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1、Chapter 13 System of Government,December,2005Xiao Huiyun,The System of Government,Representative Democracy and also known as Parliamentary DemocracyMonarch-Constitutional Monarch What powers does the Queen have?The Sovereign personifies the state and is,in law,an integral part of the legislature,hea
2、d of the executive,head of the judiciary,the commander-in-chief of all armed forces of the Crown and the supreme Governor of the Church of England,The Crown is the permanent,The Monarch,Queen Elizabeth II,Real name:Elizabeth Alexandra Mary WindsorBirth:21 April 1926 in LondonChildren:3 sons,1 daught
3、er,The Monarch,The monarch is bound by statute to:not be a Roman Catholic or marry a Roman Catholic on the death of a monarch,the oldest male heir will succeed to the throne the death of monarch does not affect the holding of the office under the Crown as laid out in the Demise of the Crown Act of 1
4、901.In the event of illness,a monarch may appoint Counsellors of State to exercise certain royal functions as laid out in the Regency Acts 1937-53,Legislature,Parliament is the highest legislative authority in the United Kingdom the institution responsible for making and repealing UK law.It is also
5、known as the Legislature.It consists of three constituent parts:House of Commons House of Lords Crown,Parliament,Executive,EXECUTIVE Prime Minister and Ministers or Secretaries of State(about 25)(Political Heads of Government Departments),all MPs,form Cabinet Also Junior Ministers,Civil Service(non-
6、political)Permanent officials employed by government.Advise Ministers and implement policy.Top officials popularly known as mandarins but accountable to Parliament,Judiciary,JUDICIARY(non-political)Headed by Lord Chancellor,a leading Law Lord appointed by the Prime Minister.House of Lords is the hig
7、hest court will be replaced by the Supreme Court and there will not be Lord Chancellor in the near future,and all this is part of the Constitutional Reform promised by Labour government,Basic Structure of UK Central Government,Functions of Parliament*,Parliament has three main functions:to examine p
8、roposals for new laws;to scrutinise government policy and administration;to debate the major issues of the day.,Parliamentary Sovereignty,Parliamentary Sovereignty Parliamentary Supremacy:Parliament has absolute&ultimate power within the British system Parliament can pass,repeal and alter any of Bri
9、tains laws.This is one of the major powers that a government has.In theory there is no body that can declare a law passed by Parliament as unconstitutional-though the full impact of the European Court is not yet known,The Principles of Parliamentary Democracy,a.Parliament is Elected and Sovereignb.P
10、arliament selects the executive(“The Cabinet”)c.The cabinet retains executive power only as long as it retains the“confidence”of parliamentd.Usually the head of the executive retains the power to disband parliament and call for elections,Parliamentary Elections,General elections are held after Parli
11、ament has been dissolved.For electoral purposes Britain is divided into(659)constituencies,each of which returns one MP to the House of Commons The British electoral system is based on the relative majority method sometimes called the first past the post(FPTP)principle which means the candidate with
12、 more votes than any other is elected.The leader of the political party which wins most seats(although not necessarily most votes)at a general election,or who has the support of a majority of members in the House of Commons,is by convention invited by the Sovereign to form the new government.h,Parli
13、amentary Supremacy&the Sources of Britains Constitution,Britain does not have a constitution written down in a single document.The constitution flows from 6 sources:The Royal Prerogative-Personal prerogatives are held by the monarch as a person and political prerogatives as head of state.The latter
14、are the most important to the efficient constitution and include the rights to declare war or make peace,pardon criminals,dissolve Parliament,appoint ministers and assent to legislation.With the gradual erosion of the effective powers of the monarchy these.have been.inherited by the Cabinet and the
15、Prime Minister.StatueCommon LawConventionAuthoritative OpinionEuropean Union Law,Separation of Power,British Style,There is actually no separation of power between the executive,legislature,and the judiciary.*This principle of dividing the functions of government is meant to ensure that there is no
16、excessive use or abuse of power by any small group of people.,Separation of Power,British Style,The Prime Minister is an active member of the legislative,yet he is also the leading member of the executive.Also the Lord Chancellor is a member of the cabinet and therefore of the executive as well as b
17、eing head of the judiciary The House of Lords also has a right to vote on bills so they are part of the legislative but the Lords also contains the Law Lords who are an important part of the judiciary As with the PM,the members of the Cabinet are also members of the legislative who have the right,as
18、 a Member of Parliament,to vote on issues,Power vs Corruption,Power tends to corrupt,and absolute power corrupts absolutely.Great men are almost always bad men.(Lord Acton,British historian,1834-1902)Politicians are almost always liarsI hope our wisdom will grow with our power,and teach us,that the
19、less we use our power the greater it will be.(Thomas Jefferson),Freedom&Dutiesthe Limits to Freedom,Civil Liberties under Parliamentary Democracy:the freedom to organise politicallythe freedom of speechthe freedom of the pressthe equality of all people under the lawThese rights are not absolute but
20、have to be established and limited by the law.For example freedom of speech is limited by the law of libel and contempt.Such laws are decided by Parliament.,Libel?Contempt?,Prime Minister,do you have blood on your hands?Are you going to resign?“Those were the shocking questions posed by a British jo
21、urnalist to Tony Blair at his press conference in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on July 19,2003The questions left Blair shaken and literally speechless for the first time in his premiership.His Japanese counterpart rescued him by grabbing his arm and leading him out of the pre
22、ss room.,Constitutional Reform,Constitutional ReformDevolutionHouse of Lords reformPartial independence for Bank of EnglandFreedom of InformationParliamentary select committeesElectoral reformA written constitution;a“bill of rights”,House of Lords,House of commons,The House of Lords,750 Members were
23、 not elected.The 1999 Act reduced the number to 92.503 Members are called life peers appointed by the Queen600 members will be chosen to ensure that the House represents a cross-section of British society.Constitutional Reform*,Reforms to the House of LordsConstitutional Reform,a second chamber of 6
24、00 members an end to 92 hereditary peers still in the Lords 120 members elected by the public 120 appointed by a statutory independent commission the rest would be appointed by political parties in proportion to votes received by a party at the most recent general election the second chamber would h
25、ave no veto over government legislation-merely the right to delay its introduction bishops to be reduced from 25 to 16 a minimum of those in the second chamber will be female;minority groups will be represented the final tally of 600 will be met over a 10 year period,The House of Commons,The House o
26、f Commons consists of 659 Members of Parliament(MPs)who are elected by the people to be their representatives.Each MP represents the voters in an area called a constituency(often referred to as an MPs seat)Members of Parliament hold their seats only for the life-time of a Parliament.Unlike the Lords
27、,they have to be re-elected when a new government is formed at a General Election.They are paid a salary of about 50,000,as well as an allowance for hiring a secretary.,The House of Commons cont,The House sits in Westminster from Mondays to Fridays,usually from about 2.30pm until 10.30pm,and often c
28、ontinues through the night when important debates are going on.,What Goes on in the House of Commons?,Debates Many hours are spent debating issues of national and international importance.Most often a motion is proposed by one or two of the Governments front benchers and then the same number of pers
29、ons from the Opposition front benches oppose itThe Speaker decides who is allowed to speak and he/she must ensure that each side is given equal opportunity and time to speak.After the debate the MPs vote for or against the motion.MPs vote by going into lobbies,corridors outside the chamber,one for a
30、ye and one for no votes where they are counted The MPs vote is recorded so that anybody can know which way an MP voted on any particular issue After the votes are counted the results are announced in the chamber.,What Goes on in the House of Commons cont,Question Time Four times a week Government mi
31、nisters have to give short,oral answers to questions put to them in the House of Commons by MPs.Many questions are answered during each question time which lasts for 55 minutes.The Prime Minister also has a question time of 30 minutes once a week.,What Goes on in the House of Commons cont,Making new
32、 laws This is what happens in the chamber,but in fact there is much happening elsewhere in the Commons which has hundreds of rooms.There are committee rooms,offices and a library,a barbers shop,post office and restaurants.MPs meet in committees,or do their office work or meet visitors.,How is the Sp
33、eaker Chosen?,Contrary to what the title would imply,the Speaker of the House of Commons does not speak,that is,he or she does not make speeches or take part in debates the Speakers central function is to maintain order in a debate,and he or she may not vote other than in an official capacity that i
34、s when the result of a vote is a tieThe Speaker is not a Minister nor a member of any political partyHe or she is still a Member of Parliament,representing a constituency and the constituents interests The choice of Speaker is by election,with Members of Parliament each having one vote,The Executive
35、*,The role of the Sovereign the constitutional monarchAs Head of State the Queen presides over the State Opening of Parliament.This takes place usually each November when Parliament reopens after the summer break for the next Session.The Queen reads a speech which outlines the policies and main bill
36、s that the government intends to introduce during the Parliamentary Session The Queen has to give the Royal Assent of agreement to any new law that is passed by parliament She is kept in touch with the government by a weekly meeting with the Prime Minister in Buckingham Palace.,The State Opening of
37、Parliament Wednesday November 26,2003,From Buckingham to Westminster,Sovereigns Entrance at Westminster,The State Opening of Parliament Wednesday November 26,2003,Queen Elizabeth II makes her way from the Sovereigns entrance,Britains former prime minister sits alone,The State Opening of Parliament,P
38、artners in crime,Tony Blair alongside leader of the opposition,Michael Howard,The State Opening of Parliament,Ill make them pay,The education secretary,Charles Clarke,and former Tory chairwoman Theresa May process into the chamber of the House of Lords.,The State Opening of Parliament,Schools and ho
39、rspitals first,The Queen sets out the governments legislative programme including civil partnerships for same-sex couples.,The State Opening of Parliament,Hide and speak,Her majesty peers out from her carriage as she leaves Westminster,The State Opening of Parliament,Which ones the journalist?,The Q
40、ueen and her footmen return to Buckingham Palace.,The Queens speech:the key points Wednesday November 26,2003,Tuition fees-The speech promises a bill to place universities on a sound financial footing and enable more people to benefit from higher education.In keeping with the governments study now,p
41、ay later proposals,it says up-front fees will abolished for all full-time students,Child Trust Fund A bill to give all children born after September 2002 a cash endowment(with more for poorer children)they can invest and then draw on at the age of 18.Gay marriages-Legislation on the registration of
42、civil partnerships between same-sex couples,The Queens speech:the key points Wednesday November 26,2003,Asylum-A single tier of appeal against asylum decisions to reduce the scope for delay caused by groundless appealsChild protection-A bill to improve the services designed to protect children and t
43、he establishment of a Childrens Commissioner for England.,Pensions-A pension protection fund to protect employees and pensioners if companies become insolvent.The government also promises to bring in legislation to encourage employers to provide good-quality pensions and for individuals to save more
44、 effectively for their retirement,The Queens speech:the key points Wednesday November 26,2003,Constitutional reform-Establishment of a supreme court,reforming the judicial appointments system and providing for the abolition of the current office of Lord Chancellor.Also,legislation to remove heredita
45、ry peers from the House of Lords and set up an independent appointments commission to select non-party members.,Housing Legislation to help create a fairer housing market and the continuation of a bill introduced last session that aims to make the planning system fairer and faster,The Prime Minister
46、,the leader of his party in the House of Commons the head of government he has the right to select his cabinet,hand out departmental positions,decide the agenda for cabinet meetings which he also chairs.he can dismiss ministers if this is required he directs and controls policy for the government he
47、 is the chief spokesman for the government he keeps the Queen informed of government decisions he exercises wide powers of patronage and appointments in the civil service,church and judiciary,The Prime Minister cont,he can amalgamate or split government departments he represents the country abroad h
48、e decides the date for a general election within the five-year term he decided the timetable of government legislation in the House(though this has been delegated to the Leader of the House before),The Prime Minister cont,The powers of the Prime Minister within the British political structure have d
49、eveloped in recent years to such an extent that some political analyst now refer to Britain as having a Prime Ministerial government rather than a Cabinet governmentThe Prime Minister selects his own Cabinet and he will select those people who:Have ability Have demonstrated good party loyalty Have c
50、learly demonstrated loyalty to the Prime Minister himself,The Cabinet*,The Cabinet is appointed by the Prime Minister.The senior positions within the Cabinet are usually appointed by the Prime Minister within hours of an election victory In British Politics,all Cabinet members are serving MPs or pee
