Tag Archives: voting behaviour

The balance of power

Lord Norton 02/07/2008 – 8:37 pm

When I spoke at Chingford Foundation School last week, I asked the pupils how many members they thought there were in the Lords and which party had a majority.   Most underestimated the number and tended to the view that the Conservatives had a majority.   This is a not uncommon response.  Audiences tend to be surprised when I explain that there are three groupings of roughly equal size - Lab […]

Should abstentions be recorded?

Lord Norton 24/06/2008 – 9:04 pm

When MPs and peers vote, they enter lobbies on either side of the chamber and their names are published as voting either 'Aye' or 'No' (MPs) or 'Content' or 'Not Content' (peers).  People outside Parliament thus know how members have voted: it is also a useful resource for researchers, as it facilitates analysis of voting behaviour.  However, abstentions are not recorded.  A member may delib […]