1.The System of Government
| Britain is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch, Queen Elizabeth, as head of the State. |
| The British constitution, unlike those of most countries, is not set out in a single document. Instead it is made up of uncodified conventions and practices and various elements of statutory law and common law. |
| Most of the idea practices can be changed at any time by an Act of Parliament or by public acceptance of a new idea or practice. The United Kingdom is govern by three bodies:
- the Monarchy;
- the House of Commons;
- the House of Lords.
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2.The Monarchy
| The stability of the British Government owes much to the monarchy. |
Its continuity has been interrupted only once (the Cromwellian Republic, 1649-1660) in over a thousand years. |
Today the Queen os not only head of the State, but also an important symbol of nation unity. The Queen is:
- Head of executive branch of government;
- Head of Judiciary;
- Commander in chief of the armend forces;
- Supreme Governor of the Commonwealth.
The titles, however, are symbolic. The Queen has no real power and acts only on the advice of her ministers. The royal family are important as ambassadors for Britain, both inside the country and abroad. |
3.The Parliament
| -The House of Commons |
The lower house of Parliament os Britain's real Governing body:
- there are 659 Members of Parliament (MPs);
- the party who gains power does so by winning a majority vote at a general election;
- each MP represents an area or constituency;
- all adults over the age of eighteen who are British citizens can vote;
- general elections can be called at any time, but they generally take place ever four or five years .
The Speaker, elected by MPs to preside over the House, is called the Chief Officer. |
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| -The House of Lords |
| This is the upper house of Parliament. It was once the more powerful house, but today has littla influence. |
| The House of Lords can delay - but never nill that the House of Commons os determined to pass. |
| Members of the House of Lords (known as 'peers') are not elected not paid. |
| There is no upper limit on the number of peers: in March 2004 there were 666 members. Members are divided into different groups. The Lords Spiritual (senior bishops), the Lords Temporal (lay peers) and Lwa Lords (senior judges). |
| The Lord Chancellor presides over the House of Lords. |
The House of Lords:
- considers legislation;
- debates issues of importance;
- provides a forum for government menisters to be questioned;
- is the highest court in the UK.
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