Power of parliament

The Power of Parliament is primarily an assessment of the function of the House of Commons in the practice of contemporary British politics. But it also describes the evolution of Parliament as an instrument in government and, by providing material for a comparison of its present with its past place in politics, offers evidence relevant to the current allegations of parliamentary decline. The book begins with an account of the develop ment of the House of Commons up to the first Reform Act and of the place of Parliament in the practical politics of earlier centuries. A more detailed study of the nature of parliamentary influence and activity in the 19th century includes an account of criticisms then levelled at the House of Commons by contemporaries: this suggests that the 19th century was not quite the golden age of Parliament that it has sometimes seemed in retrospect. The next chapters describe parliamentary influence, demands for reform, and changes in the mechanics of Parliament during the first half of the 20th century firmly relating all three to the practical politics and issues of the period.