Топик: British Parlament
British
Parliament.
Great Britain is a constitutional
monarchy. This means that it has a monarch as its Head of the State. The
monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are
not defined precisely. Everything today is done in the Queen’s name. It is her
government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. She appoints all the
Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done however on the
advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the
decision-making process.
Once the
British Empire included a large number of countries all over the world ruled by
Britain. The process of decolonisation began in 1947 with the independence of
India, Pakistan and Ceylon. Now there is no Empire and only few small islands
belong to Britain. In 1997 the last colony, Hong Kong, was given to China. But
the British ruling classes tried not to lose influence over the former colonies
of the British Empire. An association of former members of the British Empire
and Britain was founded in 1949. It is called the Commonwealth. It
includes many countries such as Ireland, Burma, the Sudan, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and others. The Queen of Great Britain is also a Head of the Commonwealth,
and also the Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand...
The
British Constitution. The British
Constitution is to a large extent a product of many historical events
and has thus evolved aver many centuries. Unlike the constitutions of most
other countries, it is not set out in any single document. Instead it is made
up of statute law, common law and conventions. The constitution can be change
by Act of Parliament, or by general agreement to alter a convention.
The
Monarchy in Britain. When the Queen was born on 21 April
1926, her grandfather, King George V, was on the throne and her uncle was his
heir. The death of her grandfather and the abdication of her uncle (King Edward
VIII) brought her father to the throne in 1936 as King George VI. Elizabeth
II came to the throne an 6 February 1952 and was crowned on 2 June 1953. Since
then she made many trips to different countries and to the UK also. The Queen
is very rich, as are others members of the royal family. In addition, the
government pays for her expenses as Head of the State, for a royal yacht, train
and aircraft as well as for the upkeep of several palaces. The Queen’s image
appears on stamps, notes and coins.
The
Powers of Parliament. The three elements,
which make up Parliament –the Queen, the House of Lords and the elected House
of Commons –, are constituted on different principles. They meet together only
on occasions of symbolic significance such as the State Opening of Parliament,
when the Commons are invited by the Queen to the House of Lords.
Parliament
consists of two chambers known as the House of Lords and the House of
Commons. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government
of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as
coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament. In reality, the
House of Commons is the only one of the three which is true power. It is
here that new bills are introduced and debated. If the majority of the members
aren’t in favour of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated
and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only than it becomes law. Although a
bill must be supported by all three bodies, the House of Lords only has
limited powers, and the monarch hasn’t refused to sign one.
The
Functions of Parliament. The main functions
of Parliament are: to pass laws; to provide, by voting taxation, the means of
carrying on the work of government; to scrutinise government policy and
administration; to debate the major issues of the day. In carrying out these
functions Parliament helps to bring the relevant facts and issues before the
electorate. By custom, Parliament is also informed before all-important
international treaties and agreements are ratified.
A
Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, but in practice general
elections are usually held before the end of this term. Parliament is dissolved
and rights for a general election are ordered by the Queen on the
advice of the Prime Minister. The life of a Parliament is divided into
sessions. Each usually lasts for one year – normally beginning and ending in October
or November. The adverse number of "sitting" days in a session is about
168 in the House of Commons and about 150 in the House of Lords. At the start
of each session the Queen's speech to Parliament outlines the Government’s
policies and proposed legislative programme.
The
House of Commons. The House of
Commons is elected and consists of 651 Members of Parliament (MPs). At present
there are 60 women, three Asian and three black Mps. Of the 651 seats, 524 are
for England, 38 for Wales, 72 for Scotland, and 17 for Northern Ireland.
Members are paid an annual salary of ‡30,854. The chief officer of the House
of Commons is the Speaker, elected by the MPs to preside over the House. The
House of Commons plays the major role in law making.
MPs sit
on two sides of the hall, one side for the governing party and the other for
the opposition. Parliament has intervals during its work. MPs are paid for
their parliamentary work and have to attend the sittings. MPs have to catch the
Speaker's eye when they want to speak, then they rise from where they have been
sitting to address the House and must do so without either reading a prepared speech
or consulting notes.
The
House of Lords. The House of Lords
consists of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal. The Lords Spiritual are
the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the 24 next most senior bishops of
the Church of England. The Lords Temporal consist of: all hereditary peers of
England, Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom; all other life peers.
Peerages, both hereditary and life, are created by the Sovereign on the advice
of the Prime Minister. They are usually granted in recognition of service in
politics or other walks of life. In 1992 there were 1,211 members of the House
of Lords, including the two archbishops and 24 bishops. The Lords
Temporal consisted of 758 hereditary peers and 408 life peers. The House is
presided over by the Lord Chancellor, who takes his place on the woolsack as
the Speaker of the House.
The
division of Parliament into two Houses goes back over some 700 years when
feudal assembly ruled the country. In modern times, real political power rests
in the elected House although members of the House of Lords still occupy
important cabinet posts.
The
Political Party System. The present
political system depends upon the existence of organised political parties,
each of which presents its policies to the electorate for approval. The parties
are not registered or formally recognised in law, but in practice most
candidates in elections, and almost all winning candidates, belong to one of'
the main parties.
For
the last 150 years there were only 2 parties: the Conservative Party
and the Labour Party. A new party – the Liberal Democrats – was formed in
1988. Social Democratic Party is also the new one founded in 1981. Other
parties include two nationalist parties, Plaid Cymru (founded in Wales in 1925)
and the Scottish National Party (founded in 1934).
The
effectiveness of the party system in Parliament rests largely on the
relationship between the Government and the Opposition parties. Depending on
the relative strengths of the parties in the House of Commons, the Opposition
may seek to overthrow the Government by defeating it in a vote on a
"matter of confidence". In general, however, its aims are to
contribute to the formation of policy and legislation by constructive
criticism; to oppose government proposal - it considers objectionable; to
seek amendments to government bills; and to put forward its own policies in
order to improve its chances of winning the next general election.
Because of
the electoral method in use, only two major parties obtain seats in the House
of Commons. People belonging to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their
influence felt. The exception to this are members of the Scottish National and
Welsh Nationalist Parties, who, because their influence votes are concentrated
in specific geographical areas, can manage to win seats although their total
support is relatively small.
Her
Majesty's Government: Prime Minister, the Cabinet. Her Majesty's Government
is the body of ministers responsible for the administration of national
affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen, and all other ministers
are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime
Minister. Most ministers are members of the Commons, although the Government is
also fully represented by ministers in the Lords. The composition of
governments can vary both in the number of ministers and in the titles
of some offices. New ministerial offices may be created, others may be
abolished and functions may be transferred from one minister to another.
The
Prime Minister is also, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister
for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister’s unique position of authority
derives from majority support in the House of Commons and from the power to
appoint and dismiss ministers. By modern convention, the Prime Minister
always sits in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister presides over the
Cabinet, is responsible for the allocation of functions among ministers and
informs the Queen at regular meetings of the general business of the
Government. The Prime Minister's Office is situated at 11 Downing Street.
The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers chosen
by the Prime Minister. The functions of the Cabinet are initiating and deciding
on policy, the supreme control of government and the co-ordination of
government departments. The exercise of these functions is vitally
affected by the fact that the Cabinet is a group of party representatives,
depending upon majority support in the House of Commons. The Cabinet meets in
private and its proceedings are confidential. Its members are bound by their
oath as Privy Counsellors not to disclose information about its proceedings,
although after 30 years Cabinet papers may be made available for inspection.
So Great
Britain is the constitutional monarchy. Monarch is the Head of the State. But
Queen or King rules with the support of the parliament. And practically monarch
have no real political power. The main political decisions are made by the
Parliament and Cabinet. And the House of Commons are more powerful.
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