Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

The genius of Westminster

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, August 26, 2011 11:30am - 13 Comments

Fareed Zakaria wonders if America would be better off with a parliament.

Remember, the political battle surrounding the debt ceiling is actually impossible in a parliamentary system because the executive controls the legislature. There could not be a public spectacle of the two branches of government squabbling and holding the country hostage.

If we’re in for another five years of this squabbling in the U.S., we are going to make presidential systems look pretty bad indeed.

Tags: Congress, debt ceiling, Fareed Zakaria, house of commons, legislature, Parliament, United States, westminster

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Anonymous

Neither system is perfect, but I think the Westminister model is definitely superior to that schmozzle to the south of us.
TonyAdams

Genius of Westminster is one person, one vote, in recognizable ridings and MPs can be held to account every few years.

American Founding Fathers were suspicious of many British things but they knew to keep one person, one vote.

Canadian Parliament is divided, just like Canada, but we are just not as noisy or bolshie as Americans are. People often don’t agree with themselves from one day to next, never mind what millions of other people think. There is no consensus on what the right policy is for Canada and its future.

American pols are not really beholden to their parties and reflect average opinion much better.

Also, Canadian msm is Liberal, and rather dire, so our media does not reflect full range of regular opinions heard across Canada every day.

Anonymous

Americans are bolshie? Oh brother, now I’ve heard everything.

Claudia Lemire

America is so seriously divided, and it isn’t only politics. Politicians should be an example, it is a shame really!
Phil King

“…There could not be a public spectacle of the two branches of government squabbling and holding the country hostage….”

Yes well, let’s see what happens when we start giving Senators an electoral mandate and see what happens.

If more people voted for me than your average MP, (which is what will happen) I’d be tempted to think my fellow Senators and I shouldn’t just stand by when parliament did something we didn’t think served our voter’s interests.

Like say going massively into debt.

Just sayin’.

Anonymous

Exactly why we don’t need an elected senate.
Anonymous

Exactly why we don’t need an elected senate.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4465WSJ36YDGXAJZUXDNIM64M4 Dan

Technically the Westminster system still requires the UK Parliament to pass a borrowing bill each year if the deficit is of a sufficient size. This could really only be a problem in a minority parliament when the Party that controls the executive doesn’t also control the legislature.

Until recently Canada’s legislature also had to pass borrowing bills in order to run deficits larger than $3B. Just before the recent recession however the law was changed to allow the government to borrow as much money as it wants so long as four Cabinet Ministers sign off on it.

Anonymous

The benefit of a Westminster-system, of course, is that when a government does present a budget, its defeat will trigger an election which will usually either confirm the government, or replace it (Belgium currenlty being a bit of an exception to the usual rule after elections). The American system in which the legislators and president remain in place no matter what the outcome of any legislative vote, pending the next election cycle, seems to be at the root of their dysfunction.

Anonymous

The US system is predicated on Legislative Branch members harboring “goodwill” to do what’s best for the country. The Westminister system harbours no such illusions.

Anonymous

Haven’t looked at it too closely lately, have you?
Anonymous

Haven’t looked at it too closely lately, have you?

Anonymous

The US system is predicated on Legislative Branch members harboring “goodwill” to do what’s best for the country. The Westminister system harbours no such illusions.