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1、British GovernmentKey PointsThe constitutionThe MonarchyThe Executive (The Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Privy Council)The Legislature: ParliamentThe JudiciaryLocal GovernmentPolitical PartiesMembership in International OrganizationConstitutional MonarchThe United Kingdom is a parliamentary de
2、mocracy with a constitutional monarch. A king or queen is the head of state, and a prime minister is the head of government. The people vote in elections for Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent them.LegislatureParliament, the legislature, consists of the House of Lords, the House of Commons, an
3、d the monarch (the Crown). The House of Commons is far more influential than the House of Lords, which in effect makes the British system unicameral (the legislature has one chamber).Constitutional MonarchyHead of State: Monarch (hereditary title) Head of Government: Prime Minister Executive: Govern
4、ment (consists of ministers and others) Legislature: Parliament (659 in House of Commons, more than 660 in House of Lords) Highest Court: House of Lords (Lord Chancellor is head of judiciary) Voting Qualifications: All citizens age 18 and over ConstitutionThe UK doesnt have a single, written constit
5、ution. But this doesnt mean that the UK has an unwritten constitution.In fact, it is mostly written but instead of being one formal document, the British constitution is formed from various sources including statute law, case law made by judges, and international treaties.There are also some unwritt
6、en sources, including parliamentary conventions and royal prerogatives.ConstitutionThe British constitution comprises multiple documents. The written part consists of the Magna Carta, written in 1215; the Petition of Right, passed by Parliament in 1628; and the Bill of Rights of 1689. It also includ
7、es the entire body of laws enacted by Parliament, precedents established by decisions made in British courts of law, and various traditions and customs.The British Constitution is made up of statue law, common law and conventions.The Monarchy The Monarchy began to take shape at the end of the 15th c
8、entury and at the beginning of the 16th century. The Constitutional Monarchy started at the end of the 17th century, the parliament established its rights, then the power gradually passed into the hands of ministers and a two-party system was developed. The Monarchy is always there, above party quar
9、rels, representing the nation as a whole, and lending dignity and significance to all things done in her name. This is what the British bourgeoisie try to convince the people. The mere fact that the Crown exists helps to conceal the fact of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. The vital power lies i
10、n the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The MonarchyThe stability of the British government owes much to the monarchy. Its continuity has been interrupted only once (the republic of 1649-60) in over a thousand years. Today the Queen is not only the head of State, but also an important symbol of nation
11、al unity. Queen Elizabeth IIHer complete official royal title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, but she is usually referred to as Her
12、 Royal Highness or Queen Elizabeth.Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II became queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1952 upon the death of her father, King George VI. Throughout her reign she has been a symbol of unity and continuity within the UK and the Commonwealth of Na
13、tions. Queen Elizabeth IIAccording to the law the Queen is head of the executive branch of the government, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Crown and the supreme governor of the established Church of England. Queen Eliz
14、abeth IIWhile that sounds like a lot of responsibility, the real power of the monarchy has been steadily reduced over the years to the point where the Queen is uninvolved in the day-to-day operation of the government. She is impartial and acts only on the advice of her ministers.Queen Elizabeth IISh
15、e is one of the longest-reigning British monarchs. Her reign of 60 years has seen sweeping changes, including the dissolution of the British Empire (a process that began before her accession) and the consequent evolution of the modern Commonwealth of Nations. Queen Elizabeth IIThe real work of the m
16、onarchy consists largely of signing papers. The royal family endorses developments in Britain by performing such ceremonial functions as cutting ribbons, opening businesses, launching ships, and laying cornerstones. Queen and Her familyElizabeth married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. The
17、couple have four children and eight grandchildren.The Queen, Prince Charles and the other members of the royal family take part in traditional ceremonies, visit different parts of Britain and many other countries and are closely involved in the work of many charities. Princess DianaThe Rose of Engla
18、nd The WeddingOf the CenturyFuneralBuckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace in Westminster is the official London residence of the British sovereign. Its interior, open to the public during August and September while the queen is on vacation, contains many elegantly furnished apartments and noted collecti
19、ons of paintings. Funds raised from the summer visits go toward repairing Windsor Castle, a royal residence located just outside of London that was damaged by fire in 1992.The Executive The chief executive is the prime minister, who is a member of the House of Commons. The executive branch also incl
20、udes Her Majestys Government, commonly referred to simply as “the government.” The government is composed of ministers in the Cabinet, most of whom are members of the House of Commons; government departments, each of which is responsible to a minister; local authorities; and public corporations.The
21、Prime MinisterThe chief executive of the government is the prime minister. He or she is the leader of the party that holds the most seats in the House of Commons. The monarch goes through the ceremony of selecting as prime minister the person from the House of Commons who is head of the majority par
22、ty. The prime ministerThe prime minister presides over the Cabinet and selects the other Cabinet members, who join him or her to form the government that is part of the functioning executive. Acting through the Cabinet and in the name of the monarch, the prime minister exercises all of the theoretic
23、al powers of the Crown, including making appointments.Downing Street No. 10Guard at No. 10 Downing Street No. 10 Downing Street in London has been the official residence of the British prime minister since Sir Robert Walpole in 1732. The chancellor of the Exchequer lives next door at No. 11. Here, a
24、 guard stands in front of the prime ministers front door.Downing StreetNo. 10 Downing StreetThe CabinetThe Cabinet has about 20 members, or ministers, all of whom must be members of Parliament (MPs). Members of the Cabinet are leaders of the majority party in the House of Commons or, more rarely, me
25、mbers of the House of Lords. Cabinet ministers who head a particular government department, such as the Ministry of Defense, are known as secretaries of state. The CabinetThe prime minister has the power to move members of the Cabinet from post to post, or to drop individuals from the Cabinet entire
26、ly. Former Cabinet ministers may retain their positions as members of Parliament.Two key doctrines of Cabinet government are collective responsibility and ministerial responsibility. The Privy CouncilThe Privy Council is a large, and generally ceremonial, body of more than 450 members that developed
27、 out of the royal council that existed in the Middle Ages. By the 18th century the Privy Council had taken over all the powers of the royal council. The Privy Council comprises all current and former Cabinet members, as well as important public figures in Britain and the Commonwealth. The Privy Coun
28、cilThe council advises the monarch and arranges for the formal handling of documents. It has a large number of committees, each with a specific task, such as dealing with outlying islands, universities, or legal matters. The most important committee is the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, wh
29、ich is the highest court of appeal for certain nations in the Commonwealth, some church-related appeals, and for disciplinary committees of some professions.The Legislature: Parliament Parliament, Britains legislature, is made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Queen in her const
30、itutional role.The UK Parliament is a sovereign parliament this means that the legislative body has absolute sovereignty, in other words it is supreme to all other government institutions, including any executive or judicial bodies.ParliamentParliament, consists of the House of Lords and the House o
31、f Commons. Built between 1840 and 1850, the neo-Gothic complex of buildings is officially called the New Palace of Westminster.The House of CommonsThe Commons has 651 elected Members of Parliament (MPs), who represent local constituencies. The center of parliamentary power is the House of Commons. A
32、. The members of the House of Commons are not appointed, but elected at the present time.B. The head of the House of Commons is the Speaker or President of the Chamber, who is chosen by a vote of the House.C. The House of Commons is divided in the light of political parties. The stronger party forms
33、 the Government and the weaker the opposition.D. The House of Commons can discuss “what the Government has done, is doing and intends to do.” Question TimeIt is about an hour, every day, in which Members are given a chance to ask questions, and Ministers answer the questions one by one. Question Tim
34、e is the most widely known and the procedural device of the British House of Commons is admired by many other countries.House of Lordsthe oldest part of Parliament, evolving from a council. In 1215 King John signed the Magna Carta and gave some of his powers to the nobles.The 1688 “Glorious Revoluti
35、on” established its status as part of the English Parliament through compromise with the House of Commons.The House of LordsThe House of Lords is made up of 1,185 hereditary and life peers and peeresses, and the two archbishops and the 24 most senior bishops of the established Church of England.A. T
36、he House of Lords is equal in power with the House of Commons except in matters of taxation and expenditure.B. No bill of Parliament can become law unless the House of Lords has been consulted.C. The House of Lords has no power to prevent the passing of legislation approved by the House of Commons.r
37、anks of LordsDuke and DuchessMarquis and MarquiseEarl and CountessViscount and ViscountessBaron and BaronessParliamentLimitations on the power of the Lords (it rarely uses it power to delay passage of most laws for a year) are based on the principle that the Lords, as a revising chamber, should comp
38、lement the Commons and not rival it. Once passed through both Houses, legislation requires the Royal Assent to become law.ParliamentParliament has a number of ways to exert control over the executive branch. However, ultimate power rests in the ability of the House of Commons to force the government
39、 to resign by passing a resolution of no confidence. ParliamentThe government must also resign if the House rejects a proposal so vital to its policy that it has made it a matter of confidence. The proceedings of both Houses of Parliament are broadcast on television and radio, sometimes live or more
40、 usually in recorded and edited form. ParliamentGeneral elections to choose MPs must be held at least every five years. Voting, which is not compulsory, is by secret ballot and is from the age of 18. The simple majority system of voting is used. Candidates are elected if they have more votes than an
41、y of the other candidates, although not necessarily an absolute majority over all candidates. Local governmentsLocal governments can be either councils or authorities at the county, borough, or district level. Local councils are controlled by laws and policies established by the central government,
42、particularly concerning budgets and spending. Councils at the local level in Britain are responsible for police and fire services, roads, traffic, housing, building regulations, libraries, environmental issues, and schools paid for by direct grants from central authorities.Political PartiesA. The di
43、vision into two parties grew out of the establishment of a Protestant Church of England in the 16th century.B. The Whig and the Tory parties appeared during the revolution of 1688.Political PartiesC. Tory split and its name was changed to Conservative in 1833 and the Whigs became Liberals in 1860s,
44、which were alternatively in office until 1922.D. The Labor Party, founded around 1900, gradually replaced the Liberal Party (the Liberal Democratic Party) to be one of the two major parties in Britain.The Conservative PartyA. It is the party of the Right which opposes great changes in society and ha
45、s a belief in private enterprise and freedom from state control.B. It is the party of the relatively rich and privileged.C. It enables monopoly capitalists and big land-owners to gain great profits.D. Neville Chamberlain, Winston Spencer Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, John MajorThe Labor PartyA. It i
46、s the party of the reformist, non-revolutionary Left, which believes in the pursuit of greater social and economic equality, aims at the nationalization of the means of production, distribution and exchange and is the party of the relatively poor and underprivileged.B. It has become a bourgeois part
47、y marked by “socialism” and “nationalization”. C. It has few resources and relies heavily on the trade unions for financial help.D. The Labor prime ministers: Ramsay MacDonald, Tony BlairThe Central Criminal CourtThe Old Bailey court in London, which takes its name from the short street where it is
48、located, is properly called the Central Criminal Court. This court hears criminal cases, but can also try offenses committed at sea. It is surmounted by the figure of justice holding a sword and scales, which is a popular tourist attraction.Criminal JusticeLaw enforcement is carried out by 52 locall
49、y based police departments with about 160,000 police officers. The police are normally unarmed and there are strict limits to police powers of arrest and detention. Firearms must be licensed and their possession is regulated. In British criminal trials the accused in presumed innocent until proven g
50、uilty. Trials are in open court and the accused is represented by a lawyer. Most cases are tried before lay justices sitting without a jury. The more serious cases are tried in the higher courts before a jury of 12 (15 in Scotland) which decides guilt or innocence. Civil JusticeThe civil law of Engl
51、and, Wales and Northern Ireland covers business related to the family, property, contracts and torts (non-contractual wrongful acts suffered by one person at the hands of another). Actions brought to court are usually tried without a jury. Higher courts deal with more complicated civil cases. Most j
52、udgments are for sums of money, and the costs of an action are generally paid by the losing party.Administration of the LawThe Lord Chancellor is the head of the judiciary branch of government. The administration of the law rests with him, the Home Secretary, the Attorney General and the Secretaries
53、 of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland. The courts of the United Kingdom are the Queens Courts, the Crown being the historic source of all judicial power.The JudiciaryJudges are appointed from among practicing lawyers. Barristers or advocates advise on legal problems and present cases in the la
54、y justices and jury courts. Solictors represent individual and corporate clients and appear in the lay justices courts. Lay justices need no legal qualifications but are trained to give them sufficient knowledge of the law. Membership in International OrganizationsThe Common WealthFounding members o
55、f the UN; European Union; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Western European Union; Security and Cooperation in Europe; Council of EuropeInternational Monetary Fund ; Organization for Economic Cooperation and DevelopmentMember of EUThe UK is a member of the European Union (EU). The union was estab
56、lished in 1993 by the 12 nations of the European Community. The EU works toward better political and economic integration and cooperation between member nations.Security Council of UNThe United Nations is an international organization whose objective is to maintain peace and friendship among nations. The UK is one of 15 members, and one of 5 permanent members. The Security Council is responsible for ordering enforcement action in the event of aggression by a nation. Thank you !Thank you !
