The Political System of Great Britain

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Contents
I. General Information II. The monarch 2.1. Functions of the Queen 2.2. Royal Family III. The Houses of Parliament 3.1. The Structure of Parliament 3.2. The Houses of Lords 3.3. The Houses of Commons 3.4. Functions of Parliament IV. Political Parties V. Government 5.1. The Prime Minister 5.2. The Cabinet VI. The Supreme Court VII. State Opening Ceremony VIII. Test Yourself IX. Reference Material

General Information
Branches of Power

Legislative

Executive

Judicial

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy Officially the head of the state is the king or queen
but the power of the monarch is limited by the Parliament

The Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Functions of the Queen

Commander-in-Chief of the armed Forces
Head of the Commonwealth
Head of the Church of England

Opening and Closing of the Parliament

Approving of the appointment of the Prime Minister Giving her Royal Assent to bills Giving honours such as peerages, knighthood and medals

The Royal Family

Prince Harry and Prince William

Queen Elizabeth II with Duke of Edinburg

Prince Charles and Camilla

The Houses of Parliament

(since 1265)

The Structure of Parliament

The legislative branch is represented by Parliament

The House of Lords

The House of Lords is a debating chamber in the Palace of Westminster Most of the men and women who belong to the House of Lords are known as 'peers'

has over 700 members who have been selected by the prime minister and appointed by the Queen
Members of the House of Lords often debate the pros and cons of new laws proposed by the government The chamber is also a place for challenging and checking the work of government ministers

The House of Commons

650 members who are representatives of the people of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland MPs are able to ask questions of the prime minister, and the other MPs in government, to make sure they are doing their job running the country some MPs are selected by their party leaders to be spokespersons on important issues

People vote for Members of Parliament and whoever wins represents everyone in their local area (called a constituency)

Functions of Parliament
making laws

voting on financial bills

checking the work of government

debating topical issues (health, environment, transport, job, schools, crime)

The Political Parties

The Labour Party
The Liberal Party The Conservative Party

Government
is the highest executive authority in the UK power runs the country has responsibility for developing and implementing policy and for drafting laws the political party that wins the most seats in a general election forms the new government, led by their party leader - who becomes Prime Minister government ministers are chosen from MPs and Lords in Parliament

The Prime Minister

the Prime Minister is the leader of the Government is elected

chooses the other Members of the Government

is responsible for the policy conducted by the Parliament

has powers to appoint judges, propose the creation of Peers and make appointments to senior positions in the Church of England

the Prime Minister's actual title is First Lord of the Treasury

Gordon Brown

The Cabinet
The most important ministers of the government form the cabinet

The Prime Minister lives and works in the official residence, 10 Downing Street

The Prime Minister chairs the meetings, selects its members, and also recommends their appointment as ministers by the Monarch

The Supreme Court

Is the highest judicial body which interprets the laws

consists of two divisions

the High Court of Justice
the Court of Appeal

State Opening Ceremony

Test Yourself
1. Before bills can become laws both Houses of Parliament must .. then. (revise, approve, delay) 2. . meets in the Palace known as the Houses of Parliament. (the Cabinet, the Government, Parliament) 3. The Houses of Commons is . by the people. (elected, examine, rule) 4. The Monarch officially .. life peers. (dissolve, appoint, vote) 5. The Monarch the Prime Minister. (appoint, vote, pass)

 6. The Cabinet government departments. (coordinate, represent, elect) 7. The House of Lords .. bills from the House of Commons. (oppose, determine, revise) 8. The Queen .. The bills. (sign, determine, draft) 9. Parliament .. The legislative branch of power. (elect, represent, rule) 10. The Prime Minister .. Non-Cabinet Ministers. (delay, examine, choose)

Reference Material
http://www.parliament.uk/education/onlineresources/parliament-explained/ http://festival.1september.ru/articles/573087/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRhWZ9RNn2s http://wikipedia.com http://google.com