Political

life
The
Constitution
The
Monarchy
The
The United
Executive
The
Kingdom
Legislative
The
Politics
Judiciary

The Party
system
 Political
life Content
The
Constitution
The
Monarchy
1. The public
The
Executive attitude to
The politics
Legislative
The 2. The style of
Judiciary
democracy
The Party
system
 Public attitude to politics
A
r
e

Ho u
we n
ver k
n
o
w
n
1st rule in politics
NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING
UNTIL IT’S BEEN OFFICIALLY DENIED
 Style of democracy
❶ Have high respect for the law
• Little systematic law breaking by large number
• Not evading taxation

❷ Comparatively unenthusiastic about

making new laws
• Best to do without them
• Few rules and regulations in many aspects (for
Government and individuals)

❸ Relationship between Individual and the State

Both should leave each other alone
 Style of democracy
Individual Government

• Not breaking the law • Having less participation by

and paying taxes ordinary citizens in governing
• Not having to vote at and law making
elections 🡪 No concept of “By the
• Not having to people”
register their change • Not having to ask the people
of address when for a change in law
moving houses
Style of democracy

People choose
who is to
govern the country
and let
them get on with it
 Political
life
Content
The
Constitution
The
Monarchy 1. Style of
The
Executive
Government
The 2. Constitution
Legislative
The
Judiciary
The Party
system
 Parliamenta
Constitution
ry
al Monarchy
Democracy

A country
A country whose
governed by a government is
king/queen controlled by a
who accepts parliament
the advice of a elected by the
parliament people.
 The constitution
- Rules, regulations, principles and
procedures for the running of the
Is
country
a constitutional monarchy
- No• single
governed
writtenbydocument
a King orasQueen
the
highest law of the
• accepts theland.
advice of Parliament

No written law:
- Says anything about who can be the PM
However

and what his powers and duties are

- Asserts people’s rights

Doesn’t have a “constitution” at all

 Political
life
The
Constitution
Content
The
Monarchy 1. The appearance
The 2. The reality
Executive 3. The Role of the Monarch
The 4. The Value of the Monarch
Legislative
The
Judiciary

The Party
system
 The appearance
In written law, the Queen has absolute power to:
✔ Choose the Prime Minister
✔ Dismiss ministers and governments
✔ Dissolve Parliament
✔ Refuse to agree to legislation
passed by Parliament
✔ Dismiss the governments of
other countries of which she is
monarch
✔ Embody the law in the courts
✔ Can do nothing that is legally wrong
 The reality
Can’t stop
In reality: Different the Gov.
going ahead
• Can’t choose anyone she likes to be P.M with
any of its
• P.M decides the other government ministers
politics
• P.M requests a dissolution of Gov.
When
• ThesheRoyal
opensassent
Parliament eachpassed
to a bill year, by
the speech she makes has been written
Parliament is automatic
for her
• She makes no secret of the fact
• She reads word for word
•The
SheQueen
mighthas
askalmost no power
the Gov. at allto
minister
change the wording
 The Role of the monarch
People can be as critical as they like about the real
Gov without being accused of being unpatriotic

The Monarch Symbol of

can refuse the government
royal assent The real Gov
for a bill to has more time
become law to get on with
A final Ceremonial
and the the actual job
check on duties
request of of running
a Gov
a dissolution the country
of Parliament
 Political
life
The Content
Constitution
The
Monarchy 1. The Prime Minister
The
Executive 2. The Cabinet
The
Legislative
3. The Civil Service
The
Judiciary
The Party
system
 The Prime Minister

The Queen
appears to
reality Very little
have a lot of
power

The Prime
Minister (PM)
appears not A very great
reality
have much deal
power
 The leader of her party
in the House of Commons
The Prime Minister
❶ Has a great deal of power in reality
• Appoints the cabinet and change his cabinet
• Makes final decisions on major issues
• Decides the agenda for cabinet meetings which he also chairs
• Dissolve Parliament

❷ Has the power of public image

Liz Truss
Prime Minister’s Office at 10 Downing Street
 The Cabinet
• Which?
• Who?
• Where?
• When?
• What?
• How?
 The Cabinet
The committee at
Which?
the centre of the
British political
system and is the
Who?
supreme decision-
Prime Minister and all
making Ministers
body inin
the governing party (the
government
leading politicians), tied
to government policy by
Where? In the
the Cabinet
convention of
room in
collective responsibility
Downing
 i s i o ns
c
TheTaCabinet
ke d e
n e w
bou t
a a , t h e
O n ce po l i c i e s
a ti on
e k e n t
we i m p l e m
t i n g
f e x i s
When? o a n d
l i c i e s f
po ni n g o
e r u n
th
- Cabinet meetings eare r i o u s
What? h v a
t
confidential Gov. t s
- The PM chairs the meeting t m e n
ep a r
D
-Who says what is secret
How? - Reports are made and
circulated to Gov. Depart.
-Gov. Depart. summarizes the
 The civil service
❖ Helps run the Government day-to day and
implement policies
❖ Carries out the practical and administrative work
of the government.
❖ Remains though Governments come and go
❖ Knows the secrets of previous Gov. which the
present minister is unaware of
❖ Is reputed for absolute impartiality
❖ Top civil servants exercise quite a lot of control
over their ministers
 The civil service

❖ Unknown to the larger public

❖ Is a career
▪ get a high salary
▪ have absolute job security
▪ stand a good chance of being awarded an
official honour
 Civil Servants

• Are servants of the Crown

• Work for the UK Government, the Scottish
Government and the National Assembly for Wales.
• There is a separate Northern Ireland Civil Service.
 Political
life
The Content
Constitution
The
Monarchy
1. The House of
The Commons
Executive
The
2. The House of Lords
Legislative
3. Law making process
The
Judiciary

The Party
system
 Parliament

• Was formed during the reign of King

Henry III in the 13th century.
• Is a three legislative system, composed
of the House of Commons, the House of
Lords and the Monarch.
 Parliament
Like parliament in other
Activities
western democracies:
• To pass laws
• To provide – by voting for taxation – the
means of carrying out the work of
government
- Committee rooms
- Restaurants
• To scrutinize Government policy and
- Bars administration including proposals for
- Libraries Place
expenditure. Palace
of of
- Some places of
working officesthe major issues Westmi
• To debate of the day
residence
- 2 larger rooms: nster
- House of Lords
 The British Legislative
• This type of legislative organization is known as the
Westminster System.
• It can be found with some variation, in many of the
former possessions of now defunct British Empire
(Australia, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Malaysia, New
Zealand, and Singapore).
• Consists of a system in which house is elected and
the other appointed, an executive branch made up
of members of the legislature; the presence of
opposition parties, and a ceremonial head of state –
who is different from the head of government.
 The British Legislative

• Parliament at Westminster in London can

legislate for the UK as a whole and has powers
to legislate for any parts of it separately.
• However, it will not normally legislate on
devolved matters in Scotland and Northern
Ireland without agreement of the Scottish
Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
• Responsibility areas: defense, foreign affairs,
economic and monetary policy, social security,
employment and equal opportunities.
House of Commons
 House of Commons
• The lower chamber
• Is directly elected by British citizens
• The political party that wins the most seats in an
election forms the government. The leader of that
party becomes the Prime Minister.
• Chaired by the Speaker (elected by MPs to preside
over the House)
• Currently 646 seats, each seat = geographical
constituency (60,000 rural– 80,000 urban voters)
(529 represent constituencies in England, 40 in
Wales, 59 in Scotland and 18 in Northern Ireland)
 House of Commons

• Main function:
- Debating issues of national and
international importance
- Supervising Government by questioning
- Controlling Government income and
spending
- Being able to alter or oppose proposed
new laws
 Facing each other
Speaker chairs the debate
between two rows

Government
benches Opposition benches

• Either For or Against (No opportunity for a reflection of

all various shades of political opinions)
• Encourage confrontation between Gov and opposition
• Reinforce the reality of the British two-party system
 House of Commons
Other features
1. Has no front
2. Has no desks for MPs
3. Is small
MPs are
encouraged MPs speak in a
to co-operate conversational
Creates fairly informal atmosphere
tone and don’t
normally speak
for long
House of Lords
 House of Lords
• The upper chamber
• No fixed number of
members, now 787
• Works with the House
of Commons to:
- Make laws
- Scrutinize the actions
of the Government
- Provide a forum of
independence
expertise.
 House of Lords
Lords Spiritual Lords Temporal

- Include the - Are hereditary or life

Archbishop of peers. (2020: 814
Canterbury, the hereditary peers)
Archbishop of York, - Support a political
the Bishop of London, party
the Bishop of Durham, - Legislation since 1999
and the Bishop of has limited the
Winchester. number of hereditary
- Membership of the peers and the largest
House of Lords also number of peers in
extends to the the Lords is life peers
longest-serving other (whose peerages are
bishops of the Church not inheritable)
of England.
 The atmosphere of parliament

MPs are forbidden to address one another directly or

use personal names
• All remarks and questions must go “through the
chair”
• Use “the Honourable Member of Winchester” or “my
right honourable friend”

Take the “heat” out of debate and decrease

the possibility that violence may break down
 Parliamentary business
• Prime Minister's Question Time on any
subject for 30 minutes every
WednesdayThe committees are
becoming
• Easy accessibility
a more andformore
the press
• There are also
important part
permanent committees
of the business
to investigate of the of
the activities
government in Commons
particular field
• include 40 members
• have power to call certain people such as
civil servants to come and answer their
questions
Law making process
 In England and Wales

• The UK has three different judicial systems – one

for England and Wales, another for Scotland and a
third for Northern Ireland.
• Criminal law:
- Covers the most serious crimes (murder, robbery
and assault)
- Enforced by the police and the courts => anyone
breaking them can be prosecuted in court.
- If people are found guilty, they can be fined, sent
to prison or given community sentences.
 In England and Wales

• Civil law:
- Mostly involves disputes between people,
companies or other organizations.
- Cases must be proved by what the law
calls “the balance of probabilities” – there
has to be more than 50% probability that
the defendant is responsible.
 In Northern Ireland

• Similar to the legal system in England

and Wales.
• The Lord Chancellor is responsible for
court administration through the
Northern Ireland Court Service.
• The Northern Ireland Office deals with
policy and legislation concerning criminal
law, the police and the prison system.
 In Scotland

• The Scottish Executive Justice

Department oversees issues involving
civil and criminal law.
• The Scottish Parliament makes laws in
issues where it has the right to act
independently => it can change or
reject acts of the UK Parliament, and
pass new, separate legislation for
Scotland.
 The Party system

• Britain is normally described as having a

“two-party system” because:
- Members of 2 parties occupy more than 90%
of all of the seats in the House of Commons.
- Electoral system
- The origin of British political parties (18th
century, 19th century)
=> The idea of an alternative government has
received legal recognition.
Two Party system
 The Party system
The parties choose candidates in elections
(independent candidates are rarely elected)

The party that wins The largest minority

the majority of seat party = opposition
forms the Gov. and (criticize the party
its leaders (= MPs) running the country )

Without agreement between the political

parties,
the British parliamentary system would
break down
 The Electoral system
• The electoral system used in Britain doesn’t
seem to add up
The “first-past- the-post” system
E.g.: General Election in May 2005
- Labour party = 355 seats
- Conservative Party = 198 seats
- Liberal Democrat Party = 62 seats
- Other small parties= 31
• Nearly everybody votes for a candidate on the
basis of the party (s)he represents, not on the
qualities or political opinions of the candidate
 Voters

• Voters can choose only one candidate;

otherwise, the ballot paper is “spoiled”
and not counted
• Voters ≥ 18 years old and on the
electoral register
However

Nobody is obliged to vote

 Time for New Election

• It is the Government
which decides when to
hold an election
• An election has to take
place at least every five
years
usually shorter
Comparatively The campaign
quiet affairs

• Local newspapers give coverage to

the candidates
• Candidates hold meetings
• Party supporters stick up posters
in their windows
• Local party workers spend their
time canvassing

no large rallies or parades like in USA

 The campaign
Strict regulations on the campaign

❶ Limited amount of money

have to submit
detailed accounts for their
expenses for inspection
❷ Any attempt to influence
voters improperly is
outlawed
 The real campaign

• Takes place at a national level

• The parties spend millions of pounds
advertising on hoardings
Emphasis and
is on the
newspapers
national party personalities
ratherbuy
• They don’t thantime
localon
candidates
TV= USA but
given a number of strictly timed “party
election broadcasts”
• Each party also holds a daily televised
news conference
 Process of Election

❶ The country is divided into a number of

areas of roughly equal population =
constituencies
❷ Anyone wishing to become an MP must
declare himself belonging to one of
these constituencies (after depositing
£500 with the Returning Officer)
 Process of election
❸ The date of general election (polling day) is fixed
- always on Thursday
- not a public holiday
❹ On polling day, voters go to polling stations and
put a cross next to the name of one candidate on
a ballot paper
 Process of election

❺ After the polls close, the marked ballot

papers are taken to a central place in
the constituency and counted
❻ The Returning officer makes a public
announcement for the votes cast for
each candidate and declares the winner
to be the MP for the constituency
 Process of election
❼ At the election night, TV start their
programmes

❽ By midnight, experts will be making

predictions about the composition of the
newly elected House of Commons

❾ By 2 in the morning, ≥ ½ of the

constituencies will have declared their
results.
 validity of election
Fairly conducted

Candidates are
entitled to
demand as
many recounts Exception
as they want In Northern Ireland
“Vote early, vote often”
until the result
is beyond doubt
 By- election
Whenever a sitting MP can no longer fulfill his
duties, there has to be a special new election
in the constituency which he represents

By elections
No system of
can take place
ready
at any time
substitutes