Bri unit3 The Government of the United Kingdom

Unit3TheGovernmentTheMonarchyI.WhatistheBritishMonarchy?1.TheBritishMonarchyishereditary.2.TheKingorQueenistheheadofstate.3.Thecommander-in-chiefofthearmedforces.4.TheheadoftheJudiciaryintheU.K..5.ThetemporalheadoftheestablishedChurchofEngland.1.TheMonarchybegantotakeshapeattheendofthe15thcenturyandatthebeginningofthe16thcentury.2.TheConstitutionalMonarchystartedattheendofthe17thcentury,theparliamentestablisheditsrights,thenthepowergraduallypassedintothehandsofministersandatwo-partysystemwasdeveloped.II.WhenandHowtotakeshape?III.Crown’sconstitutionalrights1.TheQueenappointedallministersintheGovernmentandeverypublicofficialisherservant.2.TheQueensummons,prologuesanddissolvesParliament.3.Inthenewsessionshemakestheopeningspeechandoutlineshergovernment’sprogramme.4.Sheconcludestreatiesanddeclareswar.5.ShegivesherassenttoBillsbeforetheybecomelaw.6.Sheconferspeeragesandotherhonors.IV.Realimportance1.Itliesinitseffectonpublicattitude,anditisalsoanunchangeablesymbolofthewholenation.2.TheMonarchyisalwaysthere,abovepartyquarrels,representingthenationasawhole,andlendingdignityandsignificancetoallthingsdoneinhername.ThisiswhattheBritishbourgeoisietrytoconvincethepeople.3.Monarchyhasnobiastoclassesandparties.1.QueenElizabethII,11thgenerationoftheHouseofHanoverandtheheadofstateofthecountry.2.ShecametothethroneonFeb.6th,1952.3.ThepresentQueen’stitleis“ElizabeththeSecond,bytheGraceofGodoftheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandandofHerOtherRealmsandTerritoriesQueen,HeadoftheCommonwealth,DefenderofFaith”V.Thepresentsovereign1.ThemerefactthattheCrownexistshelpstoconcealthefactofthedictatorshipofthebourgeoisie.ThevitalpowerliesinthePrimeMinisterandhisCabinet.2.ItisthesupremeillustrationofthewayaBritishinstitutiondevelops.3.CrownistheonlylegalandconstitutionallinkbindingthemembersoftheCommonwealthtothehomecountryandtooneanother.VI.TherealcontrollerofBritainConstitutionalMonarchyTheKingorQueenseemstohaveanunlimitedpower,butpracticallyeverythingheorshedoesisdoneontheadviceofherministersandeverythinghasbeendecidedinadvancebyparliamentortheprimeministertogetherwithhiscabinet.TheUnitedKingdomisgovernedinthenameoftheCrown.TheCrownisusedasasymbolandit’sdescribedastherepresentativeofthepeople.BackUnit3ParliamentThePalaceofWestminster,onthebanksoftheRiverThamesinWestminster,London,isthehomeoftheHouseofCommonsandtheHouseofLordsParliamentmeetsatthePalaceofWestminster1.Basicfeatures:A.TheBritishParliamentconsistsofthreeelements:theCrown,theHouseofLords,theHouseofCommons.B.TheofficialheadofParliamentistheQueen.C.TheBritishParliamentisoftenreferredtoas“thelegislature”.I.IntroductionD.ThelifeofParliamentisfixedatfiveyears.E.TheHouseofLordsandtheHouseofCommonssharethesamebuildingofthePalace.F.TheHouseofCommonsalsoauthorizesthepaymentofsumsofmoneyandthetaxes.II.TheProcessofLaw-makinginBritainWhenabillisproposed,itfirstbeginsintheHouseofCommonsfor“threereadings”.IftheCommonsandandLordspassit,itmustfinallygototheQueenforhersignature.III.TheHouseofLords1.History:A.TheHouseofLordsistheoldestpartofParliament,itevolvedfromacouncil.B.In1215KingJohnsignedtheMagnaCartaandgavesomeofhispowerstothenobles.C.The1688“GloriousRevolution”establisheditsstatusaspartoftheEnglishParliamentthroughcompromisewiththeHouseofCommons.2.Features:TheHouseofLordsislargelyahistoricalrelic,thelordsstillkeeptheirtitleandevenhavemanyoftheirancientprivileges.IV.TheHouseofCommons1.Features:TheheadoftheHouseofCommonsistheSpeakerorPresidentoftheChamber,whoischosenbyavoteoftheHouse.HeisveryinfluentialnexttothePrimeMinisterwithalotoffunctions.SpeakerTheHouseofCommonselectsapresidingofficer,knownastheSpeaker,atthebeginningofeachnewparliamentaryterm,andalsowheneveravacancyarises.TheSpeaker'sprimaryfunctionistopresideovertheHouseofCommons.WhilstintheChair(thatis,presiding),theSpeakerwearsauniformconsistingofablackcourtsuitandblackrobewithatrain.Onimportantceremonialoccasions,theblackrobeisreplacedwithalongblackandgoldrobewithlacefrillsandlacejabot.TheCommonsusethenorthernpartofthePalaceofWestminsterTheshapeandarrangementsuggestatwo-partysystem.TheHouseofCommonsisdividedinthelightofpoliticalparties.ThestrongerpartyformstheGovernmentandtheweakertheopposition.2.Functions:A.ManybillsareinitiatedbytheCabinetnowadaysintheHouseofCommons.B.ThemembersofstrongerpartyintheHouseofCommonsarelawmakers.C.TheHouseofCommonscandiscuss“whattheGovernmenthasdone,isdoingandintendstodo.”.D.MembersoftheCommonsmayurgetheGovernmenttoactmorequicklyorlessquicklyandareconstantlylookingforwaysofimprovement.RanksoftheLordsDukeandDuchessMarquisandMarquiseEarlandCountessViscountandViscountessBaronandBaronessBackUnit3TheGovernmentOppositionTheweakerpartyintheHouseofCommonsformstheOpposition.TheOppositioncriticizesgovernmentpolicy,suggestsgovernmentpolicy,suggestsamendmentsandpointsoutothermatterswhichtheGovernmentmightignore.BACKI.IntroductionTheBritishGovernmentisthesupremeadministrativeinstitutionwhichmanagesstateaffairs.Governmentisthecollectivenameforalltheministersandjuniorministers,plusfourle