Crossbencher

Cross Bencher (English for Querbänkler ) are independent members or smaller groups in some parliaments, such as the British House of Lords and the Australian Parliament. They get their name from the cross- benches, which are arranged at right angles between the benches of the government and the opposition on which they take place at parliamentary sessions, see Vorderbänkler and backbenchers.

Great Britain

Cross Bencher of the British House of Lords belong to any particular orientation or party. This includes the under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 appointed judge, the former Speaker of the British House of Commons (eg Lord Martin and Baroness Boothroyd ) and the former Lord Speaker of the House of Lords ( as Baroness Hayman ), which by convention are not affiliated with any party. There are also some non- affiliated members of the House of Lords who are not Cross Bencher, especially some of the officers, as the Lord Speaker and others who are indeed associated with a party, but were withdrawn from the Whip. Although independent directors and members of small parties sometimes sit on the cross- bench, they are not members of the Cross Bencher Group.

According to their self-understanding bring many Cross Bencher expertise into Parliament, as most Crossbenchers were nominated for reasons other than party affiliation or political ideals. Since 2000, the House of Lords Appointments Commission, a total of 59 non- party-political peers has been nominated for life (as of July 2012), members of the House of Lords as Crossbenchers.

Since October 1, 2011 There are 177 Crossbenchers in the House of Lords, ie they are the third largest group after the Labour Party and Conservative Party. Of these, 146 life peers, 31 hereditary peers ( including a royal officials ). From April 2007 to 2009 the number of Crossbenchers was for the first time higher than the number of conservatives in the House of Lords.

Although the Lords Spiritual ( archbishops and bishops of the higher Church of England) also have no party affiliation, they are not referred to as Crossbenchers and not sit on the cross benches. Your seats are on the government side of the Lords Chamber.

Convenor

The Crossbenchers take no common position on issues, and have no Whips, but they select from among themselves a chairman for administrative purposes, and to keep them on the business of the house up to date. The current convenor is since September 2011 Lord Laming.

The following members served as Convenor of Crossbenchers:

Australia

The term Cross Bencher refers to both independent members and party members of smaller parties in the parliaments of Australia.

The current Australian Parliament, which was elected in the parliamentary elections of 2010, is the 43rd Federal Parliament since Federation. It is the first hung parliament in the Australian House of Representatives since the general election of 1940: In 2010 both the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition each 72 seats of a total of 150 six- Crossbenchers won are the tip the scales: the representative of the Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt and the non-party MPs Andrew Wilkie, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor declared their support for Labor on important matters, and the non-party MP Bob Katter and the deputies of the National Party of Western Australia MP Tony Crook declared their support for the coalition in important matters. The resulting ratio 76:74 authorized laboratory to form a minority government.