Unit 3The Government of the United Kingdom

Unit 3 The Government of the United Kingdom

Structure The role of Monarchy(君主的作用) The Birth of the Prime Minister and Cabinet(首相与内阁的诞生) The Constitution(宪法) The Parliament(议会) The House of Lords and the House of Commons(上议院和下议院)

The ConstitutionBritain has no written constitution the Constitution of the United Kingdom is not a separate file It is composed ofI. statute law (成文法) II.the common law(习惯法) III.Conventions(惯例)

The Constitutionno written constitution written constitutionstatute law + the common law + conventions

law passed by Parliament

Established through common practice

Rules and practices which do not Exist legally

The Constitution1. Statute Law passed by Parliament example 大宪章》 the Magna Carta (1215) 《大宪章》 the Bill of Rights (1689) 《权利法案》 权利法案》 the Reform Act (1832)《改革法案》 《改革法案》 the European Communities Act (1972) 《欧洲共同体法》 欧洲共同体法》 the European Communities (Amendment 修订) 修订 Act (1986)

The Constitution2. Common law deduced from custom or legal precedents(法 律先例) and interpreted in court cases by judges 3. Conventions rules and practices which do not exist legally, but are regarded as vital (very important) to the working of government

Parliament Derived from the French “parlement”, the action of parler (to speak) A parlement is a talk, a discussion – a meeting, an assembly Originated in 1200’s, during the reign of King John’s grandson-Edward I. The aim – to constrain the power of the monarch.

Parliament Functions: 1. To pass law; 2. To provide, by voting for taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government; 3. To scrutinise/examine government policy, administration and expenditure; 4. To debate the major issues of the day

The Houses of Parliament

Parliament

The Queen

House of Lords

The House of Commons

the Archbishop of Canterbury and 24 senior bishops of the Church of England

The House of Lords The House of Lords

the Lords Spiritualall hereditary peers

the Lords Temporal

life peers created to assist the House in its judicial duties Law Lords all other life peers11

The main function of the House of Lords To bring the wide experience of its members into the process of lawmaking More than 1200 members (only 375 on average attend the sittings regularly). No salary.

The House of Commons members elected from the electoral districts of the UK called constituencies MPs sit for the lifetime of the parliament. Duration : 5 years Head of the House of Commons: the Speaker 651 MPs

Main functions Law-making authorizing taxation and public expenditure examining the actions of the Government

Questions 1、which of the following is related to the Constitution? BCD A. It is a wri

tten document which lists out the basic principles of government. B. It is the foundation of British governance today. C. Conventions and Laws passed by Parliament are part of the Constitution. D. The common laws are part of the Constitution.

2、Which of the following is a true description of the 、 Queen’s role? BCD A. The Queen selects the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. B. The Queen symbolises the tradition and unity of the British state. C. The Queen acts as a confidante to the Prime Minister. D. The Queen is the temporal head of the Church of England .the Bill of Rights 3、In 1689, Parliament passed _______________to ensure that the 、 King would never be able to ignore Parliament. the Queen 4、In Britain, the official head of state is while the real 、 centre of political life is in _____________________ the House of Cothe Queen mmons