Parliament of Kirkland
Parliament of the Most Glorious and Holy Empire of Kirkland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | Bicameral Legislature |
| Houses | House of Lords House of Commons |
| Leadership | |
Lord Chancellor | |
High Speaker of the House of Commons | Nathaniel Yates, Labour Party |
Majority Leader | |
Opposition Leader | Thomas Henderson, Liberal Party |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 10 |
House of Lords political groups | Radical Conservative Party (4) Liberal Party (3) Labour Party (3) |
| Elections | |
House of Lords voting system | Automatic Appointment |
House of Commons voting system | Proportional |
| Meeting place | |
| Kirk House (official) Kirkland Forum (unofficial) | |
| Website | |
| Parliament Forum | |
The Parliament of Kirkland is the bicameral legislature of Kirkland. The Parliament is composed of two houses, the House of Lords and the House of Commons
Constitutional Role
According to the Constitution of Kirkland the Parliament has been assigned the role of creating Acts that serve as the law of Kirkland. In this role the Parliament acts, in accordance with the Sovereign to create the laws of the land. This role has been created primarily to take some weight off the role of the Sovereign so that they can focus on pressing matters of state rather than the day-to-day requirements of law making.
Section 1 of Article 2 of the Kirkish Constitution states that the Sovereign may dissolve Parliament at any time, for any reason. This clause gives extraordinary power to the Sovereign and has the power to create an autocratic monarchy at any time. This clause is also used ceremonially to signal the beginning of election season for the next Parliament.
The Parliament is also separated into two different houses each with different responsibilities. The House of Commons has been vested with the power to create all budgetary proposals while the House of Lords is vested with the power to recommend nobles for the Privy Council. For a bill to become law both Houses must approve the legislation.
Houses
House of Lords
- See also: House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament. Its members are all nobles. Each noble is granted a seat in the House of Lords upon being granted a noble title. A Lord is Constitutionally not permitted to hold office in the House of Commons. The House of Lords has the power to a make suggestions to the Sovereign as to who should be on the Privy Council.
House of Commons
- See also: House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of Parliament. Any citizen may run for office in the Commons. Elections for the Commons are open to all legal residents of Kirkland. The Commons is Constitutionally vested with the power to write all budgetary legislation.
Officers
The Parliament has a number of officers in it. They include the Lord Chancellor of the House of Lords, High Speaker of the House of Commons, the Clerk of the Parliament, the Serjeant-as-Arms of the Parliament, and the Librarian of the Parliament.
The only officers that are dictated by the Constitution are the Lord Chancellor of the House of Lords and the High Speaker of the House of Commons. These two officers are the presiding officers in the Parliament and presides over debates and other proceeding in the two houses Parliament. At the beginning of each new parliamentary term, the Lords and the Commons each elect one of their members to hold the office for their specific House. If the incumbent officers seek a new term, then the Houses may re-elect them merely by passing a motion; otherwise, a secret ballot is held. A officers-elect cannot take office until they have been approved by the Sovereign. The officers preside from a chair at the front of the each of their respective houses. The officers control debates by calling on members to speak. If a member believes that a rule (or Standing Order) has been breached, he or she may raise a "point of order", on which the officer makes a ruling that is not subject to any appeal. The officers may discipline members who fail to observe the rules of the Parliament.
The Clerk of the Parliament is both the Parliament's chief adviser on matters of procedure and Chief Executive of the Parliament. He or she is a permanent official, not a Member of Parliament. The Clerk advises the officers on the rules and procedure of the Parliament, signs orders and official communications, and signs and endorses bills. There is a Clerk for each House of Parliament
The Librarian is head of the Parliament Library, the Parliament's research and information arm.
Parliament Culture
Introductions
The Parliament is highly influenced by tradition and protocol. Every day the Serjeant-at-Arms of the Parliament calls to order the body and introduces, with full titulary, the Prime Minister, if they are a Member of Parliament, and Speaker of the Parliament.
Debating
Debates are highly organized and regimented. Each MP addresses the Speaker directly ("Mr/Mrs. Speaker) in all debate never directly addressing any colleagues in any but the third person. Debates are not allowed to turn into personal attacks of any sort. Only one person is allowed to speak at any particular time and no one is allowed to shout or interrupt the current speaker. However, silent showings of support, like standing up during or after a comment or speech, are allowed as they are not disruptive to the debate.
Dress
All MPs wear dress gowns while in the Parliament Chamber. Anyone found to break the dress code is usually not allowed into the Parliament Chamber but they will not be recognized by the Speaker in debate if they are allowed admittance into the Parliament Chamber.
Speakers of the Parliament
These were the Speakers of the Parliament before the separation of Parliament into two Houses.
| Name | Term | Political Party |
|---|---|---|
| His Grace Stephen Landes, Grand Duke of Balromia | February 2011 - 14 June 2011 | Social Monarchist Party |
| The Right Honorable Thomas Henderson, Earl Fenton | 14 June 2011 - 20 June 2011 | Liberal Party |
| His Imperial & Most Serene Majesty Emperor Brayden I of Kirkland | 20 June 2011 - 22 September 2011 | Independent/Radical Conservative Party |
For a list of the officers of the separate houses please go to their individual wiki pages.