4. The UK is a constitutional monarchy & parliamentary democracy
Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State of the United Kingdom but
does not actually rule the country
She is also the Head of the church of England
The monarch appoints the government which the people have chosen
in democratic elections
The Queen (or King) can advise, warn & encourage the Prime
Minister but the decisions on government policies are ultimately made
by the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Christmas Broadcast (started in 1932 by King George V)
Public duties (ceremonies, receptions & visits within the U.K. and
abroad)
Reads letters from the public, official papers and briefing notes
Meets with political ministers
She is also the Defender of the Faith, the Fount of Justice & Head
of the Armed Forces (busy lady!)
The State Opening of Parliament
5. The monarch has a number of roles, and serves formally as:
1) head of state
2) head of the executive
3) head of the judiciary
4) head of the legislature
5) commander-in-chief of the armed forces
6) supreme governor of the Church of England
AS A RESULT
all ministers and officials of the central government are the monarch's
servants, and judges, military officers, peers (пиэ), and bishops of
the Church of England swear allegiance to the Crown
In spite of these roles, the monarch acts only on the advice of political
ministers
The monarch can not
make laws
impose taxes
spend public money
6. The monarch still performs some important executive and
legislative duties :
1 The summoning, opening and dissolving of Parliament
2 Giving Royal Assent to bills
3 Appointing government ministers and other public figures
4 Granting honours
5 Holding audiences with the Prime Ministers
6 Giving pardons to some convicted criminals
7 Fulfilling international duties as the head of state
7.
8. The right to display the Queen’s coat of arms on a product
To apply for a Royal Warrant, a company must have been
doing business with the household for at least five years.
The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh & The Prince of Wales
are the only Royals who can grant a warrant
9. Tourism
Public Interest & a national talking point (news stories)
A symbol of consistency – Politically neutral
They only cost the tax payer about 30 pence a year
2011: The Royal Wedding
(Kate & Wills)
2012: The Diamond Jubilee
10. A waste of tax payers’ money
Their role is outdated
They are not democratically elected
They no longer uphold the family values and morals they
once did
18. The great majority of the MPs in the House of Commons belong to
either the Conservative or the Labour Party, which are the main political
parties. This division emphasizes the continuation of the traditional two-
party system in British politics, in which power has alternated between
two major parties.
It traditionally gathers its support from the trade unions, the working
class, the middle-class . Its electorates have always been in south
Wales, Scotland, and the Midland and northern English industrial cities.
the party's support comes mainly from business interests and the
middle and upper classes
the party's strongholds tend to be in southern England
19. have some representation in the House of Commons
among these have been:
the Liberals and Social Democrats;
the Scottish National Party;
Plaid Cymru (the Welsh National Party);
the Protestant Northern Irish parties of the Official
Unionists,
the Democratic Unionists and the Ulster Popular
Unionists;
the Social Democratic and Labour Party (moderate
Roman Catholic Northern Irish party);
Sinn Fein (Republican Northern Irish party).
the Greens
Communist Party
20. The civil service helps the government of the day develop and deliver its
policies as effectively as possible.
We work in three types of organisations – departments, agencies, and
non-departmental government bodies (NDPBs). We cover a wide
range of areas touching on everyone’s day-to-day lives, such
as education, health and policing.
Because our organisations deal with so many different aspects of
government, civil servants work in an enormous variety of roles.
We’re politically impartial. Our workforce includes people who
deliver crucial services direct to the public across the UK, such as
Jobcentre Plus staff and coastguards.
We also have staff working on policy development and implementation,
including analysts, project managers, lawyers and economists.
How many civil servants?
• There are currently 412,000 civil servants on a full-time equivalent
(FTE) basis and 447,000 on a headcount basis. Almost three-
quarters of civil servants work outside London and the south-east.
The Civil Service Code, first published in 1996, sets out the core Civil Service values and the standards of behaviour expected
of all civil servants in upholding these values.
21. The Civil Service Code, first published in 1996, sets out
the core Civil Service values and the standards of
behaviour expected of all civil servants in upholding
these values.
• Integrity – putting the obligations of public service above personal interests
• Honesty – being truthful and open
• Objectivity – basing advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the
evidence
• Impartiality – acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving
governments of different political parties equally well
• http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about
22. They:
• advise ministers on policies pertinent to their departments. There
have been criticisms that these senior civil servants are in a position
to be too influential especially as they are non-elected persons.
However, they argue, with some legitimacy, that governments may
come and go and inexperienced minister may be appointed, but they
remain where they are with both the expertise and experience a new
minister is almost certainly going to lack.
• they prepare policy papers and speeches for ministers
they deal with a minister's correspondence and help to prepare
him/her for questions that might arise in the House of Commons
• they maintain a minister's official diary and minute meetings
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/civil_service.htmertain issues.
