English Parliament
The English Parliament first arose during the thirteenth century, referred to variously as 'colloquium' and 'parliamentum'. It shared most of the powers typical of representative institutions in medieval and early modern Europe, and was arranged from the fourteenth century in a bicameral manner, with a House of Commons for the knights of the shire and burgesses and aHouse of Lords for the spiritual and temporal peers. The English parliament ceased to exist as part of the parliamentary Union of 1707 between Scotland and England which created the Parliament of Great Britain.Following the first elections to the newly created Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly in 1999 England was left as the only nation in the United Kingdom with no separate representative body, albeit the Northern Irish Assembly has been subject to periods of suspension.
Consequently, some have advocated a new English Parliament, entirely separate from the British parliament, to counteract what they see as a democratic imbalance. Alternatively, some would have this parliament take the form of an English Grand Committee in the United Kingdom House of Commons rather than as a new body with separate elections, while some see it as replacing the House of Commons, with a reformed House of Lords being the sole UK chamber.
The creation of a new English parliament would not solve the problems, as legislation for England and Wales would still have to be enacted in the UK Parliament. Solutions would be an England and Wales parliament alongside the English and Welsh ones, or the splitting of English and Welsh law.
See also: West Lothian question
External Link
