right|thumb|250px|The House of Representatives Chamber of the Parliament of Australia in Canberra.

A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modelled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of ''parler'' (to speak): a ''parlement'' is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which such a discussion took place. It acquired its modern meaning as it came to be used for the body of people (in an institutional sense) who would meet to discuss matters of state.

Parliament government

Legislatures called parliaments operate under a parliamentary system of government in which the executive is constitutionally answerable to the parliament. This can be contrasted with a presidential system, on the model of the United States' congressional system, which operate under a stricter separation of powers whereby the executive does not form part of, nor is appointed by, the parliamentary or legislative body.

Typically, congresses do not select or dismiss heads of governments, and governments cannot request an early dissolution as may be the case for parliaments. Some states have a semi-presidential system which combines a powerful president with an executive responsible to parliament.

Parliaments may consist of ''chambers'' or ''houses'', and are usually either bicameral or unicameral although more complex models exist, or have existed (''see Tricameralism).

A nation's prime minister ("P.M") is almost always the leader of the majority party in the lower house of parliament, but only holds his or her office as long as the "confidence of the house" is maintained. If members of the lower house lose faith in the leader for whatever reason, they can call a vote of no confidence and force the PM to resign.

This can be particularly dangerous to a government when the distribution of seats is relatively even, in which case a new election is often called shortly thereafter. However, in case of general discontent with the head of government, his replacement can be made very smoothly without all the complications that it represents in the case of a presidential system.

Proto-parliamentarian institutions

:''See History of Parliamentarism''

Since ancient times, when societies were tribal, there were councils or a headman whose decisions were assessed by village elders. This is called tribalism. Some scholars suggest that in ancient Mesopotamia there was a primitive democratic government where the kings were assessed by council. The same has been said about ancient India, where some form of deliberative assemblies existed, and therefore there was some form of democracy. However, these claims are not accepted by most scholars, who see these forms of government as oligarchies.

Ancient Athens was the cradle of democracy. The Athenian assembly (ἐκκλησία ekklesia) was the most important institution, and every citizen could take part in the discussions. However, Athenian democracy was not representative, but rather direct, and therefore the ekklesia was different from the parliamentary system.

The Roman republic had legislative assemblies, who had the final say regarding the election of magistrates, the enactment of new statutes, the carrying out of capital punishment, the declaration of war and peace, and the creation (or dissolution) of alliances. The Roman Senate controlled money, administration, and the details of foreign policy.

Some Muslim scholars argue that the Islamic shura (a method of taking decisions in Islamic societies) is analogous to the parliament. However, many other disagree, highlighting some fundamental differences between the shura system and the parliamentary system.

In Anglo-Saxon England,the Witenagamot was an important political institution. The name derives from the Old English ƿitena ȝemōt, or witena gemōt, for "meeting of wise men". The first recorded act of a witenagemot was the law code issued by King Æthelberht of Kent ca. 600, the earliest document which survives in sustained Old English prose; however, the witan was certainly in existence long before this time. The Witan, along with the folkmoots(local assemblies), is an important ancestor of the modern English parliament.

England

England has long had a tradition of a body of men who would assist and advise the King on important matters. Under the Anglo-Saxon Kings, there was an advisory council, the Witenagemot ("meeting of wise men"). As part of the Norman Conquest of England, the new King, William I, did away with the Witenagemot, replacing it with a Curia Regis ("King's Council"). Membership of the Curia was largely restricted to the tenants in chief, the few nobles who "rented" great estates directly from the King, along with certain senior ecclesiastics.

Most historians date the emergence of a parliament with some degree of power to which the throne had to defer no later than the rule of Edward I. (Kaeuper, Richard W., War Justice and Public Order: England and France in the Later Middle Ages, Oxford U. Press, 1988.) Like previous kings, Edward called leading nobles and church leaders to discuss government matters, especially finance. A meeting in 1295 became known as the Model Parliament because it set the pattern for later Parliaments. The significant difference between the Model Parliament and the earlier Curia Regis was the addition of the Commons, that is, elected representatives of rural landowners and of townsmen. In 1307, Edward I agreed not to collect certain taxes without consent of the realm. He also enlarged the court system.

William of Normandy brought to England the feudal system of his native Normandy, and sought the advice of the curia regis, before making laws. This body is the origin from which the Parliament, the higher courts of law, the Privy Council and Cabinet have sprung. Of these, the legislature is formally the High Court of Parliament; judges sit in the Supreme Court of Judicature; and only the executive government is no longer conducted in a royal court.

The tenants-in-chief often struggled with their spiritual counterparts and with the King for power. In 1215, they secured from John the Magna Carta, which established that the King may not levy or collect any taxes (except the feudal taxes to which they were hitherto accustomed), save with the consent of a council. It was also established that the most important tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics be summoned to the council by personal writs from the Sovereign, and that all others be summoned to the council by general writs from the sheriffs of their counties. Modern government has its origins in the Curia Regis; parliament descends from the Great Council later known as the ''parliamentum'' established by Magna Carta.

The English Parliaments during the reign of King Henry III in the 13th century incorporated elected representation from shires and towns, and is considered the forerunner of the modern parliament. In 1265, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, who was in rebellion against Henry III, summoned a parliament of his supporters without royal authorisation. The archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls and barons were summoned, as were two knights from each shire and two burgesses from each borough. Knights had been summoned to previous councils, but the representation of the boroughs was unprecedented. De Montfort's scheme of representation and election was formally adopted by Edward I in the so-called "Model Parliament" of 1295. At first, each estate debated independently; by the reign of Edward III, however, Parliament had been separated into two Houses and was recognisably assuming its modern form.

Parliament under Henry VIII and Edward VI

The purpose and structure of parliament in Tudor England underwent a significant transformation under the reign of Henry VIII. Originally its methods were primarily medieval and the monarch still had inarguable dominion over the decisions. According to Elton, it was Cromwell who then initiated the beginnings of change within parliament.

The Reformation Acts gave parliament unlimited power over the country, and authority over every matter, be it social, economic, political or even religious; it legalised the Reformation, officially and indisputably. The King had to rule through the council, not over it, and there had to be mutual agreement when creating or passing laws, changing religions or adjusting taxes. The monarch no longer had sole control over the country. For instance, during the later years of Mary, the parliament originally rejected Mary's intent to revive Catholicism in the realm, and even later, denied Elizabeth her request for marriage. If parliament had had this power before Cromwell, during Wolsey's reign as Secretary, the reformation might never have happened as the king would have had to gain the consent of all parliament members before so drastically changing the country's religious laws.

The effectiveness of parliament considerably increased after Cromwell's adjustments. It gave the country an unprecedented stability when dealing with dynastic complications, such as a minor king or the lack of a suitable heir. When an acceptable monarch was not available, the changes in government meant that the country could still run efficiently through the parliament, without having to succumb to civil war. Management and organisation was also improved and parliamentary procedure was documented, statutes printed. The fact that the monarch was suddenly dependent on another political body meant that decisions were more thoroughly considered and the rash whims of Henry VIII were trivialised and reduced. He could not establish supremacy by proclamation; he needed the parliament to enforce statute, to add felonies and treasons. One of the main liberties of parliament was its freedom of speech; Henry allowed anything to be spoken openly within parliament and the speakers were not allowed to be arrested, a fact which they exploited incessantly. Despite this fact however, parliament held very little objection to the desires of the monarch, and under Henry and Edward's reign it complied willingly to the majority of the Kings' decisions.

As Williams described it, "King and parliament were not separate entities, but a single body, of which the monarch was the senior partner and the Lords and the Commons the lesser, but still essential, members."

The Parliament of England met until the Acts of Union merged the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England, creating the new Parliament of Great Britain in 1707.

France

Originally, there was only the Parliament of Paris, born out of the Curia Regis in 1307, and located inside the medieval royal palace, now the Paris Hall of Justice. The jurisdiction of the ''Parliament'' of Paris covered the entire kingdom. In the thirteenth century, judicial functions were added. In 1443, following the turmoil of the Hundred Years' War, King Charles VII of France granted Languedoc its own ''parliament'' by establishing the ''Parliament'' of Toulouse, the first ''parliament'' outside of Paris, whose jurisdiction extended over the most part of southern France. From 1443 until the French Revolution several other ''parliaments'' were created in some provinces of France (Grenoble, Bordeaux).

All the ''parliaments'' could issue regulatory decrees for the application of royal edicts or of customary practices; they could also refuse to register laws that they judged contrary to fundamental law or simply as being untimely. Parliamentary power in France was suppressed more so than in England as a result of absolutism, and parliaments were eventually overshadowed by the larger Estates General, up until the French Revolution, when the National Assembly became the lower house of France's bicameral legislature.

Scotland

From the 10th century the Kingdom of Alba was ruled by chiefs (''toisechs'') and subkings (''mormaers'') under the suzerainty, real or nominal, of a High King. Popular assemblies, as in Ireland, were involved in law-making, and sometimes in king-making, although the introduction of tanistry—naming a successor in the lifetime of a king—made the second less than common. These early assemblies cannot be considered "parliaments" in the later sense of the word, and were entirely separate from the later, Norman-influenced, institution.

The Parliament of Scotland evolved during the Middle Ages from the King's Council of Bishops and Earls. The unicameral parliament is first found on record, referred to as a ''colloquium'', in 1235 at Kirkliston (a village now in Edinburgh).

By the early fourteenth century the attendance of knights and freeholders had become important, and from 1326 burgh commissioners attended. Consisting of the Three Estates; of clerics, lay tenants-in-chief and burgh commissioners sitting in a single chamber, the Scottish parliament acquired significant powers over particular issues. Most obviously it was needed for consent for taxation (although taxation was only raised irregularly in Scotland in the medieval period), but it also had a strong influence over justice, foreign policy, war, and all manner of other legislation, whether political, ecclesiastical, social or economic. Parliamentary business was also carried out by "sister" institutions, before c. 1500 by General Council and thereafter by the Convention of Estates. These could carry out much business also dealt with by Parliament — taxation, legislation and policy-making — but lacked the ultimate authority of a full parliament.

The parliament, which is also referred to as the Estates of Scotland, the Three Estates, the Scots Parliament or the auld Scots Parliament (Eng: ''old''), met until the Acts of Union merged the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England, creating the new Parliament of Great Britain in 1707. After a referendum on devolution it was reconvened on 1 July 1999.

Poland

According to the ''Chronicles'' of Gallus Anonymus, the first legendary Polish ruler, Siemowit, who began the Piast Dynasty, was chosen by a ''wiec''. The ''veche'' (Russian: вече, Polish: wiec) was a popular assembly in medieval Slavic countries, and in late medieval period, a parliament. The idea of the ''wiec'' led in 1182 to the development of the Polish parliament, the ''Sejm''.

The term "sejm" comes from an old Polish expression denoting a meeting of the populace. The power of early sejms grew between 1146–1295, when the power of individual rulers waned and various councils and wiece grew stronger. The history of the national Sejm dates back to 1182. Since the 14th century irregular sejms (described in various Latin sources as ''contentio generalis, conventio magna, conventio solemna, parlamentum, parlamentum generale, dieta'' or Polish ''sejm walny'') have been called by Polish kings. From 1374, the king had to receive sejm permission to raise taxes. The General Sejm (Polish ''Sejm Generalny'' or ''Sejm Walny''), first convoked by the king John I Olbracht in 1493 near Piotrków, evolved from earlier regional and provincial meetings (''sejmiks''). It followed most closely the ''sejmik generally'', which arose from the 1454 Nieszawa Statutes, granted to the szlachta (nobles) by King Casimir IV the Jagiellonian. From 1493 forward, indirect elections were repeated every two years. With the development of the unique Polish Golden Liberty the Sejm's powers increased.

The Commonwealth's general parliament consisted of three estates: the King of Poland (who also acted as the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Russia/Ruthenia, Prussia, Mazovia, etc.), the Senat (consisting of Ministers, Palatines, Castellans and Bishops) and the Chamber of Envoys—circa 170 nobles (szlachta) acting on behalf of their Lands and sent by Land Parliaments. Also representatives of selected cities but without any voting powers. Since 1573 at a royal election all peers of the Commonwealth could participate in the Parliament and become the King's electors.

Nordic and Germanic development

A ''thing'' or ''ting'' (Old Norse and Icelandic: ''þing''; other modern Scandinavian: ''ting'', ''ding'' in Dutch) was the governing assembly in Germanic societies, made up of the free men of the community and presided by lawspeakers. Today the term lives on in the official names of national legislatures, political and judicial institutions in the North-Germanic countries. In the Yorkshire and former Danelaw areas of England, which were subject to much Norse invasion and settlement, the wapentake was another name for the same institution.

The thing was the assembly of the free men of a country, province or a hundred ''(hundare/härad/herred)''. There were consequently, hierarchies of things, so that the local things were represented at the thing for a larger area, for a province or land. At the thing, disputes were solved and political decisions were made. The place for the thing was often also the place for public religious rites and for commerce.

The thing met at regular intervals, legislated, elected chieftains and kings, and judged according to the law, which was memorised and recited by the "law speaker" (the judge).

Later national diets with chambers for different estates developed, e.g. in Sweden and in Finland (which was part of Sweden until 1809), each with a House of Knights for the nobility. In both these countries, the national parliaments are now called riksdag (in Finland also ''eduskunta''), a word used since the Middle Ages and equivalent of the German word Reichstag.

Russia

The name of the parliament of Russian Federation is the Federal Assembly of Russia. The term for its lower house, Duma (which is better known than the Federal Assembly itself, and is often mistaken for the entirety of the parliament) comes from the Russian word ''думать'' (''dumat''), "to think". The Boyar Duma was an advisory council to the grand princes and tsars of Muscovy. The Duma was discontinued by Peter the Great, who transferred its functions to the Governing Senate in 1711.

Novgorod and Pskov

The ''veche'' was the highest legislature and judicial authority in the republic of Novgorod until 1478. In its sister state, Pskov, a separate veche operated until 1510.

Since the Novgorod revolution of 1137 ousted the ruling grand prince, the veche became the supreme state authority. After the reforms of 1410, the veche was restructured on a model similar to that of Venice, becoming the Commons chamber of the parliament. Аn upper Senate-like Council of Lords was also created, with title membership for all former city magistrates. Some sources indicate that veche membership may have became full-time, and parliament deputies were now called ''vechniks''. It is recounted that the Novgorod assembly could be summoned by anyone who rung the veche bell, although it is more likely that the common procedure was more complex. This bell was a symbol of republican sovereignty and independence. The whole population of the city—boyars, merchants, and common citizens—then gathered at Yaroslav's Court. Separate assemblies could be held in the districts of Novgorod. In Pskov the veche assembled in the court of the Trinity cathedral.

Spain

Although there are documented councils held in 873, 1020, 1050 and 1063, there was no representation of commoners. What is considered to be the first Spanish Parliament (with the presence of commoners), Cortes – was held in the Kingdom of León in 1188. Prelates, nobles and commoners met separately in the three estates of the Cortes. In this meeting new laws were approved to protect commoners against the arbitrarities of nobles, prelates and the king. This important set of laws is known as the "Carta Magna Leonesa"

Following this event, new Cortes would appear in the other different territories that would make up Spain: Catalonia in 1218, the Kingdom of Castile in 1250, Kingdom of Aragon in 1274, Kingdom of Valencia in 1283 and Kingdom of Navarre in 1300.

After the union of the Kingdoms of Leon and Castile under the Crown of Castile, their Cortes were united as well in 1258. The Castilian Cortes had representatives from Burgos, Toledo, León, Seville, Córdoba, Murcia, Jaén, Zamora, Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca, Cuenca, Toro, Valladolid, Soria, Madrid, Guadalajara and Granada (after 1492). The Cortes' assent was required to pass new taxes, and could also advise the king on other matters. The comunero rebels intended a stronger role for the Cortes, but were defeated by the forces of Habsburg Emperor Charles V in 1521. The Cortes maintained some power, however, though it became more of a consultative entity. However, by the time of King Philip II, Charles's son, the Castilian Cortes had come under functionally complete royal control, with its delegates dependent on the Crown for their income.

The Cortes of the Crown of Aragon kingdoms retained their power to control the king's spending with regard to the finances of those kingdoms. But after the War of the Spanish Succession and the arrival of another royal house – the Bourbons – in 1714 with Philip V, their Cortes were suppressed (as were those of Aragon and Valencia in 1707, Catalonia and Balearic islands in 1714).

The Roman Catholic Church

"Conciliarism" or the "conciliar movement", was a reform movement in the 14th and 15th century Roman Catholic Church which held that final authority in spiritual matters resided with the Roman Church as corporation of Christians, embodied by a general church council, not with the pope. In effect, the movement sought – ultimately, in vain – to create an All-Catholic Parliament. Its struggle with the Papacy had many points in common with the struggle of parliaments in specific countries against the authority of Kings and other secular rulers.

Parliaments of the United Kingdom

The British Parliament is often referred to as the ''Mother of Parliaments'' (in fact a misquotation of John Bright, who remarked in 1865 that "England is the Mother of Parliaments") because the British Parliament has been the model for most other parliamentary systems, and its Acts have created many other parliaments. Many nations with parliaments have to some degree emulated the British "three-tier" model. Most countries in Europe and the Commonwealth have similarly organised parliaments with a largely ceremonial head of state who formally opens and closes parliament, a large elected lower house and a smaller, upper house.

The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 by the Acts of Union that replaced the former parliaments of England and Scotland. A further union in 1801 united the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland into a Parliament of the United Kingdom.

In the United Kingdom, Parliament consists of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Monarch. The House of Commons is composed of 650 members who are directly elected by British and Northern Irish citizens to represent single-member constituencies. The leader of a Party that wins more than half the seats or less than half but can count on support of smaller parties to achieve enough support to pass law is invited by the Queen to form a government. Legally the Queen is the head of government and no business in Parliament can be taken without her authority. The House of Lords is a body of long-serving, unelected members: 92 of whom inherit their titles (and of whom 90 are elected internally by members of the House to lifetime seats), 26 bishops while they remain in office, and 588 of whom have been appointed to lifetime seats.

Legislation can originate from either the Lords or the Commons. It is voted on in several distinct stages, called readings, in each house. First reading is merely a formality. Second reading is where the bill as a whole is considered. Third reading is detailed consideration of clauses of the bill.

In addition to the three readings a bill also goes through a committee stage where it is considered in great detail. Once the bill has been passed by one house it goes to the other and essentially repeats the process. If after the two sets of readings there are disagreements between the versions that the two houses passed it is returned to the first house for consideration of the amendments made by the second. If it passes through the amendment stage Royal Assent is granted and the bill becomes law as an Act of Parliament.

The House of Lords is the less powerful of the two houses as a result of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949. These Acts removed the veto power of the Lords over a great deal of legislation. If a bill is certified by the Speaker of the House of Commons as a money bill (i.e. acts raising taxes and similar) then the Lords can only block it for a month. If an ordinary bill originates in the Commons the Lords can only block it for a maximum of one session of Parliament. The exceptions to this rule are things like bills to prolong the life of a Parliament beyond five years.

In addition to functioning as the second chamber of Parliament, the House of Lords was also the final court of appeal for much of the law of the United Kingdom—a combination of judicial and legislative function that recalls its origin in the Curia Regis. This changed in October 2009 when the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom opened and acquired the former jurisdiction of the House of Lords.

Since 1998, there has been a Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, which is a national, unicameral legislature for Scotland. However, the Scottish Parliament does not have complete power over Scottish Politics, as it only holds the powers which were devolved to it by Westminster in 1997. It cannot legislate on defence issues, currency, or national taxation (e.g. VAT, or Income Tax).

List of parliaments

Contemporary national parliaments

:''List is not exhaustive''

Parliaments of the European Union

European Parliament

Parliament of Austria

Belgian Federal Parliament

National Assembly of Bulgaria

House of Representatives of Cyprus

Parliament of the Czech Republic

Parliament of Denmark

Parliament of Estonia

Parliament of Finland

Parliament of France (''Parlement'')

Parliament of Germany – The Bundestag

Hellenic Parliament (Greece)

Parliamnet of Hungary (''Országgyűlés'')

Parliament of Ireland – the Oireachtas

Parliament of Italy (''Parlamento Italiano'')

Parliament of Latvia

Parliament of Lithuania

Parliament of Luxembourg

Parliament of Malta

Parliament of the Netherlands

National Assembly of the Republic of Poland

Assembleia da República (Portugal)

Parliament of Romania (consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate)

National Council of the Slovak Republic

Slovenian Parliament

Cortes Generales of Spain

Parliament of Sweden

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Others

Parliament of Albania

Croatian Parliament

Parliament of Australia

:* The federal (Commonwealth) government of Australia has a bicameral parliament, and each of Australia's six states has a bicameral parliament except for Queensland, which has a unicameral parliament.

Parliament of Bangladesh – Jatiyo Sangshad

Parliament of Barbados

Parliament of Canada

:* The federal government of Canada has a bicameral parliament, and each of Canada's 10 provinces has a unicameral parliament.

Parliament of the Faroe Islands (''Løgtingið'')

Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Parliament of the Fiji Islands

Parliament of Iceland (The Icelandic Althing and the Manx Tynwald share the claim of the oldest parliaments in the world.)

Parliament of India consisting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

Parliament of Iran

Council of Representatives of Iraq

National Diet of Japan

Parliament of Lebanon

Parliament of the Isle of Man – Tynwald (Manx: ''Tinvaal'') (The Icelandic Althing and the Manx Tynwald share the claim of the oldest parliaments in the world.)

Parliament of Israel – The Knesset

Parliament of Malaysia

Parliament of Montenegro

Parliament of Morocco

Parliament of Nauru

Parliament of New Zealand

Parliament of Norway (''Storting'')

Parliament of Pakistan

National Assembly of Serbia (''Narodna Skupština'')

National Assembly of Thailand

National Assembly of Wales

National People's Congress

:* Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Parliament of Singapore

Parliament of South Africa

Spanish Cortes

Parliament of Sri Lanka

Federal Assembly of Switzerland (''Bundesversammlung'', ''Assemblée fédérale'', ''Assemblea federale'')

Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago

Parliament of Nepal (recently reorganised)

Scottish Parliament

Sapmi Parliament

Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration8*

Parliament of Ukraine

Republic of Zimbabwe || Parliament

Contemporary supranational parliaments

:''List is not exhaustive''

Pan-African Parliament

Central American Parliament

Latin American Parliament

European Parliament

Equivalent national legislatures

Majlis, e.g. in Iran

in Afghanistan: Wolesi Jirga (elected, legislative lower house) and Meshrano Jirga (mainly advisory, indirect representation); in special cases, e.g. as constituent assembly, a Loya Jirga

in Indonesia: People's Consultative Assembly, consists of People's Representative Council (elected, legislative lower house) and Regional Representative Council (elected, legislative upper house with limited powers)

Defunct

National Assembly of the Republic of China (1913–2005)

Parliament of Ireland (1297–1801)

Parliament of Southern Ireland (1921–1922)

Parliament of Northern Ireland (1921–1973)

People's Parliament (1940s)

Silesian Parliament (1922–1945)

Subnational parliamentary government

Canada

''See: Legislative Assemblies of Canadian provinces and territories

Australia

''See: Parliaments of the Australian states and territories

Belgium

In the federal (bicameral) kingdom of Belgium, there is a curious asymmetrical constellation serving as directly elected legislatures for three "territorial" ''regions''—Flanders (Dutch), Brussels (bilingual, certain peculiarities of competence, also the only region not comprising any of the 10 provinces) and Wallonia (French)—and three cultural ''communities''—Flemish (Dutch, competent in Flanders and for the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Brussels), Francophone (French, for Wallonia and for Francophones in Brussels) and German (for speakers of that language in a few designated municipalities in the east of the Walloon Region, living alongside Francophones but under two different regimes)

Vlaams Parliament ("Flemish Parliament"; originally styled Vlaamse Raad "Flemish Council") served both the Flemish Community (whose same it uses) and, in application of a Belgian constitutional option, of the region of Flanders (in all matters of regional competence, its decisions have no effect in Brussels)

Parliament of the French Community

parliament of the German Community

parliament of the Walloon region

parliament of the Brussels 'capital' region;

: within the capital's regional assembly however, there also exist two so-called ''Community Commissions'' (fixed numbers, not an automatic repartition of the regional assembly), a Dutch-speaking one and a Francophone one, for various matters split up by linguistic community but under Brussels' regional competence, and even 'joint community commissions' consisting of both for certain institutions that could be split up but are not.

Denmark

Parliament of Greenland

Løgting

Finland

Parliament of Åland

The Netherlands

States-Provincial

Norway

:''see subnational parliamentary system in Norway''

Spain

:See: List of Spanish regional legislatures

United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Northern Ireland Assembly

Scottish Parliament

Welsh Assembly

See also

Congress

Delegated legislation

Global democracy

Government

History of democracy

Inter-Parliamentary Union

Legislation

Parliamentary procedure

Parliamentary records

Witan

Parliament of the World's Religions

References

See also

List of current presidents of assembly

External links

The International Association of Business and Parliament (IABP) Scottish Scheme

United Kingdom Parliament

Category:Legislatures Category:Westminster system Category:Old French loanwords Category:Forms of government

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:''The bands The Parliaments, Parliament, and Funkadelic cannot be easily separated. For details on the individual bands, see their separate articles.''

Name	Parliament-Funkadelic
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genre	Funk, psychedelic soul, psychedelic rock, funk rock
Years active	1968–present
Past members	}}

Parliament-Funkadelic is a funk, soul and rock music collective headed by George Clinton. Their style has been dubbed P-Funk. Collectively the group has existed under various names since the 1960s and has been known for top-notch musicianship, politically charged lyrics, outlandish concept albums and memorable live performances. They have a large cult following.

The collective's origins date back to the doo-wop group The Parliaments, formed in the late 1950s in Plainfield, New Jersey. Under Clinton's direction, by the early 1970s the groups Parliament and Funkadelic were operating concurrently and consisted of the same stable of musicians playing different types of funk music for two different labels. The name "Parliament-Funkadelic" became the catch-all term for the multiple bands in Clinton's stable. By the late 1970s the collective had grown to include dozens of musicians recording and touring under many different group names and solo projects. (See P-Funk offshoot groups and solo ventures.) Overall, the collective achieved thirteen top ten hits in the American R&B; music charts between 1967 and 1983, including six number one hits. Funkadelic is a funk band with a psychedelic rock touch whose influences include the amplifier sounds of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, James Brown's funk, blues, Sun Ra's experimentation, Frank Zappa's and the Coasters' humour, the concept albums of the Beatles and the Who and southern soul artists like Otis Redding and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Parliament is a funk/R&B; band whose influences are the funky side of Hendrix and Sly Stone, Motown soul groups turned funk groups like the Temptations, the political songs of the Impressions, Rufus Thomas' southern funk, doo-wop groups like the Coasters for the humour and Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers.

By the early 1980s, Clinton consolidated the collective's multiple projects and continued touring under the names "George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars" or "George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic." Some former members of Parliament perform under the name "Original P". Sixteen members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

The etymology of the term "P-Funk" is subject to multiple interpretations. It has been identified typically as an abbreviation of "Parliament-Funkadelic." Another suggested definition is "Plainfield Funk", referring to Plainfield, New Jersey, the hometown of the band's original line-up. The liner notes of CD versions of the 1978 Parliament album ''Motor Booty Affair'' suggest that the "P" stands for "Pure." It has also been suggested that it is an abbreviation of "Psychedelic Funk." The breakout popularity of Parliament-Funkadelic lead to widespread use of the term "P-Funk" to describe what is now considered to be a genre of music in its own right.

History

The Parliaments

''For more details on this phase of the collective's career, see also The Parliaments.

The P-Funk story began in 1956 in Plainfield, New Jersey, with a doo-wop group formed by fifteen-year-old George Clinton. This was The Parliaments, a name inspired by Parliament cigarettes. By the early 1960s, the group had solidified into the five-man lineup of Clinton, Ray "Stingray" Davis, Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, Calvin Simon and Grady Thomas. Later, the group rehearsed in a barbershop partially owned by Clinton and entertained the customers. The Parliaments finally achieved a hit single in 1967 with "(I Wanna) Testify" while Clinton began commuting to Detroit as a songwriter and producer for Motown Records.

Funkadelic and Parliament

''For more details on this phase of the collective's career, see also Funkadelic and Parliament.''

By the late 1960s Clinton had assembled a touring band to back up the Parliaments, the first stable lineup of which included Billy Bass Nelson (bass), Eddie Hazel (lead guitarist), Tawl Ross (guitarist), Tiki Fulwood (drums), and Mickey Atkins (keyboards). After a contractual dispute in which Clinton temporarily lost the rights to the name "The Parliaments," Clinton brought the backing musicians forward and christened them Funkadelic, a guitar-based raw funk band with heavy psychedelic rock influences. Clinton signed Funkadelic to Westbound Records, and the five Parliaments singers were credited as "guests" while the five musicians were listed as the main group members. The debut album ''Funkadelic'' was released in 1970.

Meanwhile, Clinton regained the rights to the name "The Parliaments" and initiated another new entity, now known as Parliament, with the same five singers and five musicians but this time as a smoother R&B-based; funk ensemble that Clinton positioned as a counterpoint to the more rock-oriented Funkadelic. Parliament first recorded for Invictus Records in 1970, and after a hiatus in which Clinton focused on Funkadelic, Parliament was signed to Casablanca Records and released its debut album ''Up for the Down Stroke'' in 1974. The two bands began to tour together under the collective name "Parliament-Funkadelic."

By this time the original ten-member lineup of Parliament-Funkadelic had begun to splinter, but many others joined for various album releases by either band, leading to a collective with a fluid and rapidly expanding membership. Notable members to join during this period include keyboardist Bernie Worrell, bassist Bootsy Collins, guitarist Garry Shider, and The Horny Horns.

In the 1975-1979 period, both Parliament and Funkadelic achieved several high-charting albums and singles on both the R&B; and Pop charts. Many members of the collective began to branch out into side bands and solo projects under George Clinton's tutelage, including Bootsy's Rubber Band, Parlet, and The Brides of Funkenstein, while longtime members like Eddie Hazel recorded solo albums with songwriting and studio help from the collective. The Parliament albums of this period had become concept albums with themes from science fiction and afro-futurism, elaborate political and sociological themes, and an evolving storyline with recurring fictional characters. Parliament-Funkadelic stage shows (particularly the P-Funk Earth Tour of 1976) were expanded to include imagery from science fiction and a stage prop known as the Mothership. These concepts came to be known as the P-Funk mythology.

By the late 1970s the Parliament-Funkadelic collective became over-extended and several key members departed acrimoniously over disagreements with Clinton and his management style. Original Parliaments members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas departed in 1977 after becoming disillusioned with the influx of new members, and later recorded an album under the name Funkadelic. Other members departed and formed new funk bands that detached themselves from P-Funk and even criticized the collective, such as Quazar (formed by guitarist Glenn Goins) and Mutiny (formed by drummer Jerome Brailey). Due to financial difficulties and the collapse of Casablanca Records (Parliament's label), Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic as separate entities. Many members of the collective continued to work for Clinton, first on his solo albums and later as Parliament-Funkadelic or the P-Funk All Stars.

Modern day Parliament-Funkadelic

In the early 1980s George Clinton continued to record while battling with financial problems and well-publicized drug problems. The remaining members of Parliament-Funkadelic recorded the 1982 hit album ''Computer Games'', which was released as a George Clinton solo album. Included on this release was the much-sampled #1 hit single "Atomic Dog". The following year, Clinton formed the P-Funk All Stars, who went on to record ''Urban Dancefloor Guerillas'' in 1983. The P-Funk All Stars included many of the same members as the late-1970s version of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, and was so named because of various legal issues concerning use of the names Parliament and Funkadelic after 1980. The name P-Funk All Stars is still in use to the current day, and group has included a mix of former Parliament-Funkadelic members as well as guests and new musicians.

As the 1980s continued, P-Funk did not meet with great commercial success as the band continued to produce albums under the name of George Clinton as solo artist. P-Funk retired from touring from 1984 until 1989, except for extremely sporadic performances and TV appearances. It was at this time that Hip hop music began to extensively sample P-Funk music, so remnants of the music were still heard regularly, now among fans of Hip hop. By 1993, most of the Parliament and Funkadelic back catalog had been reissued. The same year saw the return of a reconstituted P-Funk All Stars, with the re-release of ''Urban Dancefloor Guerrillas'' under the title ''Hydraulic Funk'', and a new hip hop influenced album ''Dope Dogs''. In 1994, the group toured with the Lollapalooza festival and appeared in the film ''PCU''.

The 1996 album ''T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.'' (The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership), released under the name George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars, served as a reunion album featuring contributions from the band's most noteworthy songwriters from the earlier eras, such as Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, and Junie Morrison. It would be ten years before another album would be released. In the intervening time, successive tours would slowly restore some of the broken ties between the original band members, together with an accumulation of new talent. On July 23, 1999, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, including noteworthy former members Bootsy and Catfish Collins and Bernie Worrell, performed on stage at Woodstock '99. The collective continues to tour sporadically in to the 2000s, with participation from some of the children and grandchildren of the original members

Legacy

In May 1997, George Clinton and 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the largest band yet inducted. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Parliament-Funkadelic #56 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." In February 2002, Spin Magazine ranked Parliament-Funkadelic #6 on their list of the "50 Greatest Bands of All Time." P-Funk's effect on modern popular music is immense. Besides their innovation in the entire genre of funk music, George Clinton and P-Funk are still heard often today, especially in hip-hop sampling. The song "Atomic Dog" is one of the most sampled songs in the History of hip hop, especially in the sub-genre G-Funk.

Key members

George Clinton (Band Leader, vocals, keyboards, songwriter, producer; born July 22, 1941). George Clinton has been, since its inception, the driving force behind the development of the P-Funk sound, having led the collective since forming The Parliaments as a doo-wop group in the late 1950s. The funk sound, socially conscious lyrics, and P-Funk mythology developed primarily by Clinton have been especially influential for later R&B;, hip hop, and rock music.

William “Bootsy” Collins (bass guitar, vocals, drums, songwriter, producer; born October 26, 1951) Bootsy Collins was a major songwriter, rhythm arranger, and bassist for Parliament-Funkadelic during the seventies and was a major influence in the band's sound during that time. His style of bass playing has become especially influential. Collins later focused his attention on his own Bootsy's Rubber Band but continues to make occasional contributions to studio albums by members of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective.

Eddie Hazel (guitar, vocals, songwriter; April 10, 1950 – December 23, 1992) Eddie Hazel was the original lead guitarist for Funkadelic and was a major force on the first several albums by that group. His Hendrix-inspired style has become very influential. After the early 1970s he contributed sporadically to various Parliament-Funkadelic projects. A key early Funkadelic song that captured both the band's unique sounds and Hazel's talent was the ten-minute guitar solo "Maggot Brain" from the 1971 Funkadelic album of the same title.

Bernie Worrell (keyboards, vocals, songwriter, arranger, born April 19, 1944) Bernie Worrell officially joined Funkadelic after the release of their first album and became an important member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective thereafter. His innovative use of synthesizers has proven to be very influential, particularly his pioneering use of deep, heavy Moog synthesizer to reinforce the bass line. Eventually, he became responsible for many P-Funk musical arrangements. Worrell left the band in 1981, but continues to contribute to P-Funk studio albums and occasionally appears live with Parliament-Funkadelic as a special guest.

Walter “Junie” Morrison (keyboards, multi-instrumentalist, vocals, songwriter, arranger, producer; born 1954) Junie Morrison joined P-Funk in early 1978 as musical director after having success in the early Ohio Players and as a solo artist. Though primarily a keyboardist, Junie composed or co-wrote several of the band's hits at the height of their popularity and served as a lead vocalist, producer, and arranger on many songs for the collective. Morrison stopped touring with the band after 1981, but contributed to many subsequent albums. During his time with P-funk, some of his work was credited under the name J.S. Theracon.

Garry "Diaperman" Shider (vocals, guitar; July 24, 1953 – June 16, 2010) As a child, Garry Shider was a customer at the barbershop where The Parliaments rehearsed and performed, and after some time with his own group United Soul he was recruited by George Clinton into Funkadelic in 1972. Shider became a frequent lead vocalist on several Parliament and Funkadelic albums and was known for wearing a diaper on stage.

Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton (guitar; born November 15, 1956) Mike Hampton has been the lead guitarist for P-Funk since 1973, and continues to tour with the band to the present day. He was recruited at age 17 to replace the recently-departed Eddie Hazel, and auditioned by performing Hazel's signature song "Maggot Brain." Hampton is known for adding rock and heavy metal influences to the guitar arrangements used by Parliament-Funkadelic.

Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight (guitar, band director) McKnight joined Parliament-Funkadelic in the late 1970s and became a frequent contributor on guitar. In the 1980s he became a musical director for the P-Funk All Stars. After a 30-year association with Parliament-Funkadelic, McKnight retired from touring with the band in 2008.

Glen Goins (vocals, guitar; 1954–1978) Glenn Goins was recruited into Parliament-Funkadelic in 1975 and was an important contributor until 1978 when he departed acrimoniously and formed his own band, Quazar. Goins was known for his gospel-influenced vocal style. Shortly after his departure from the collective, Goins died from Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 24.

Jerome "Bigfoot" Brailey (drums and percussion; born August 20, 1950) Brailey was the most prominent drummer in the Parliament-Funkadelic collective during their period of greatest success in the mid- to late-1970s. Brailey left the collective acrimoniously and formed his own band Mutiny. in which he criticized George Clinton's management style.

Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (drums, vocals; May 23, 1944 – October 29, 1979) Tiki Fulwood was the original drummer for Funkadelic. He originally quit the band in 1971 but reappeared on several Parliament-Funkadelic releases during the remainder of the 1970s. After also working briefly for Miles Davis, Fulwood died of cancer in 1979.

"Billy Bass" Nelson (bass, guitar; born January 28, 1951) Billy Nelson was a teenage employee at George Clinton's barbershop in the 1960s and was the first musician hired to back The Parliaments in the band that would eventually become Funkadelic. Nelson then brought his friend Eddie Hazel into the band and coined the name "Funkadelic" when Clinton moved the collective to Detroit. Nelson quit Funkadelic in 1971 but conributed to P-Funk releases sporadically for the next few years. Starting in 1994, he toured with the P-Funk All Stars for ten years.

Cordell "Boogie" Mosson (bass, guitar, drums; born October 16, 1952) Mosson joined Funkadelic in 1972 along with his friend and previous bandmate Garry Shider. Mosson was the primary bassist for Funkadelic starting in 1972 and Parliament starting a few years later after Bootsy Collins began to focus on his solo career. Since the late 1970s Mosson has most frequently played rhythm guitar on stage. He continues to tour with the collective.

Notable songs

"Atomic Dog" (George Clinton)

"One Nation Under a Groove" (Funkadelic)

"Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)" (Parliament)

"(Not Just) Knee Deep" (Funkadelic)

"Flash Light" (Parliament)

"Maggot Brain" (Funkadelic)

"P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" (Parliament)

"Mothership Connection (Star Child)" (Parliament)

"Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" (Parliament)

"Bootzilla" (Bootsy's Rubber Band)

"Funkentelechy" (Parliament)

"Do That Stuff" (Parliament)

"The Pinocchio Theory" (Bootsy's Rubber Band)

"Up for the Down Stroke" (Parliament)

"Chocolate City" (Parliament)

"Bop Gun (Endangered Species)"(Parliament)

"Dr. Funkenstein"(Parliament)

"Do Fries Go with That Shake?" (George Clinton)

"The Electric Spanking of War Babies" (Funkadelic)

See also

List of P-Funk members

List of P-Funk projects

:Category:P-Funk songs

Parliament discography

Funkadelic discography

References

External links

George Clinton's official website

the Motherpage (includes an excellent FAQ)

P.Funk portal (with many interviews, discographies, photos, and links)

P-Funk Collectors Page on Facebook

George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic on Facebook

Category:American funk musical groups Category:P-Funk groups Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Musical collectives Category:People from Plainfield, New Jersey Category:African American musical groups

no:Parliament-Funkadelic pt:Parliament-Funkadelic fi:Parliament-Funkadelic

name	Garry Shider
alt	Garry Shider in 1976 touring with Parliament-Funkadelic. He is in his trademark diaper look. The is 23 years old and playing guitar, standing in front of a microphone and preparing to sing.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Garry Marshall Shider
alias	Diaper ManStarchild
born	July 24, 1953
died	Upper Marlboro, Maryland
instrument	GuitarVocals
origin	Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
genre	FunkR&B;Psychedelic soul
occupation	Musician
years active	1971–2010
associated acts	Parliament-Funkadelic }}

Garry Marshall Shider (July 24, 1953 – June 16, 2010) was an American musician and guitarist. He was musical director of the P-Funk All-Stars for much of their history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Early life

Shider was born in Plainfield, New Jersey. At the age of ten and under the guidance of his father Jesse, Garry and his brothers played and sang behind many gospel artists of the time including legends such as Shirley Caesar, The Five Blind Boys, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and others. As a youth Shider was also a regular customer at the Plainfield barbershop owned by George Clinton, where the future members Parliament would sing doo-wop for customers and counsel local youngsters. Clinton made note of the young Shider's talents on guitar and his ability with gospel singing.

By the time he was sixteen, Shider wished to escape the crime and dead-end prospects of Plainfield, so he and his friend Cordell "Boogie" Mosson left for Canada where Shider married and had a son. Shider and Mosson formed a funk/rock band called United Soul, or "U.S.". George Clinton was living in Toronto, Ontario at the time and began hearing about United Soul from people in the local music business, and took the band under his wing upon learning that Shider was a member.

Career

In 1971, Clinton produced several tracks by United Soul with input from members of Funkadelic. The songs "I Miss My Baby" and "Baby I Owe You Something Good" were released as a one-off single by Westbound Records in 1971 under the group name U.S. Music with Funkadelic. All the tracks recorded with Clinton in 1971 were released by Westbound in 2009 as the album ''U.S. Music With Funkadelic''. After producing United Soul, Clinton then invited Shider and Mosson to join Parliament-Funkadelic. Two United Soul songs were rerecorded on later Funkadelic albums with Shider as a member. Clinton groomed Shider for an important role in the P-Funk roster, which Shider joined full-time in 1972. He was a prominent contributor to albums by both Parliament and Funkadelic until the dissolution of those two bands in the early 1980s, after which he continued to work regularly with Clinton's P-Funk All-Stars.

During Parliament-Funkadelic performances Shider was known for appearing in a diaper, making him instantly recognizable on stage and earning him the nickname "Diaper Man". Shider is featured prominently in the hit songs like, "Cosmic Slop," "Getting to Know You," and "One Nation Under a Groove". He co-wrote many noteworthy Parliament-Funkadelic songs, and he made important contributions to P-Funk spin-off acts including Bootsy Collins and Eddie Hazel.

Shider has been featured in Guitar Player Magazine three times, and once in the Japanese version. He has been featured in Who's Who in Music and appeared on a compilation album by Paul Shaffer of the David Letterman band, and also on rock group The Black Crowes' 1996 album ''Three Snakes and One Charm''. Shider has also appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'' several times, ''The Late Show with David Letterman'', ''The Arsenio Hall Show'', ''New York Undercover'', ''The Tonight Show'', and others. He appeared in the film ''PCU'', and ''The Night Before''. Both films also included songs he wrote and performed. He has also had songs featured in the film ''Bad Boys'', with Sean Penn, as well as being the recipient of several Grammy nominations for songs like "Stomp" by Kirk Franklin, which used "One Nation Under a Groove" as its musical inspiration. The song won Song of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards.

Shider released a solo single during 1988 entitled "Beautiful" The attempt to try and reconcile P-Funk's distinct sound with that of late-80s synthpop yielded no chart success. He released two full albums in 2002, ''Diaper Man, The Second Coming'' and ''Diaperman Goes Starchild''

Shider was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a prominent member of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Death

In 2010, it was announced that Shider was suffering from cancer of the brain and lungs. On June 16, 2010, Shider died from complications of his cancer at his home in Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland. A fund has been set up to assist his family with paying his remaining medical bills.

Awards

1998 Dove Gospel awards for ''Song of the Year'', "Stomp"

Who's Who in Music, 1978

Grammy nominee 1997, 1978

References

Career credits at [ Allmusic]

Liner notes to ''Music For Your Mother'' by Rob Bowman, 1992.

Further reading

Category:1953 births Category:2010 deaths Category:American musicians Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:P-Funk members Category:People from Plainfield, New Jersey Category:Cancer deaths in Maryland

it:Garry Shider no:Garry Shider pt:Garry Shider ro:Garry Shider