Summary: book "Britain for Learners of English", James O'Driscoll

Chapter 9: the Parliament
The activities of Parliament in Britain are more or less the same as those of the parliament in any western democracy. It makes new laws, gives authority for the government to raise and spend money, keeps close eye on government activities and discusses these activities. The British Parliament works in a large building called the Palace of Westminster, popularly known as the Houses of Parliament. It contains two large rooms, one where the House of Lords holds its meetings and the other where the House of Commons holds its meetings. The parliament is divided in these two houses and the members belong to one or the other. Only the members of the Commons are known as MPs. They are the more important ones of the two.
The difference between House of lords and house of commons the house of commons is the democratically elected government that rules. House of lords contains peers that have mostly inherited the title. They have the power to delay any laws.
The atmosphere of Parliament
The MPs in the Common house never speak to each other with you. They will say my right honourable friend or the honourable member for Winchester. These ancient rules were originally formulated to take the heat out of debate and decrease the possibility that violence might breakout. An MP does not have his own seat within the house. A candidate at an election is said to have won a seat in the Commons, but this seat is imaginary. No names are marked on the benches. MPs just sit down wherever they can find room (on their side of the House.
The speaker
The Speaker is the person who chairs and controls discussion in the House, decides which MP is going to speak next and makes sure that the rules of procedure are followed (if they are not, the Speaker has the power to demand a public apology from an MP or even to ban an MP from the House fora number of days. It is a very important position, officially the second most important commoner in the kingdom after the Prime Minister. The MPs address the Speaker as Mr Speaker or Madame Speaker. Once anew speaker has been appointed (could be anyone, could even be against your own will, he or she agrees to give up all party politics and normally remains in the job for as long as he or she wants it.
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister, which they are obliged to answer.
An MP’s Life
MPs are just ordinary people that have a normal life besides the politic thing and they basically to the public a service. They do not get paid much in comparison to other European counterparts.

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