Opposition is the state or act of opposing, resisting, or combating someone or something. It also refers to the people or groups that are opposed, criticizing, or seeking to replace a government in a country that has a parliament or legislature.
The Opposition is a group of politicians or political parties in a country’s parliament that are not part of the government. They use various tools to scrutinise government policy, including parliamentary questions and sitting on select committees. The opposition can also comment in the media and promote their own policies.
In the UK, the Official Opposition is the largest party that is not in the coalition government and the leader of this party takes the title Leader of the Opposition. The official opposition does not have to support the cabinet, but can often try to block or amend some of its proposals. The official opposition leader and other shadow ministers sit on the front bench opposite government ministers in parliament. They develop their own policies and question the government on a rotating basis over an hour each Monday to Thursday. Opposition members can also ask questions of other MPs and members of the House of Lords. They can also chair select committees, which are cross-party groups that scrutinise departments or specific issues.
The opposition can also use the media to promote its own ideas and to highlight problems with the government. They can also encourage a public debate with the government on important issues, such as free school meals for all pupils or the jailing of a prominent politician in Tunisia.
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