Updated to take account of the 1992 election and ensuing developments, this book is a guide to Parliament's contemporary role and operation and to prospects for reform in the 1990s. As well as examining the functions, structure and day-to-day working of the Lords and Commons, the author asks what impact Westminster, as opposed to Whitehall, has on the way the British people are governed. How effective are MPs and peers in the face of a determined government majority? He also asks whether European Community developments are eroding Parliament's influence irrevocably, and sheds light on the long-term trends: the legacy of Thatcherism, the rise of the professional MP, a more assertive House of Lords, and the rise of scrutiny committees in the House of Commons.