# Question about British Parliament **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379 "2004-02-27T00:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/41 "2004-02-27T18:00:48Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > The mace? As in a wooden handle with a chain and a big spiky ball on the end? Actually, that’s a flail. A mace is just a glorified club. [Pictures here](http://www.kultofathena.com/maces.html). On preview, **seaworthy** beat me to it, but I have a link. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jabba)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/42 "2004-02-27T18:06:03Z")
[The House of Commons Mace](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/a-z_of_parliament/m-o/82544.stm) is a much more impressive object. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/43 "2004-02-27T18:07:01Z")
**qts** is right. The Prime Minister is not the leader of the largest seat-winning party. He/She is the individual who can count on the largest support amongst all other MPs in a way that will form a working government. In practice, however, this usually **is** the leader of the largest party. But there is nothing to stop absolutely any MP going to the Queen and telling her he/she has the most support among the MPs and intends to form the next government. The Queen’s not going to give them her blessing if it’s just wishful thinking though. Mind you, lack of her blessing wouldn’t stop a government forming either. It just goes to show that the whole UK method of government is based on nothing other than convention and practice. “The done thing.” If anyone wanted to be awkward about it they could ride roughshod through the whole arrangement. ---
**Author:** ![seaworthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@seaworthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seaworthy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/44 "2004-02-27T18:33:39Z")
> [@Jabba](#): > > [The House of Commons Mace](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/a-z_of_parliament/m-o/82544.stm) is a much more impressive object. Damn. A MP tried to swing that in protest but broke it instead? I bet everybody was pretty pissed about that. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/45 "2004-02-27T19:59:30Z")
It’s my understanding that the prime minister need not be a member of the House of Commons. Is that right? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/46 "2004-02-29T18:10:05Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > It’s my understanding that the prime minister need not be a member of the House of Commons. Is that right? Many Prime Ministers came from the House of Lords before the 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![Lockz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Lockz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockz)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/47 "2004-02-29T19:41:19Z")
It could conceivably happen that the Prime Minister wasn’t elected in his constituency, but was still the leader of the party with the most seats (or leader of a coalition). For instance in Canada this might happen if the NDP got a majority government but Jack Layton (leader of the NDP) didn’t win his riding. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/48 "2004-02-29T19:45:38Z")
Maybe, but it has long since been unacceptable for the British Prime Minister not to be a member of the Commons. When the Earl of Home (pronounced ‘Hume’) became PM at short notice in 1963, he resigned his peerage, becoming plain Sir Alec Douglas-Home, and a Tory MP in a safe seat fell on his sword to allow Douglas-Home to contest the resulting by-election. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379/49 "2004-02-29T23:38:41Z")
> [@Steve Wright](#): > > We do _try_ to keep it moderately civilized; it’s only occasionally that some honourable Member gets overheated and starts waving the mace around. Mace-waving _is_ rare, but Members getting suspended for other reasons happens every couple of years. Seems that during Bernard Weatherill’s 1983-92 stint as Speaker, [four Members](http://library.kent.ac.uk/library/special/html/specoll/weahansd.htm) were “named” (a technical term in this context) and then suspended: Tam Dalyell (twice), Dennis Skinner, Martin Flannery and Brian Sedgemore. Typically, a suspension only lasts a few weeks. > [@Usram](#): > > [A] Tory MP in a safe seat fell on his sword to allow Douglas-Home to contest the resulting by-election. To be pedantic, not quite: [George Younger](http://politics.guardian.co.uk/politicsobituaries/comment/0,1441,883078,00.html) only stood down as the candidate in the Kinross and West Perthshire by-election so that Douglas-Home could stand. Younger, of course and entirely uncoincidentally, did go on to become an MP (for Ayr) anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-parliament/231379.md?page=2)