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1、The United Kingdom: A Survey 2013Unit 4 Government and PoliticsWhat do you know about the role of British Monarchy?The Constitution The UK has no written constitution in any one document; it is only partly written and contained in multiple documents. The Constitution consists of: (1) statute law (成文
2、法), such as Acts of Parliament; (2) common law (习惯法,普通法) or judge-made law, which are precedents established by decisions made in British courts of law, and various traditions and customs; (3) conventions, i.e. principles and practices of government which are not legally binding but have the force o
3、f law; (4) ancient documents such as The Magna Carta (1215), The Petition of Right (权利请愿书) (1628), The Bill of Rights (1689), and the new addition of European Union law.Evolution of British Constitution: 1215: Magna Carta 1611: Case of Proclamations 1689: Bill of Rights 1701: Act of Settlement 1832:
4、 Reform Act 1911: Parliament Act 1918: Representation of the People Act 1949: Parliament Act 1973: EEC membership 1998: Human Rights ActCharacteristics of British Constitution include:(1) constitutional monarchy;(2) parliamentary supremacy;(3) representative democracy;(4) the rule of law.The Constit
5、ution: Constitutional monarchy l Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parametersprmt(r) (范围) of a constitution. This form of government differs from absolute monarchy in that an absolute monarch serves as the sole source of political pow
6、er in the state and is not legally bound by any constitution. Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the monarch may have strictly ceremonial duties or may have reserve powers, depending on the constitution. Under most modern constitutional monarchies there is also a p
7、rime minister who is the head of government and exercises effective political power.The Monarchy: the title of the Queenl The current Queen, Elizabeth IIs title in the United Kingdom is “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her
8、other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”, which means in addition to being the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, the Queen is Head of State of 15 other realms and Head of the Commonwealth.The Monarchy: the role of Monarch In theory the monarch has enormous
9、powers, but given the nature of the constitutional monarchy, those powers are actually limited and the Crown follows the dictates and advice of the ministers in Parliament. The monarch is supposed to reign but not rule. u As the official head of state, the monarch formally summons and dismisses Parl
10、iament and the ministers of the Cabinet. The monarch also serves as head of the judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces, and Supreme Governor of the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. But in reality, the government carries out the duties associated with these functions.u Theoret
11、ically, the monarch appoints all judges, military officers, diplomats, and archbishops, as well as other church officers. And the monarch also bestows honors and awards, such as knighthoods and peerages. But in reality, all of these appointments are made upon the advice of the prime minister. The pr
12、ime minister declares war and peace and concludes treaties with foreign states in the name of the Crown. The real work of the monarchy consists largely of signing papers. u The monarch has the right, however, to be consulted on all aspects of national life and review all important government documen
13、ts. The ParliamentThe brief history of the parliament v The Great Council was represented by leading, wealthy barons to contribute to the kings projects.v By the 13th century it was widened to include representatives from counties, cities and towns, to include the House of Lords and the House of Com
14、monsv In 1265, the first parliament was summoned. Strictly speaking, the Parliament comprisesthree parts: the Crown, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. The two Houses sit separately and are constituted on entirely different principles. The relationship between the two Houses is governed l
15、argely by convention but is in part defined by the Parliament Acts.The Parliament: the House of Lords TheHouseofLordstoday is more a place of discussion and debate than one of power, and it normally passes legislation already approved by the House of Commons. Its members are not elected. The House o
16、f Lords consists of:(1) The lords temporal. They are either hereditary peers or life peers, who are appointed by the monarch in recognition of their outstanding careers or contributions to society.(2) The lords spiritual. They include the archbishops of Canterbury and York, the bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, and the 21 next mo
