Crossbencher

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CROSSBENCHER (for English Querbänkler ) are independent members or small groups in some parliaments like the British House of Lords and the Australian Parliament . They get their name from the cross-standing benches , which are arranged at right angles between the rows of benches of the government and the opposition, on which they sit during parliamentary sessions (see front and back bench ).

Great Britain

Crossbenchers from the UK House of Lords do not belong to any particular orientation or party. This also includes the judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 , the former speakers of the British House of Commons (e.g. Michael Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn and Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd ) and the former Lord Speaker of the House of Lords ( such as Helene Hayman, Baroness Hayman ) who are not affiliated with any party by convention. There are also some non-attached MEPs ( Non-affiliated members of the House of Lords ), the no CROSSBENCHER are, in particular, some officers, like the Lord Speaker and others who are indeed connected to a party, but the Whip were withdrawn. Although independent members and members of the small parties sometimes sit on the cross bench, they are not members of the Crossbencher group .

According to their self-image, many Crossbenchers bring specialist knowledge into Parliament, since most Crossbenchers were nominated for reasons other than party affiliation or political ideals. Since 2000, the House of Lords Appointments Commission has nominated a total of 59 non-partisan peers for life (as of July 2012) who belong to the House of Lords as crossbenchers.

Since October 1, 2011 there are 177 Crossbenchers in the House of Lords, ie they are the third largest group after the Labor Party and Conservative Party . Of these, 146 are lifetime peers and 31 are hereditary peers (including a royal official). From April 2007 to 2009, the number of Crossbenchers was higher than the number of Conservatives in the House of Lords for the first time.

Although the Lords Spiritual (bishops of the Church of England ) also have no party affiliation, they are not referred to as crossbenchers and do not sit on the cross benches. Their seats are on the government side of the Lords Chamber.

Convenor

The Crossbenchers do not share a common position and have no whips , but they do elect a chairman from among their number for administrative purposes and to keep them up to date on the company's business. The current convenor since September 2015 has been David Hope, Baron Hope of Craighead .

The following MPs served as convenors of the crossbenchers:

  1. 1968–1974: William Strang, 1st Baron Strang
  2. 1974–1995: Audrey Hylton-Foster, Baroness Hylton-Foster
  3. 1995–1999: Bernard Weatherill, Baron Weatherill (Alternating Convenor 1993–1995)
  4. 1999-2004: David Craig, Baron Craig of Radley
  5. 2004-2007: David Williamson, Baron Williamson of Horton
  6. 2007-2011: Frances D'Souza, Baroness D'Souza
  7. 2011–2015: Herbert Laming, Baron Laming
  8. since 2015: David Hope, Baron Hope of Craighead

Australia

The term crossbencher refers to both independent members and members of smaller parties in the parliaments of Australia.

The Australian Parliament , elected in the 2010 general election, was the 43rd federal parliament since the Federation. It was the first hung parliament in the Australian House of Representatives since the parliamentary election of 1940: In 2010, both the Australian Labor Party and the coalition won 72 seats out of a total of 150. Six Crossbenchers tipped the scales : the representative of the Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt and nonpartisan MPs Andrew Wilkie , Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor expressed support for Labor on major issues, and nonpartisan MP Bob Katter and National Party of Western Australia MP Tony Crook expressed support for the coalition on major issues . The resulting 76:74 ratio entitles Labor to form a minority government .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Convenors of the Crossbench Peers . The Independent Crossbenchers , archived from the original on May 16, 2015 ; accessed on April 5, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).