British Political System

1. British Political System What do you know already?

2. What countries do you see? Scotland Where is the UK? Northern Ireland The Republic of Ireland Where is Great Britain? Wales England

3. Constitutional Monarchy • The monarch is the Head of State • The current British monarch is Queen Elizabeth II • …but the Monarch has no real powers. The role of the monarch is primarily ceremonial

4. What is a Monarch? Who is Great Britain's Head of State? T/F The role of Queen Elizabeth II is primarily ceremonial.

5. Her Majesty’s Government • The Head of Government is the Prime Minister • The Prime Minister’s power is not ceremonial. • The current Prime Minister of Great Britain is David Cameron

6. Who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain?

7. Constitution • Unlike most countries, Britain does not have a single document as its constitution • Britain’s constitution is uncodified, which means it cannot be found in any single document. It is a collection of past documents

8. 3 Branches of government • The Legislature: • The Executive: • The Judiciary: The houses of Parliament: Lords & Commons The Prime Minister & his Cabinet of Ministers The Courts

9. Sovereignty • In the British political system the legislature branch of government is sovereign • It rules over ALL other governmental institutions • The legislature can pass any laws it wishes What are the pros/cons of this system?

10. The Legislature Branch • The legislative branch of the British government has 2 chambers • The House of Commons • The House of Lords • These chambers meet in the Palace of Westminster

11. The House of Commons • There are 646 Members of Parliaments (MPs) • Each MP represents a different area of Britain • The primary function of the House of Commons is debate and pass laws

12. The House of Lords • There are 746 lords • There are three types of lords: • Lords Temporal - these are Lords who have been appointed by the government and Hereditary Lords • Law Lords - these are lords who are lawyers and judges • Lords Spiritual - these are senior members of the Church of England

13. The House of Lords The House of Lords has two main functions: • To examine laws passed by the House of Commons and give suggestions to make it better • To be the highest court of appeal in Britain

14. T/F Britain’s constitution is a single document? What are the three branches of government? What is sovereignty? Who has it in the government? Name the 2 chambers of the Legislature branch? Name the 2 chambers of Parliament? How do the functions of the Houses of Lords & Commons differ?

15. There is NO date for elections in Britain, but the maximum time between elections is 5 years When are elections? • The Monarch decides when to hold an election • However…in reality, the Prime Minister decides when to have an election • (REMEMBER THE MONARCH IS JUST A CERMONIAL FIGURE)

16. General Elections • Britain has 646 voting districts • About 70,000 people live in each district • Who can vote: • Every UK citizen • over the age of 18 • EXCEPT people who are in prison or with serious mental disabilities

17. How to vote in a British Election • ‘First Past the Post’ electoral system • You get a ballot paper with a choice of candidates and you go into a private booth mark an ‘X’ next to the person you want to be your MP. • You fold up your ballot paper and put it into a box…This means nobody knows who you voted for • The person with the most votes then becomes the MP for your district in parliament

18. Who can be an MP? ANYBODY who is… • Over 18 years old • A British citizen • Able to pay a deposit of £500 (about 5,434 UAH)

19. Political Parties • You do not have to belong to a political party to be an MP but most MPs belong to one of the main political parties • Currently the three biggest parties in Britain in terms elected MPs: • Labour • Conservatives • Liberal Democrats

20. So who gets to be PM? • Her Majesty’s Government is formed by the party with the most MPs in the House of Commons • The leader of biggest party becomes the Prime Minister and chooses his senior colleagues to become his ministers • Each ministers must care for a government department: Ex: the economy, defense, healthcare, etc

21. The Opposition • The party with the second most MPs forms the Opposition • Their role is to question the government in parliament on what it is doing • The second biggest party is currently the Labour party • Their leader is Ed Milibrand. His official title is Leader of the Opposition.

22. Adversarial politics • Members of different parties in Parliament face each other. This is called: Adversarial politics or politicians arguing with each other • The most arguments happen when the PM’s Questions. This takes place once a week when MPs ask the Prime Minister difficult questions about his actions. The Leader of the Opposition gets to ask the most questions.

23. Devolution • The House of Commons and House of Lords are the parliament for the England • But there are also parliaments in the other three countries of the UK: • Scotland • Wales • Northern Ireland • These parliaments have the powers to make laws on issues like healthcare and education BUT not foreign policy or defense

24. Name three political parties of the UK. Describe the opposition. What is an MP and PM? When are they elected? Who is the current PM? Describe the devolution of the UK. How are they elected?