Differences between Holyrood and Westminster
In Scotland we are governed by two Parliaments, the Scottish Parliament and the UK
Parliament. There are many things that are different between the Parliaments, Holyrood
and Westminster.
The Scottish Parliament is well known as the Holyrood Parliament, this is due to where the
Scottish parliament is located. Holyrood is a very modern building, built in 2004 and smaller
than Westminster. We have many people who represent us, some of them being MSP's.
MSP's are Members of the Scottish Parliament and we elect them every four years to make
decisions for Scotland. The Scottish Parliament currently has 129 MSP' s and we also have
59 MP's representing Scotland in Westminster.
The UK Parliament is located in an area named Westminster; this is why it is commonly
known as the Westminster Parliament. While Scotland has the one chamber, Westminster
has two, the House of lords, and the House of Commons. MP's represent us in the UK; MP's
are Members of Parliament and are elected to the House of Commons every five years or
so . The Prime Minister is a member and the leader of the House of Commons. There are
also another 649 MP's along with the Prime Minister, David Cameron, who are members of
the House of Commons.
The Scottish Parliament's powers are known as devolved powers. Devolved powers are
powers that have been passed down from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament. These
powers mean the Scottish Parliament is in charge of devolved matters. Devolved matters
include things like health, local government, housing, tourism, police and fire services,
education, social work and environment issues. While Holyrood deals with these matters,
the UK Parliament deal with other matters called reserved matters. The Scottish Parliament
is a devolved parliament; this is because of their devolved powers .
The UK Parliament's powers, with regards to Scotland are called reserved powers. Reserved
matters are issues that Westminster handles and do not pass down to the Scottish
Parliament like devolved matters. Reserved matters include defence, equal opportunities,
guns and weapons, national security, trade and industry, abortion, broadcasting and
entertainment and drug laws.
Both parliaments have a number of key figures. I am going to point out the important
people in both Holyrood and Westminster.
First the Scottish Parliament.
In Holyrood there are quite a few figures to mention. One of these figures is the First
Minister, currently Alex Salmond. The First Minister is head of the Scottish Parliament; this
is because they are chosen by members of their party to be leader of the party. We have
elections every four years. The leader of whichever party wins, becomes the First Minister.
The Presiding Officer has a hugely important role. The current Presiding Officer is Tricia
Marwick and was elected by all the MSP's and is responsible for looking after their rights
and making sure debates are fair. When becoming a Presiding Officer you must give up your
place in your party.
The Clerks are employed by the parliament and their job is to advise the Presiding Officer.
Cabinet Secretaries and Government Ministers sit with the First Minister across from the
Presiding Officer and Clerks. These secretaries and ministers are senior members of the
leading party. Some of the current Government Ministers are Joe FitzPatrick, Nicola
Sturgeon, Keith Brown and Margaret Burgess . Some of the current Cabinet Secretaries are
Alex Neil, John Swinney, Michael Russell and Kenny MacAskill
The Law Officers help to advise the parliament on legal matters. Currently the Law Officers
are Frank Mulholland and Lesley Thomson .
MSP's are elected every four years to represent a certain area of Scotland . During meeting
at Holyrood they sit anywhere they choose behind the ministers, although they usually sit
in their party groups.
The UK Parliaments key figures are slightly different from the Scottish Parliament.
The main figure of this parliament is the Prime Minister, David Cameron. The Prime
Minister is leader of the party who wins most seats after an election. They are then leader
of the government and can choose senior party members to be government ministers.
The Speaker is in charge of the House of Commons and chosen by MP's and is currently
John Bercow. They control debates like the Presiding Officer does in Holyrood and also give
up their party.
The Leader of the Opposition, currently Ed Milliband is leader of the Labour party, the
official opposition. The opposition is the party that came second in election and sit opposite
the government. The leader chooses senior party members to form a shadow cabinet.
MP's also known as backbenchers due to where they sit in the House of Commons. MP's
are elected just like MSP's to represent certain areas, interests and concerns in the House.
In conclusion there are a number of differences between the Holyrood and Westminster
Parliaments. I personally think one of the big differences is the powers both parliaments
have: Holyrood having devolved powers, and Westminster having reserved powers. Also
there is a huge difference in the size of the two parliaments. The Scottish Parliament has
129 MSP's and the UK Parliament has 650 MP's. There are many other differences but I
think these are the main ones.