Chapter 13 System of Government Chapter 13

Chapter 13 System of Government

Chapter 13 System of Government • • • What is the basic structure of the central government of the United Kingdom? What is the role of the Sovereign? What are the major responsibilities of Prime Minister and Cabinet in Britain? How do you understand the British Civil Service system: its past and present? How are the Members of Parliament in the House of Commons elected? How are those in the House of Lords selected?

A 1 Basic Structure of UK Central Government Monarch (non-political) Legislature ---Parliament House of Commons (political) House of Lords (semi-political) Executive Judiciary (non-political) Prime Minister & Cabinet (political) Supreme Court Ministers & Civil service (non-political) Court of Appeal

The Monarch • Constitutional Head of State • Bound by statute: • not be a Roman Catholic or marry a Roman Catholic • on the death of a monarch, the oldest male heir The Crown is the permanent

Personifies the state The Monarch head of the judiciary • Real name: Elizabeth • Queen Elizabeth II Alexandra Mary head of the executive Windsor • Birth: 21 April 1926 in an. London part of integral • the legislature Children: 3 sons, 1 daughter commander-in-chief of all armed forces of the Crown the ‘supreme Governor’ of the Church of England

The Monarch • Q 1 If there were a referendum on the issue, would you favour Britain becoming a republic or remaining a monarchy? • Republic 19% • Monarchy 70% • Would not vote 3% • Don't know 8%

The System of Government • • • Representative Democracy AKA Parliamentary Democracy Elected representatives: P 216 Rights (civil liberties) The separation of powers The Crown is the permanent

Parliamentary Sovereignty • Parliamentary Sovereignty – Parliamentary Supremacy : absolute & ultimate power within the British system • Can pass, repeal and alter any of Britain’s laws • A law passed by Parliament– cannot be declared as unconstitutional (the European Court)

Parliamentary Elections • Parliament ‘dissolved’—general elections • 659 constituencies— 659 MPs, the House of Commons • The relative majority method: the ‘first past the post’ (FPTP) principle -- the candidate with more votes than any other is elected • To form a government: to win most seats (although not necessarily most votes) or to have the support of a majority of members in the House of Commons

Palace of Westminster— Legislature home of government • Parliament: highest legislative authority– making and repealing UK law • Three constituent parts (the two-chamber system): • House of Commons • House of Lords • Crown (ceremonial)

• House of Lords • The Lord Chancellor (seat--the Woolsack) • Limited responsibility • Hereditary Peers or Peeresses; Life Peers; bishops • Elected & appointed • House of Commons • The Speaker • Keeping order and making sure rules are followed • Elected MPs: General Elections (5 years) • By-elections

Constituency

House of Commons • • • • • 1 Speaker 2 Pages 3 Government Members* 4 Opposition Members* 5 Prime Minister 6 Leader of the Official Opposition 7 Leader of the Second Largest Party in Opposition 8 Clerk and Table Officers 9 Mace 10 Hansard Reporters 11 Sergeant-at-Arms 12 The Bar 13 Interpreters 14 Press Gallery 15 Public Gallery 16 Official Gallery 17 Leader of the Opposition’s Gallery 18 Members’ Gallery • • • 19 Members’ Gallery 20 Members’ Gallery 21 Speaker’s Gallery 22 Senate Gallery 23 T. V. Cameras

What Goes on in the House of Commons? (P 220) • Debates—issues of national and international importance • The Speaker—presding over debates • The MPs—voting for or against the motion; ‘lobbies’, ‘aye’, ‘no’

What Goes on in the House of Commons cont. • • Question Time Four times a week; each 55 minutes Questions by MPs Short, oral answers by government ministers • The PM: 30 minutes, once a week

Executive (P 215) • EXECUTIVE(polictical) • PM, leader of majority party • ‘Ministers’ or ‘Secretaries of State’ • All MPs (front benchers + backbenchers • Cabinet • Junior Ministers • Civil Service(nonpolitical) • Permanent officials • ‘mandarins’ (accountable to Parliament)

A 2 The Executive (P 217) • The State Opening of Parliament: Queen’s speech, drawn up by the Government and approved by the Cabinet • An outline of the Government's policies and proposed legislative programme for the new parliamentary session.

The State Opening of Parliament May, 2005 • From Buckingham to Westminster • Sovereign’s Entrance at Westminster

The Prime Minister • the leader of his party in the House of Commons • the head of government • chief spokesman for the government • represents the country abroad • Informs the Queen of government decisions

The Prime Minister & the Cabinet • Can select cabinet • hand out departmental positions, dismiss ministers • amalgamate or split government departments • decide the agenda for cabinet meetings

The PM & the government • directs and controls policy for the government • exercises wide powers of patronage and appointments in the civil service, church and judiciary • decides the date for a general election within the five-year term • decides the timetable of government legislation in the House

Downing 10, No. 10

The Cabinet *** • • The Cabinet: appointed by PM The Cabinet Ministers: 15 -20 MPs Shadow Cabinet: oppositions Collective responsibility: the Cabinet acting unanimously as a single unit • Ministerial responsibility: the ministers responsible for the work of their own department and answerable to parliament about it (mistakes —resignation) • Cabinet “reshuffles”: PM reassigning responsibilities or dropping members

The Cabinet *** • Biggest and most important departments • The Treasury: the financial running of the country including taxation • The Home Office: internal affairs within the UK, eg. law and order and the court system • The Foreign Office: dealings with foreign governments • The Department for Education • The Health and Social Security Department • The Trade and Industry Department • The Agriculture and Fisheries Department

The Civil Service (P 217) • Civil servants: servants of the Crown, no political or judicial office, paid with public money, not elected • Serve the elected political government of the day • Career officials • Top civil servants: advice about policy, implementing the policies • A rigorous civil service exam

THE CIVIL SERVICE Permanent, well-educated elite, dominated by Oxbridge (75%) &politically neutral (unlike USA) Recruited by meritrocracy (Northcote. Trevalyan reforms) Anonymous (since Minister takes responsibility)

Judiciary • The Constitutional Reform Act 2005: provision for the creation of a new Supreme Court for the UK • The new Supreme Court: a UK body legally separate from the England Wales Courts; also the Supreme Court of both Scotland Northern Ireland • The office of Lord Chancellor: no longer official head of judiciary

Judiciary • The new, independent Supreme Court: independent appointments system, own staff and budget, own building • Scheduled to be open: October 2009 • 12 judges: Justices of the Supreme Court; not allowed to sit as members of the House of Lords; the current Law Lords— Justices, Lord Bingham—President of the Supreme Court

Separation of Power, British Style • The Prime Minister: an active member of the legislative, the leading member of the executive • The Lord Chancellor: a member of the cabinet (the executive); head of the judiciary • The House of Lords: part of the legislative (a right to vote on bills); the Law Lords: part of the judiciary • Members of the Cabinet: members of the legislative (the right to vote on issues) , the executive

Constitutional Reform • Constitutional Reform – – – – Devolution House of Lords reform Partial independence for Bank of England Freedom of Information Parliamentary select committees Electoral reform A written constitution; a “bill of rights” • Constitutional Reform Act 2005

Local Government (P 223) • County level: education and social services (full-time specialist officials) • District councils: rubbish collection, disposal (full-time specialist officials) • Community or parish councils: may affect decisions • ‘councillors’ representing ‘wards’ (about 1200 people at county level)

The Devolution • Devolution is where power is transferred from a superior governmental body (such as central power) to an inferior one (such as at regional level). • Devolution, V Bogador: • The transfer of power to a subordinate elected body • The transfer of power on a geographical basis • The transfer of functions at present is exercised by Parliament

The Devolution cont • Devolution: the setting up of an elected regional assembly whose powers are carefully and clearly defined by national government • Powers not included: major financial powers, eg. tax collection, the raising of taxes etc, the control of the armed forces or an input into foreign policy decisions • Central government: a huge amount of power over a regional one

The Devolution • The Greater London Authority • The Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies

The City of London • Greater London Authority Headquarters

• http: //www. parl. gc. ca/information/about/pr ocess/house/RTC 2008/rtc 2008_03 -e. html • http: //elt. britcoun. org. pl/elt/g_gov. htm • http: //www. payvand. com/news/08/feb/106 9. html