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1、Guide to English-Speaking Countries,英语国家概况,英语国家概况,The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,Chapter 3 Government and the Commonwealth,The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,英语国家概况,Political Parties,Constitution,Government,Election,The Commonwealth,CONTENT,Constitutio
2、n,I,Great Britain (UK) is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch king or queen : the head of state, symbolic power,The British constitution is usually described as unwritten, but this means it is not written down in one single document as “the British Constitution”. Much of the Cons
3、titution is written down, but it is not systematically codified into a single document.,Constitution,British Constitution is made up of three main parts: Statutory Law (成文法，制定法) Common Law (判例法，普通法) Conventions (习惯法，衡平法),Constitution,I,1.1 Statutory Law (the most important) passed by Parliament exam
4、ple the Magna Carta (1215) the Bill of Rights (1689) the Reform Act (1832) the European Communities Act (1972) the European Communities (Amendment) Act (1986),Constitution,1.2 Common law (never been precisely defined) deduced from custom or legal precedents and interpreted in court cases by judges 1
5、.3 Conventions rules and practices which do not exist legally, but are regarded as vital to the working of government,1. Constitution,Division of power Legislature 立法机关 Executive 行政部门 Judiciary 司法部门 The division among these three branches is not so absolute as that in the United States. P32,1. Const
6、itution,Government,2.1 The Legislature,2.2 The Executive,2.3 The Judiciary,2.1 The Legislature,Basic Structure of UK Central Government,Monarch (non-political),Legislature Parliament,Executive,Judiciary (non-political),House of Commons (political),House of Lords (semi-political),Prime Minister & Cab
7、inet (political),Ministers & Civil service (non-political),House of Lords,Court of Appeal,2.1.1 Parliament,Parliament the law-making body of Britain one of the oldest representative assemblies in the world Strictly speaking, the parliament consists of the King or Queen, the House of Lords (上议院), the
8、 House of Commons (下议院). However, the monarchy is regarded as a separate institution.,Queen Elizabeth II Born: April 21, 1926 Queen since June 2, 1953 Queen Elizabeth II is a “constitutional monarch” Although she is officially the head of state, the country is actually run by the government and led
9、by the Prime Minister.,2.1.2 Queen,Queen Elizabeth II,2.1.2 Queen,That means, although the Queen is the Head of State, she has no political power.,The country is run by the Prime Minister, who is the head of the political party that wins the most votes in democratic General Election which is held ev
10、ery five years.,Buckingham Palace The Queen meets with the Prime Minister on a weekly basis here.,2.1.2 Queen,In reality, she does everything on the advice of the Prime Minister, and her role is “ceremonial, unpolitical and symbolic”: State opening of the Parliament Royal assent to new law Meeting w
11、ith the Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace Pay state visits to Commonwealth countries as head of state and non-Commonwealth countries on behalf of the British government,2.1.2 Queen,The importance of the monarchy is found in its effects on public attitude. It represents the continuity and adaptabil
12、ity of the whole political system and it is a symbol of British unity. The sense of duty, responsibility and gentle dignity that she brings to her difficult job are widely respected and admired.,2.1.2 Queen,2.1.3 The House of Lords,The Lords Spiritual (上议院神职议员) (archbishops and prominent bishops of
13、the Church of England),The Lords Temporal (上议院世俗议员) (hereditary peers and life peers and the Law Lords),2.1.3 The House of Lords,The main legislative function of the House of Lords: Examine and revise bills from the House of Commons,The House of Lords meets in a lavishly decorated chamber in the Pal
14、ace of Westminster,The Upper House Reforms Reduce the number of seats from 705 to 666 (Mar. 1, 2004) Final court of appealSupreme Court,2.1.3 The House of Lords,2.1.4 The House of Commons,Center of parliamentary power Three major functions to pass laws, bills and acts of Parliament to scrutinize, cr
15、iticize and restrain the actions of the government to influence the future government policy,646 Members of Parliament, known as “MPs” for short, who represent the 646 geographical areas,2.1.4 The House of Commons,Government: Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers 2.2.1 The Prime Ministerpowerful leader
16、the leader of the majority party in Parliament controls the Parliament head of the government,2.2 The Executive,2.2.2 The Cabinet center of political system supreme decision-making body in the British government Weekly on Thursday at 10 Downing Street,Houses of Parliament 国会大厦,Two branches of law Civil lawdefines and enforces the duties or obligations of persons to one another Criminal lawby contrast, defines and enforces the obligations of persons to society
