THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF GREAT BRITAIN. CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY

THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF GREAT BRITAIN.

CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY PRESENTATION

Monarchy The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch ( a king or a queen) as its Head of State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament.

Parliament Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as the coronation or the opening of Parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is only one of the three which has true power.

Parliament House of Commons House of Lords Has true power Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II The Conservative Party The Liberal Party Lords Spiritual Lords Temporal Other Parties

British Parliament The House of Commons is made up of 650 elected members (MPs) It is here that new bills are introduced and debated. It is presided by the Speaker, a member acceptable to the whole House. The House of Lords has more than 1,ooo members (only 250 take an active part in the work. Members are not elected. They debate a bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons. Ganges may be recommended and agreement is reached by negotiations.

MPs It is short form for Members of Parliament who the House of Commons consists of. MPs are elected at a general election or at a by-election.

Government The party which has majority of seats in the House of Commons is called the Government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister can decide on the exact date within five years between parliamentary elections.

Parties Because of the electoral method in use, only two major parties obtain seats in the House of Commons. People belonging to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their influence felt.

The Cabinet of Ministers The Prime Minister chooses about 20 MPs from he or her party to become the Cabinet of Ministers. Each minister is responsible for a particular area of the government.

The House of Lords It has more than 1,000 members. Only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. This House consists of those lords who sit by right of inheritance. Members of this Upper House are not elected. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor.

The Queen Everything today is done in the Queen’s name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. The Queen is very rich. The Government pays for her expenses as Head of the State, for a royal yacht, train, aircraft, and for the upkeep of several palaces. The Queen’s image appears on stamps, notes and coins.