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The dynamic power of Parliament lies in the House of Commons. Of ist 650 Members, 523 represent constituencies in England, 38 in Wales, 72 in Scotland and 17 in Northern Ireland.
There are only seats in the Commons debating chamber for 370 members, but expect on matters of great interest, it is unusual for all members to be present at any one time.
Many MP´s find themselves in other rooms of the Commons, participating in a variety of committees and meetings necessary for an effective parliamentary process.
The shape of the Commons debating chamber makes an important comment on the political process in Britain. Unlike many European chambers which are semicircular, thus reflecting the spectrum of political opinion in their seating plan, the Commons is rectangular, with the Speaker´s (the Pesiding MP) chair at one end, and either side of it five rows of benches running the lenght of the chamber. On one side, to the Speaker´s right, sits Her Majesty´s Government and its supporters, and on the other side Her Majestry´s Opposition, composed of all Members who opose the government. The front benches on either side are reserved for members of the Cabinet and other Ministers, and Opposition spokesmen, known as the "Shadow Cabinet", respectively.
Behind them sit Mps from their own party, known as "backbenchers". The layout implies two features of British political life: that it has traditionally been a two-party system and that the process is essentially adversarial (indeed, a red line on the floor in front of each front bench still marks the swords´ lenghts - beyond which a Member may not approach the opposite benches)
The Speaker is chosen by a vote of the entire House, although in paractice the party leaders
consult their supporters in order to achieve informal agreement beforehand. The Speaker is
responsible for the orderly conduct of buisness, and is required to act with scrupulous
impartiality between Members in the House. In the words of the Speaker in 1988,
"It´s not my duty as a Speaker to bend arguments in any way, but to ensure that everything
that happens here is seen clearly by those who put us here. We are, after all, the servants of
those who put us here: to electorate!"
The Speaker is assister by three deputy speakers. Unlike peers, who can only claim expenses,
Mps are paid salaries, approximately twice the average national wage, but substantially less
than most Mps earn ourside the Commons.
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