Britain

ThePoliticalSystemContents

1.Britain’sPoliticalSystem2.TheMonarch

3.TheParliament4.TheCabinet5.TheJudiciary1.Britain’sPoliticalSyetemBritainadoptsconstitutionalmonarchyasitsformofgovernment.Thissystemstartedattheendofthe17thcentury.TheBritishConstitutionprescribesthattheheadofstatemustbetheMonarch(theKingorQueen),inthenameofwhomtheBritishgovernmentadministersthecountry.TheKingorQueenundertakesthefunctionoftheproprietyperformingtheformalrightsinthelightofthedecisionsmadebythegovernment.ThePrimeMinisterandtheCabinet(establishedbythePartywiththemajorityofParliamentaryseats;consistingofallthemostseniorgovernmentdepartmentheads)arecollectivelyaccountablefortheirpoliciesandactionstotheSovereign,toParliament,totheirpoliticalpartyandultimatelytotheelectorate.1.Britain’sPoliticalSyetemTheBritishgovernmentisthefirstonetobeestablishedonthebasisoftheseparationofpowers,thatis,thethreebranchesofthenationalpower:thelegislature,theexecutiveandthejudiciary.Inprinciple,thelegislativepowerisinthechargeofParliament;theexecutivepowerisinthehandofthegovernmentandthejudicialtheCourt.Butinpractice,thelegislatureandtheexecutiveinBritainareintegratedintoaunity,becausethePrimeMinisterandtheCabinetmembersoftheexecutivecomefromthelegislature:Parliament.Therefore,theconstitutionofBritainisoftendescribedashaving“aweakseparationofpowers”.2.

TheMonarchTheKingorQueenisregardedastheoriginof

allthepowersandthepersonificationofthestate.ButtheKingorQueenisjustthesymbolofthewholenationwithnopracticalpower.EverythingthattheMonarchdoeshasbeendecidedinadvancebyParliamentandtheCabinet,suchastheappointmentoftheministersinthegovernment,theopeningspeechofParliament,theoutlineofthegovernment’sprogrammeandthedeclarationofwars,etc.3.TheParliamentTheBritishsystemofParliamentstartedin1264,chieflymadeupoftwoparts:theHouseofLords(ortheUpperHouse)andtheHouseofCommons(ortheLowerHouse).

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TheHouseofLords

Thisistheupperchamberbuttheonewithlessauthority.ItsmainrolesaretoreviselegislationandkeepacheckonGovernmentbyscrutinisingitsactivities.

UltimatelyitcannotblockthewilloftheHouseofCommons.

3.TheParliament●

ThereisnofixednumberofmembersintheHouseofLords,butcurrentlythereareabout770members.●

HistoricallymostmembersoftheHouseofLordshavebeenwhatwecalledhereditarypeers.ThelastLabourGovernmentabolishedtherightofallbut92ofthesehereditarypeerstositintheHouse.●

TheHouseofLords

3.TheParliament●

TheHouseofCommons

3.TheParliament●Thisisthelowerchamberbuttheonewiththemostauthority.●

TheHouseofCommonscurrentlycomprises650MembersofParliamentorMPs(thenumbervariesslightlyfromtimetotimetoreflectpopulationchange).Thisisalargelegislaturebyinternationalstandards.TheConservativePartyhassaidthatitwishestoreducethenumberofCommonsseatsbyaround10%.●

TheHouseofCommons

3.TheParliament

IneachHouseofParliament,aBillgoesthroughthefollowingstages:?FirstReading:theBillisintroducedwithsimplyareadingbyaMinisterofthelongtitleoftheBill.

?SecondReading:thegeneralprinciplesoftheBillaredebatedbyallthemembersoftheHouseandaformalvoteistaken.

?CommitteeStage:eachclauseandscheduleoftheBill,plusamendmentstothemandanynewclausesorschedules,isexaminedindetail,intheCommonsbyasmall,speciallychosengroupofmembersmeetingasPublicBillCommittee,intheLordsbythemembersasawholeontheflooroftheHouse.

●TheLegislativeProcess

3.TheParliament?ReportStage:thechangesmadetotheBillintheCommitteearereportedtoanddebatedbythewholeHousewhichisinvitedtoconsidertheBillasawhole,approvethechangesbytheCommittee,andconsideranyfurtherproposedchangesthatmightbesuggested.

?ThirdReading:thefinalversionoftheBillisconsideredbythewholeHouseinashortdebate(intheCommonswithoutthefacilityforfurtheramendments).?RoyalAssent:theCrowngivesassenttotheBillwhichthenbecomesanAct,theprovisionsbecominglaweitherimmediatelyoratadatespecifiedintheActoratadatespecifiedbywhatiscalledaCommencementOrder.●TheLegislativeProcess

3.TheParliamentTheHouseofLordshasmuchmorelimitedlegislativepowersthantheHouseofCommons.MoneyBillscanonlybeinitiatedintheCommonsandtheLordscanonlyrejectlegislationfromtheCommonsforoneyear.Furthermorethereisaconvention-calledtheSalisburyConvention-thattheLordsdoesnotblocklegislatureinfulfillmentoftheelectionmanifestooftheelectedGovernment.●TheLegislativeProcess3.TheParliament4.TheCabinetTheCabinetservesasthenucleusofthe

government.Itiscomposedofthechiefsofthemost

importantministriesanddepartmentsandheadedby

thePrimeMinister,whodecidesthecompositionof

theCabinet.Mostimportantbillsdebatedin

ParliamentoriginateintheCabinetandcanoftenwin

theapprovalofParliament.Theorgansofstate

power,suchasthearmy,policeandcourts,are

underthecontroloftheCabinetmembers,because

theCabinetisinthechargeofthepartythatpossesses

themajorityofseatsinParliament.4.TheCabinet●Two-PartySystemStandingfordifferentpoliticalparties,theheadoftheCabinetandmembersofParliamentareelectedeveryfiveyearsthroughgeneralelections.Britaincarriesoutasystemofpartypolitics,thatis,politicalpartiescontrolpolitics.Thetransferofpoliticalpowerfromonepartytoanotherisviewedasaneffectivewayofmakingpoliticiansmoreresponsibleforsocialproblemsinthewesterndemocracies.AnumberofpoliticalpartiesaregrantedequaltreatmentbythelawintheUK.Butinpractice,politicsinBritainisonthebasisofatwo-partysystem.BritishParliamentisnowdominatedbyoneofthetwomostimportantpartiesknownasthemajorparties:theConservativePartyandtheLabourParty.●ThePrimeMinister?TheUKdoesnothaveaPresident.ConstitutionallytheHeadofStateistheQueenwhoisahereditarymemberoftheRoyalFamily.However,theQueenhasveryfewformalpowersandstaysabovepartypolitics.?So,inpractice,themostimportantpersonintheBritishpoliticalsystemisthePrimeMinister.4.TheCabinetAsthereisnoMinisterofJusticeintheBritishGovernment,thejurisdictionisinthechargeoftheLordChancellorwhopresidesovertheadministrationofJustice.Asthesupremeleaderofthejudiciary,theLordChancelloroftheCourtofEquityinParliamentalsoservesasthe