ABSTRACT
The British House of Commons, declared Enoch Powell, ‘is a place where gov-
ernment speaks to the people and the people, through their representatives, speak
to government’ (Powell 1982, p. 169). This observation encapsulates a varied and
dynamic relationship. It is a relationship that has developed over centuries and
become far more complex since the advent of a mass franchise. It is a relationship
that is at the heart of the British political system.
