The System Of Government In Britain

THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN BRITAIN

The crown
The monarch is the head ofthestate and symbol for theunityofthenation.
The monarchy is hereditary.

The monarchspowers:
DissolveParliament.
Appointgovernment ministers, judges, officers etc.
Conferpeerages and knighthoods.
Remitsentences to convictedcriminals.
Declarewar or make peace

Whitehall
Her majestysgovernmentgoverns in thenameoftheQueen.
The leaderofthemajority party form a government.
The ministers aremembersofthe House ofCommons or the House of Lords.
Most governmentsconsistof 100 ministers.
The core is theCabinetwith 20 ministers.

The Prime Minister is theleaderoftheCabinet.
The ministers have to obeythe Prime Minister.
All senior government ministers have thetitleofSecretaryof State.
They have junior ministers to helpthemwiththeworkload.

The Civil Service administersthedecisionsof ministers.
The Civil Service employsalmost 500 000 people.
It is expectedthattheCivil Service doesitswork in a impartialway.
The Cabinet Office is theheartoftheCivil Service.

The Cabinet Office is runningthewholeCivil Service and serving ministers.
The Permanent Secretary is theleaderof a ministery.
There is a strongtraditionofloyaltyonthe part ofcivil servants towardstheir ministers.

Westminster
Parliament is known as Westminster.
Parliament is theseatof British democracy.
Parliament is thesupreme legislative body ofthestate.

Parliamentsfunction:
To pass laws.
Raiseenoughmoneythroughtaxation.
To examinegovernment policy and administration.
Discussimportantpoliticalissues.

The electoral system
The United Kingdom is dividedintoconstituencies.
EachconstituencyelectsoneMemberofParliament to sit in the House ofCommons.
Todaythereare 659 seats in theCommons.
All British citizenscanvoteiftheyare over 18 y.o.
Insanepeople and prisoners canalsovote.

If a MemberofParlliamentresigns or dies, a by – election must be held.
MPsarechosen by theconstituencybranchofthe party.

The party system
Therearethreepoliticalparties in Britain:
The Conservative Party.
The Labour Party.
The Liberal Party.

The Conservative Party
It is the party ofthe Right
The ideaofeconomicfreedom.
Patriotism.
Receivingmoney from bigcompanies and richpeople.
Law and order and strongarmedforces.

The Labour Party
The party ofsocialjustice.
Achievementofwell-being and opportunity for all membersofsociety.
Public ownershipof major industries.
Economic planning.
The trade union movement.

The House ofCommons
Its 659 membersrepresent 529 constituencies in England, 40 in Wales, 72 in Scotland and 18 in NorthernIreland.
Thereareonlyseats in theCommonsdebatingchamber for 370 members.
The front benchesarereserved for membersoftheCabinet and theShadowCabinet.
Behindthemsitthebackbenchers.

The Speaker is responsible for order in theCommons.
MPsarepaidsalaries – twicetheaveragenationalwage.

The House of Lords
The House of Lords is theupperchamberofParliament.
It is not democratic.
1197 members.
300 peers meetdaily in the House of Lords.
Judges and archbishops.
Theirjob is to warn governments.

The Lord Chanchellor is theleaderofthe House of Lords.
Most peers support theConservative Party.

Parliamentaryprocedure
Eachparliamentarysessionopenswiththe State OpeningofParliament.
The Queendelivers a speech from thethrone in the House of Lords.
The Commons has a meetingeachweekdayafternoon.
EachdaybeginswithQuestion Time whereMPs ask ministers.

AfterQuestion Time, themaindebatetakesplace.
Parliament,smost importantfunction is to createlaw.

Parliamentarycommittees.
The Commons have a numberofstandingcommittees.
The committee system consistsof 17 individualcommittees.