PARLIAMENT GOVERNMENT POLITICAL PARTIES Andi Kriisa Silver Samarütel

PARLIAMENT, GOVERNMENT, POLITICAL PARTIES Andi Kriisa Silver Samarütel 11 c

• The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy based on universal suffrage • The Queen is the head of the executive and plays an integral part in legislature • General elections are held every five years • People over the age of 18 can vote • Anyone over the age of 21 can stand for election as a member of parliament • Voting is not compulsory

UK is divided into constituencies where voting takes place Each area is represented by one Member of Parliament Political parties appoint candidates to compete for a seat in Parliament Several parties fight for one seat, the candidate who gets the largest number of votes in a constituency wins The party with the most seats in the House of Commons is in power and forms the Government There is usually an one party Government The second largest party becomes the Opposition and forms the Shadow Cabinet

The UK is administered from the Palace of Westminster

The House of Commons Elected by the British public through the first-past-the-post system The 659 members are called Members of Parliament All new laws are first discussed and debated in the Commons

The House of Lords Members are not elected Presided over by the Lord Chancellor Today there are 746 members • After passing through the House of Commons, all bills are debated in the House of Lords and after that, signed by the Queen

The Cabinet of Ministers The leader of the winning party in elections automatically becomes Prime Minister and has the right to appoint his Government, called the Cabinet The Cabinet includes a selection of MPs It works as a team and is collectively responsible for its decisions The Cabinet is responsible to Parliament The most important ministers are Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary

Political parties The Labour Party Roots in the 19 th c Supported by less-wealthy groups of society Re-elected in 2007 The Conservative Party • Dates back to the 18 th c. • Mainly supported by wealthier people • Has lost its popularity since the 1980 s The Liberal Democratic Party • Third largest party • Pro-Europe • Their politics are somewhere between the • Labour and Conservative parties

OUTSTANDING POLITICAL PERSONALITIES OF THE PAST AND THE PRESENT Sir Winston Churchill is considered to have been the most briliant politician of the Conservative Party in the 20 th century Prime Minister during most of WW II Led Britain successfully through the war Famous for his speeches in which he encouraged people to believe that they would eventually win

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