Conclusion

This course has considered the notion of democracy and how the laws passed in Parliament should reflect the will of the people. However, as you will have gathered, the democratic process does not always reflect everyone who casts their vote during a general election. If the UK were to adopt a different election system such as proportional representation (PR), this would go some way to ensuring that everyone’s vote counts. However, this system can potentially cause problems, such as a hung parliament, which means there is no majority party and that it would be difficult to pass any new legislation.

You are now familiar with the stages a Bill goes through and how it becomes an Act of Parliament. This is a lengthy process and the type of legislation that is usually introduced is a public Bill that reflects the majority party’s manifesto and political persuasion. This in itself can cause some contention within society as people in the nation will have different political persuasions and not always feel as if they are being represented through a democratic process – that is, that democracy is a mere notion.

You were introduced to the concept of devolution and how devolution has developed in Wales. You were provided with materials and information which demonstrated the process that has taken place in Wales and which has resulted in the Welsh Assembly being able to create its own legislation in the 20 devolved fields.

You should now be able to:

• explain the roles played by various individuals and bodies who may instigate legislative proposals
• discuss the legislative process in the Westminster Parliament
• distinguish between primary and secondary legislation
• explain the structure of a piece of legislation and discuss its application in context
• explain what is meant by devolution and explain how devolution has evolved in Wales.

If you are unsure about any of these, go back and reread the relevant section(s) of this course.