British Political System The History Of British Politics The Governmental Model The Branches Of Government The English Monarchy The Privy Council British Parliament Political Parties

1. British Culture
BRITISH POLITICAL SYSTEM
1The historyof British politics
2The governmental model
3 The branches of government
4 The Englishmonarchy
5The Privy Council
6 British Parliament
7 Political parties
1The history of British politics
• Situationoverthe last800 years:Britishgovernmenthasbeenbreakingdown
the monarch's formerpower(800 years)
• Result:struggle hasproducedbitterconflictsongovernmental,social and
religiouslevels
• Modernsituation:the real authorityin the Britishgovernmental andpolitical
systemnowrestswiththe Prime Minister,asithad once belongedpredominantly
to the monarch.
2The governmental model
The governmental modelisusuallydescribedas:
1) a constitutionalmonarchy
2) a parliamentarysystem
• the monarchstill hasa role toplay onsome executiveandlegislative levels
o BUT itis Parliamentwhichpossessesthe essentiallegislative power,and
the governmentof the daywhichgoverns
o The correct constitutional definition of Parliamentisthe 'Queenin-
Parliament
o Result:all state andgovernmental businessiscarriedoutinthe name of
the monarch bythe politiciansandofficials
• In constitutionaltheory,the Britishpeople holdthe politicalsovereigntyto
choose theirgovernment,while Parliament,consistingpartlyof theirelected
representativesinthe Commons,possessesthe legal sovereigntytomake laws.
• The monarch isformallythe headof
1) the executive,
2) the legislature and
3) the judiciary
3The branches of government
The legislature
the House of Commons
the House of Lords
formally the monarch
IS
the supreme law-making body
o The executive comprisesthe sittinggovernmentanditsCabinet
governmentministriesordepartmentsheadedbyministersor secretaries
of state formallythe monarch
o The judiciaryconsistsof the judgesof the highercourtsformallythe
monarch
4The English monarchy
• Successiontothe throne isstill hereditary,butonlyforProtestantsinthe direct
line of descent
• The continuityof the Englishmonarchyhasbeeninterruptedonlybythe
Cromwell republicof 1649-1659
• there have beendifferentlinesof descentwhogovernedBritain

2. The British monarchy
The monarchhas a numberof roles,andservesformallyas:
1) headof state
2) headof the executive
3) headof the judiciary
4) headof the legislature
5) commander-in-chief of the armedforces
6) supreme governorof the Churchof EnglandASA RESULT
• all ministersandofficialsof the central governmentare the monarch'sservants,
and judges,militaryofficers,peersandbishopsof the Churchof Englandswear
allegiance tothe Crown
• Inspite of these roles,the monarchacts onlyonthe advice of political ministers
The monarch can not
make laws
impose taxes
spendpublicmoney
• The monarch still performssome importantexecutive andlegislative duties:
 1 The summoning,openinganddissolvingof Parliament
 2 GivingRoyal Assenttobills
 3 Appointinggovernmentministersandotherpublicfigures
 4 Grantinghonours
 5 Holdingaudienceswiththe Prime Ministers
 6 Givingpardonstosome convictedcriminals
 7 Fulfillinginternational dutiesasthe headof state
5The Privy Council
• The PRIVYCOUNCIL usedtobe a small groupof royal advisersatcourt
TODAY itsmainrole is to advise the monarchona range of matters
• Life membershipof the council isgivenbythe monarch,onthe
recommendationof the Prime Minister.
• There are about 380 PrivyCouncilorsatpresent.
A full council isusuallyonlysummoned:
on the deathof a monarch;
whenthere are seriousconstitutional issues;
or occasionallywhenaCommonwealthHeadsof State
Conference isheldinLondon
• the mostimportanttask of the PrivyCouncil todayisperformedbyitsJudicial
Committee whichservesasthe final courtof appeal
6British Parliament
• BritishParliamentconsistsof:
the House of Lords
the House of Commons formallythe monarchItassemblesasaunifiedbodyonly
on ceremonial occasions,suchasthe State Openingof Parliamentbythe monarch
inthe House of Lords
• Parliamenthasamaximumdurationof five years
• The maximumhassometimesbeenprolongedbyspecialparliamentary
legislationonoccasionsof national emergencylike the twoWorldWars
House ofLords consistsof the Lords Temporal andthe Lords Spiritual
The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishopsof Yorkand Canterburyand24 senior
bishopsof the Churchof England
• Asat 15 January2016 there were 821 Lords Temporal andLords Spiritual
entitledtositandvote at the House.Of these,700 were life peers,95were
hereditarypeersand26 were LordsTemporal.
The Lords Temporal

3. • (1) hereditarypeersandpeeresseswhoinherittheirtitles(dukes,marquess,
earls,viscounts,barons) (duchess,marchioness,countess,viscountessand
baroness);
• (2) life peersandpeeresses,whohave usuallybeencreatedbypolitical parties
(baronsand baronessesgiventitlesforlife inrecognitionof theirpublicservice);
• (3) the Lordsof Appeal (LawLords),whobecome life peersontheirjudicial
appointments
 Peersreceive nosalaryfortheirparliamentarywork
 The House is presidedoverbythe LordChancellor
 the Lord Chancellorisa political appointeeof the sitting
government,
 the Lord Chancellorsitsonthe Woolsack(or stuffedwoollensofa)
as Speaker(Chairman) of the House andcontrolsthe procedure
and meetingsof the House
 Attemptstoreformthe House of Lordswere made several times
duringthe 20th century.The ParliamentActof 1911 removed
fromthe House of Lords the powerof vetoa bill.Insteadthe
Lords coulddelaya bill uptotwo years.Nowitis one year.British
Parliament
The House of Commons
• consistsof Membersof Parliament(MPs) whoare electedbythe adultsuffrage
of the Britishpeople
• 650 MPs
• 10% are women
• 523 parliamentaryseatsforEngland
• 38 parliamentaryseatsforWales
• 72 parliamentaryseatsforScotland
• 17 parliamentaryseatsforNorthernIreland
• Britainisdividedforelectoral purposesintoconstituenciesorgeographical
areas usuallycontainingabout60 000 voterseachof whichreturnsone elected
MP to the House of Commons.
7Political Parties
• The great majorityof the MPs inthe House of Commonsbelongtoeitherthe
Conservative orthe LabourParty,whichare the mainpolitical parties.This
divisionemphasizesthe continuationof the traditional two-partysysteminBritish
politics,inwhichpowerhasalternatedbetweentwomajorparties.
The Labour Party
• traditionallygathersitssupportfromthe trade unions,the workingclass,the
middle-class.Itselectorateshave alwaysbeeninsouthWales,Scotland,andthe
Midlandand northernEnglishindustrial cities.
the Conservative Party
• the party's supportcomesmainlyfrombusinessinterestsandthe middleand
upperclasses
• the party's strongholdstendtobe insouthernEngland