commons and wrote down the conventions or standing orders, in the 19th century, they were there, he just compiled them for ease of Members. The red lines on the floor are not to be crossed, hence the saying. Put there to stop sword fights, you can guess the age of the rule! I love watching on TV, Wednesday is Priminister's Question time. Can be hilarious, they are confrontational. Most of the work is behind the scenes. The man calling Order is the Speaker of the House, he chairs the "meeting ". You cannot call people certain names, so have to withdraw the word used, or get kicked out of proceedings, there of plenty of other words to use. The big gold thing is the Mace, a symbol of the power to do their job, its removal takes their function away.

Withdrawing a word or sentence gets it struck from the parliamentary record, so there is a reason for it. If its not withdrawn, it stays in the record forever.

The guy in the big green chair is The Speaker, the big gold thing is The Mace in Parliament is the symbol of royal authority and without it neither House can meet or pass laws. The House of Commons mace is a silver gilt ornamental club of about five feet in length, dating from the reign of Charles II. On each day that the House is sitting the mace is carried to the Chamber at the head of the Speaker's procession by the Serjeant at Arms. It is placed on the table of the House, except when the House is in committee, when it rests on two brackets underneath the table. The Lords uses two maces, one dating from the time of Charles II and another from the reign of William III. One of the maces accompanies the Lord Speaker into the Chamber and is placed on the Woolsack whenever the House meets. The mace is absent from the Lords during the State Opening when the Monarch is in the Chamber in person.

There are rules in parliament, basically you have to use 'gentlemanly' behaviour to get your point across, you can't be slanderous, 'dodgy' is considered slanderous Dave is david cameron, the guy at the head is the speaker of the house and keeps order, there are several deputies The mace that was stolen is a symbol that the house is in session, there are 2 positions, either on top or beneath the central table The mace in Parliament is the symbol of royal authority and without it neither House can meet or pass laws. If it's below the table, the house is in 'comittee', an example of that is @11:38 where the deputy speaker is not in the main chair, you notice the mace below the table soon after that timestamp The governing party are on the right of the speaker (left in the image), the rest of the parties are on the left of speakers, each elected member has a 'seat' Check the 'UKpariliament' channel for some of the discussions, especially PMQ's if you want to check out ceremony, search for 'black rod' ceremony' or 'opening of parliament'

The speaker of The House of Commons, presides over the House's debates, determining which members may speak and which amendments are selected for consideration. The speaker is also responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the House. The man in video was the old speaker, John Bercow

The gold thing, is one of the Ceremonial Maces, that's part of the Crown Jewels, and is a symbol of royal authority in the House of Commons, and without it present within the chamber, neither House is lawfully permitted to meet or pass laws. They are on permanent loan from the Crown, to the Houses of Parliament. At the start of each day, the Mace is placed in the Commons, allowing MPs etc to do their job, and is removed at the end of each day. The removal of the Mace is seen as a huge disrespect and under parliamentary rules it is seen as disorderly conduct, and suggests the Government does not have the mandate to govern. That's why in this case, a disgruntled Labour MP (Democrats) removed it in a spur of the moment to show disrespect to the current Conservative (Republican) Government, over Brexit.

As of 2019, there are currently 12 parties represented in the House of Commons of the UK. The biggest party is the Conservative Party with 356 seats, who are in government. As you look at the view at 19:34, for example, they take up the entire left hand side. The second biggest and the opposition party is the Labour Party with 195 seats. They take up the first half of the right hand side, starting from the back next to the speaker. The final quarter, closest to the camera on the right, is held by the other 10 parties. The third biggest being the Scottish National Party (SNP) with 44 seats who sit at the front, and then behind them are the Liberal Democrats with 14 seats, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) with 8 seats, Plaid Cymru with 3 seats, the Social Democratic and Labour Party with 2 seats, the Alba Party with 2 seats, the Alliance Party with 1 seat, the Green Party with 1 seat, and finally the Independent MPs who take up 13 seats. There is another party who would also sit there called Sinn Féin, who have 7 seats, but refuse to sit in the British Parliament.

The one to watch next is the weekly highlight of Parliamentary debate 'Prime Minister's Questions' held most Wednesdays at 12.00 noon GMT, For 45 minutes the Prime Minister answers questions from the Leader of the Opposition (minority leader), other party leaders and other MPs on the topical issues of the day. You'll find it streamed live on the UK Parliament RU-vid channel. Here's a vid for you of our new PM's first 'PMQs' ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_PELMBiwMRc.html

They are very direct and have to answer very direct questions unlike in Europe.

You can not "say" another MP is "lying". Lies are not acceptable.

Nice one ☝️ Australian 🇦🇺parliament is the exact same with sceptre and chests on the table. The public can sit above and watch as well. Very entertaining. Keep up the great work 👍🇦🇺

David Cameron was the man referred to as Dodgy Dave. The man shouting order is John Burko, he was then the speaker who is sort of a referee to keep some kind of order in the house. The second speaker you saw was Sir Lindsay Hoyle. He is also an MP.

If an MP withdraws a word, even in a fake apology, it is struck from the record as if it never was spoken, yes. The idea is to keep the House of Commons as calm and peaceful as possible. Of course the word was said and everyone knows it. But if it is withdrawn and stricken from the record, it can't be referred to again, and weaponized. It doesn't matter what the logic is. That is all part of Parliamentary debate.

I once went on a school trip to London, part of which was a guided tour of the House of Commons led by one of the MP’s from my home city and he explained a few things about the chamber. Firstly if anybody who has not been elected to a seat in the chamber, no matter what the circumstances, they are not allowed to sit down on any of the “official benches “which are in the Commons all upholstered with green leather and in the Lords they are upholstered in red leather and if seen by a member or a staffer they can be removed and arrested for impersonation of a member. Next if you look closely at the backs of the benches the small circular carved features that are placed at regular intervals along the rows actually have been retrofitted with small speakers so that the hard of hearing can listen to everything being said no matter where they are seated, however this leads to several accusations of the members being asleep, sometimes they are but they will not admit that to anyone. Thirdly if you look at the floor between the two sides of the benches you will notice that there is two stripes of red carpet. These lines are marking the distance of the reach of two swords of a standard size, being held tip to tip by males of average height and reach back in the day when every gentleman wore a sword as part of their everyday attire. They installed the lines as a gentle reminder that as long as a member stayed behind his line then they were less likely to be involved in swordplay, at the time this was a possible likelihood. Finally the way that the members refer to one another is laid down that they are not allowed to use the name of another member and must always refer to them as “The member for--(the name of the seat that person represents). The reason for this is to allow a short period of time for tempers to cool down, also it is a disciplinary process that is twofold, 1, it means that if a member over steps the bounds of normal behaviour or language, the Speaker and his/her deputies can use the threat of naming the transgressor, a person who is named in this fashion is supposed to cease the activity and remove themselves from the chamber for the rest of that day’s debates and can only retake their seat after apologising to the Speaker for their behaviour. 2, it informs the party Whips that they have to speak to the person involved and if serious enough they might have to organise a meeting of the senior party members in order to administer their own punishment on the member, ranging from a ticking off or a fine to suspension from the house or even expulsion from their party, ie sacking.

Prime ministers questions happens every Wednesday and its a laugh to watch as well.

The clown squad 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪☹️☹️☹️

British and American politics is more similar than you think. It's mostly just different names for the same things, and a few huge and obvious differences. If you think it compares or seems like something you have there, you're probably right.

You cannot accuse another member of dishonesty, so saying dodgy, saying that's not true and saying lier, is forbidden.

To answer your questions: The gold thing that was picked up by an MP is the ceremonial mace, placed in the House to signify that it is in session. The man in the green chair is the Speaker of the House of Commons, an impartial role generally elected across party lines. Traditionally they are elected from a non-governing party (unless a Speaker is already in office when a new government comes in), and chairs debates and keeps order, as you've seen. The most famous one was John Bercow who resigned in 2019, the Speaker is now Sir Lindsay Hoyle. To withdraw a comment is the formal equivalent of "take that back". Often times MPs try and use innuendos to get past that - "terminological inexactitude" for a lie, "economical with the truth" for a lie by omission, "tired and emotional" for intoxicated. You cannot call another member a liar as it accuses them of being dishonourable, when all members are referred to as Honourable/Right Honourable. We have many corrupt and lying members, Boris Johnson was brought down by it. Generally if you are found to have misled the House you are expected to resign from your government position, although there are no official mechanisms of enforcing this. The House of Lords is generally much more tame and relaxed. They are generally old and falling asleep haha. Most people do not have much faith in their MPs especially as scandals come out. They are there to represent us but there is a general feeling of "all politicians are the same".

words like `liar` or `dodgy` are not allowed to be used but because every word is recorded so they are asked to withdraw their words from the official record (known as hansards)

This place is steeped in history. Going back to Tudor times. Dennis Skinner is a hero. His brother taught me Humanities. They holler because its not the done thing to applaud I think you need to read up on the history instead of cherry picking the worst parts to watch. A lot of good is done in this place This is a weekly event called "Prime Ministers Questions". The House can put questions directly to the Prime Minister. I would love to see how this would go down in the USA

My favourite Dennis Skinner parliament moment was the time he was kicked out for saying “We all know that 50% of Tories are crooks” and the speaker demanded he retract it and said “Okay then 50% of Tories aren’t crooks”. Absolute legend Edit: Turns out this story is not true, just a legend of a legend

The speaker of the house of commons Dates back from 1377 when sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed.

This government's behaviour in Parliament reflects the state of our country

My theory about the behaviour in the house is that most of them attended the same posh fee paying schools. They are used to abusing each other in this manner from a young age! And yes your right about dishonesty. Calling them representatives of the people in general is stretching the truth a long way. A few might be I hope. Most help themselves to what they can take.

Withdrawing is the parliamentary term for apologizing for language and name-calling which is not allowed.

Yep...pretty standard stuff for prime minister's question time (PMQs)televised 12 noon on Wednesday's. Well worth a watch.😄

The MP that was ordered out of the chamber that insulted David Cameron was Dennis Skinner, he was a brilliant MP and was a friend of my grandfather. I met him several times and once got me a friend tickets for the gallery overlooking the chamber

If you want to watch a House of Lords debate, just look them up on here. Much more sedate, some even sleep their way through them.😃😕 Loved your raction to the Commons debates

Isn't it interesting how well disciplined the UK House of Commons appears cf the US House of Representatives? This week, one congressman had to be physically restrained from striking another one (of the same party) on the House floor, and nobody is disciplined!! In Westminister, you're expelled from the House for uttering an insult. It is said that Winston Churchill wanted to accuse a Member of not telling the truth. Because MPs are referred to as "honourable members", and an honourable person would never lie, it is forbidden to call a Member a liar, on the floor of the House. So, Winston just stated, "I believe the honourable gentleman may have uttered a terminalogical inexactitude".

If an insult is withdrawn, it is not recorded, and it is regarded as an apology.

Some comments can be said and not said in the house. Hence why have a “speaker” to act as a partial and supposedly none biased view. Basically a referee. This is why even the opposition of party members refer to eachother as “the right HONOURABLE’ this is a debate - not a slagging / cussing match

Asking an MP to withdraw something they have said is like asking a jury to disregard testimony they have just heard! It's too late and already in the consciousness! Job done!

Withdraw from the Chamber. Ever heard of a 'drawing room'? It's full name was 'withdrawing room' to which women retired whilst the men supped their brandy, smoked cigars and discussed business. Might be a good idea to invest in a copy of Roget's.

A compilation of Dennis skinner since he became a parliamentarian would be so brilliant. He's my favourite, and tells it like it is in the very words which I like. 😂

Dave is the priminister yeah (at that point. David Cameron. Probably the last actually suitable prime minister). It’s against the rules of parlement to use names. You must refer to your colleagues as “my honourable friend”. So calling him dodgey Dave was super far. I remember that old dude getting kicked out that time lol. Poor guy, all he wanted to do was stand up for his morals

I have heard it said that the reason they are not allowed to call anyone a liar in the House is because they would just end up calling each other liars all day.

That mace that the man walked off with is hugely symbolic. It's one of the maces you saw in the Crown Jewels vid. It represents The Queen/King. That has to be there to make the proceedings legal. If it's removed they cannot make ANY laws or discuss them.

Honestly our parliament is like kids in a bloody playground it's shocking how ppl like that are allowed to run our country

I say this with respect. On the topic of him withdrawing the statement. Everyone should have the right to speak their mind in any setting. However speaking your mind sometimes results on consequences. In this case he was never restrained from expressing himself, and was given the opportunity to take back his words. He stuck to his guns as is his right and was ejected from the sitting. Freedom of speech doesn’t not mean freedom of consequences. I think Americans in particular have trouble with this. You have the right to insult a champion martial artist, but it doesn’t mean they won’t hurt you. That said, he was right. Dave Cameron is a wanker.

It's like kids at a primary school. The corruption is nowhere near as bad as it is in America.

Both parties in the US are so crazily right wing, Your most left wing dude Bernie is pretty much a centrist. Sadly UK politics is lurching the same way. Which will inevitably destroy health and education.

The way they clown each other in the chambers is so entertaining and mind blowing 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Trust me, us British people would like to know what they do as well. Haha Yes Dodgy Dave was David Cameron. A former Prime Minister. Withdraw means to retract a statement that will not be recorded. The man in the big chair is the speaker of the house. The guy took away the government symbol of office. It is always there for a debate in parliament. The debate you're watching is the Prime minister's questions. It is a session they have every week and have gotten a lot worse at times.

Interesting that even in the heat of the moment they are so articulate.

In addition to the UK Westminster Parliament there are 3 devolved elected assemblies, for Scotland, wales and North Ireland. Thus in that UK sense , the Westminster Parliament is therefore the "federal level" of our UK Government System. England does not have similar devolution - so the Westminster Parliament is the also the national government for the "English Nation".

You should check out the Irish political system. Voting is by proportional representation. You literally get to vote for as many people as you like, in order of preference. It's a far more representative system. Independent TDs have a lot more influence.

Dennis skinner versus black rod is funny especially when he mentions horse racing lol

Hi Steve, They have been in this chamber for hundreds of years during both wars and they will still keep going. Since Charles 1st the King or Queen is not allowed in that room. We have the same system in Australia the best government system in the world. thanks Steve. If you have time Steve watch the 1980's YES MINISTER they speak very politely!

8:21 - so this is quite interesting because the MP that was speaking before Theresa May shouted out, “that’s not true”. The reason that is quite a big deal is you don’t lie in the Houses of Parliament, everyone is an honourable and respected member of Parliament, therefore never lies. You could stand there and say I’m a pink elephant with 15 fingers and if somebody shout out that you’re a liar, the person that shouts out is the one that gets in trouble!

the guy shouting order's official title is 'house bouncer' he worked his way up from a club in liverpool to parliament he's done well and can cut up rough if needed

SNP is one of the Scottish parties. They have their own government but they have to attend English parlement. I think they have the SNP, Scottish labour and a few other parties. I can’t remember which one is in power at the moment through if I’m honest as I don’t pay attention to Scottish politics

Makes you realise why the country is in such a mess 🙄

SNP is Scottish National Party Is a large political party in Scotland who's main policy is independence of Scotland.

Dennis Skinner is the best, he was not wrong about David Cameron or any of the rest of the Dodgy Tories. They remind me of a bunch of naughty school kids in detention and the speaker is the headmaster telling them off and keeping control lol.

Try watching back some of the Brexit debates or prime ministers questions or when the government loses votes. The house can get quite dramatic!

There is a dedicated Parliament channel available. The vast majority of the time the debates are poorly attended and very boring. What you have seen is a compilation of some of the most interesting bits from many years. Parliament has evolved over many years and has many daft crazy rules and practices which really need scrapping. When looking at the speaker the governing party (Conservatives in all the clips you saw) are on the left hand aside the main opposition party (Labour) is on the right nearest the speaker with the third largest party (SNP - Scottish National Party) on the right furthest from the speaker. By the way the two former SNP leaders you saw (Salmond and Blackford) are both just clowns not to be taken too seriously. (And I live in Scotland) The only real advantage our system has is that once a party has a majority of MPs they have the freedom to govern. We never end up with a President from one party (say Democrat) trying to persuade a Republican house of representatives to pass laws as you will have for the next couple of years. No system is perfect except of course the one with me in charge and everybody else doing as they are told 🙂