The UK Government and Parliament: A Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Democracy, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica The UK Government and Parliament: A Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Democracy e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The UK government The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parlamentary democracy. There is no written constitution: the system of government is the result of traditions developing through history. The monarchy Queen Elisabeth it the head of state and a symbol of national unity, but she has little power. She official appoints the government, but it is elected by the people. Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet rule in the country. Parliament Parliament makes the laws and debts important national issue. The government can only stay in power with the support of Parliament. There are two “Houses” in Parliament. The House of Commons has 646 Members of Parliament (MPs) chosen by the people in a general election (held at least every five years). The UK is divided into 646 constituencies; in each one the candidate with most votes is elected. The political party with the largest number of MPs normally forms the government. The second largest party, called the Opposition, criticizes the government and trie to defeat it during votes in Parliament. The House of Lord has about 750 members, known as “pears”. They e not elected. In the past they were “heriditary peers” (peers who inherit their titles), senior judges and bishops. Nowadays most are “life peers” (peer just for their own lifetime), usually people with experience in politics, business or law, appointed by Prime Minister (Theresa May). The House of Lords has limited powers; it can propose new law or suggest amendments, but the final decision lies with the Commons. The House of Lords used to also act as the highest court of appeal, making decision in the most difficult cases, but now the UK has a Supreme Court, with 12 judges, to carry out this role. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet The Prime Minister (PM), the leader of the political party in power, is the head of the government with an official home at 10 Downing Street. The PM appoints about 20 senior MPs to became ministers in charge of departments. These include the Chancellor of the Exchequer, responsible for the economy, the Home Secretary, responsible for the police and immigration, the Foreign Secretary and Ministers for education, health, defence etc. These ministers from the Cabinet, a committee which meets regularly and decides governments policy. The PM and the Cabinet must resign if their party is defeated in a general election or they lose the support of the majority of MPs Regional and local government There are regional parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They can make decision in areas such education, agriculture, transport and health services. However foreign policy, defence and taxation are under central government control. Cities and counties have local government, called councils. In local elections people choose councillors, who meet in the Town Hall or Country Hall. Local councils are responsible for administering education, social services, transport, roads, housing, police etc.