r04 Institutions in Britain
| Autor: Tomáš Veselý | Škola: G Opatov |
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| Textový náhled: 4 – Institutions in Britain Government in Britain The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is Sovereign, who reigns only, while the Government; responsible to Parliament governs the country in His or Her name. The UK constitution is not contained in any single document. It is formed by statute laws, common law and conventions and can be altered by Acts of Parliament. The Constitution of the UK is unwritten, it is based on custom, tradition and common law. The Monarchy The monarchy represents the unity of the nation. The Crown is hereditary, the sons of the Sovereign have precedence over the daughters in succeeding to the throne. The present Sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II. the eldest son of the Queen – Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales – is the heir to the throne. The Queen personifies the State but most of their functions are purely symbolical. These include summoning and dissolving Parliament, appointing government ministers etc. She must be informed of all Cabinet decisions. The Queen also performs many traditional and ceremonial functions, is present at various important events. As "Head of the Commonwealth" the Sovereign is represented by a Governor-General in those countries of which she remains Queen. Further, she is the Commander-in-chief of all armed forces and the "supreme governor" of the established Church of England. Parliament – the supreme law-making body Parliament is the supreme legislative authority. It consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Each annual session of parliament is opened by a speech read by Sovereign from the throne in the House of Lords. The House of Lords is composed of the Lords Temporal, i.e. hereditary peers and peeresses and law lords, and the Lords Spiritual, i.e. 2 archbishops and 24 bishops. There are over 1000 members of the House of Lords. The head of the House is the Lord Chancellor. The House of Commons is made up of 650 salaried members who are elected. At a maximum of every five years a general election is held. The chairman of the House is the Speaker elected by the MPs. The main functions of Parliament are to pass laws, to vote taxation and public expenditure and to examine government policy. When a Bill (proposal for a new law) has been passed by both Houses, or rejected by the House of Lords but passed by the Commons in two successive sessions, it is submitted to the Queen for royal assent. After that it becomes an Act of Parliament. From Monday to Thursday all ministers must answer MP's questions for one hour (questioning time). Two days a week the Prime Minister must answer MP's questions. The proceedings of both Houses are public. The Cabinet The Cabinet is the executive organ of the Government. It is presided over by the Prime Minister, the leader of the political party elected to power. From the leading members of his political party the Prime Minister chooses the government ministers who are formally appointed by the Queen. Some of them have the title of "Secretary of State" or a special title, as in the case of the Chancellor of Exchequer. About 20 senior ministers from the Cabinet, which meets at 10 Downing Street twice a week to decide on major government questions. The members are bound by oath to keep silence about the proceedings. The so-called "shadow cabinet" and "shadow Prime Minister" are part of Her Majesty's Opposition. It is made up of the members of the party defeated in the election and their task is to watch and criticize the work of the current Government. The present Prime Minister is a labour Tony Blair who replaced John Major. Political Parties Political parties play the most influential role in the election of MPs and the formation of the Government. The two major parties strong enough to win a majority in Parliament and form a Government are Conservative Party and the Labour Party. The Conservatives find their supporters mainly in the upper classes. They are opposed to great changes. The Labour Party is supported by the working class and the trade unions. Its program includes gradual social reform. A number of other political parties hold a few seats in Parliament, such as the Liberal Democrats. The Royal Family today Queen Elizabeth II became Queen and head of the royal family in 1952. Her husband bears the title of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, is the Queen's eldest son and the heir to the throne. In 1981 he married Lady Diana Spencer whose title was Princess of Wales. They have two sons, Prince William and Prince Henry. In 1993 the Prince and Princess of Wales separated. Lady Diana died in a car. | |