Politics in Britain

(The Crown, Westminster, Whitehall)

Britain is a constitutional monarchy without a written constitution. Britain

is the oldest constitutional democracy in the world. Parts of the constitution are
several Acts of Parliament (laws), and there are various conventions which are
traditionally accepted rules, based on precedents (historical traditions). The 3
most important political institutions of Britain are the Crown, the Government
and the Parliament. The Crown and the Government are represented by the
monarch (King or Queen) and the Prime Minister. The last British king, James I.
was forced to escape from the throne in 1688, this event is called the Glorious
Revolution by the British. In 1689 Parliament passed the Bill of Rights which
limited the power of the Crown and increased the authority of the Parliament.
Parliament became the dominant law-making body in the country, the king had
always appointed his own ministers. The Cabinet, the body of leading ministers
is headed by the Prime Minister.
The Crown: The monarchy is Britains oldest secular institution, the
origins of the United English kingdom go back to the 10th century. The
monarchy is hereditary, the oldest male child or if there are no sons, the oldest
female child of the monarch succeeds to the throne. The reigning monarch
Queen Elizabeth II is from the House of Windsor and she came to the throne in
1952. Her residences are Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. In theory she
is the head of state, head of executive, the judiciary, the Church of England and
the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. She summons and dissolves
Parliament. Theoretically they are all owned by the monarch (HM = Her
Majestys). The monarch embodies the authority of the law, the monarch reigns
but does not rule. This means that the monarch exercises almost all her powers
on the advice of the Prime Minister. The monarch has not refused to give assent
to any law passed by Parliament since 1708. The most formal functions of the
monarch to give honours such as peerages and knighthood and to pardon
convicted criminals. She is partly a symbolic figurehead of the national
government for the British and she represents the whole country abroad.
The popular name of the British Parliament is Westminster. The British
Parliament is bicameral which means that it consists of two houses: the House
of Commons and the House of Lords. The United Kingdom is divided into
districts which are called constituencies. There are 659 constituencies each of
which elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent that area in the House
of Commons. MPs are elected for 5 years. The shape of the Commons debating
chamber is long hall with five rows of benches on each side. At the far end there
is the Speakers chair who presides over the Commons. The members of the
majority party who support the government sit on the Speakers right and on the
other side sit those who oppose the government. The front benches on both sides
are reserved for members of the Cabinet and for the leaders of the Opposition
who are called the Shadow Cabinet. Behind them, in the higher rows sit those
MPs who have no leading position in their own party, these MPs are known as
backbenchers. The House of Lords has no elected members and no fix numbers.
It is presides over by the Lord Chancellor. The members of the House of Lords
have 3 main categories: 1, Hereditary peers who inherited their titles (751
members), 2, life peers who received peerages, they are members only until
they die and their children cannot inherit their title. A special group among the
life peers are the Law Lords senior retired judges of England and Wales who
function as the highest court of appeal in England and Wales. 3, the Archbishops
of Canterbury and York who are members of the House of Lords only until they
retire. They are called the Lords Spiritual. The Parliaments most important
function is to create laws. A draft law is called a bill. The bill is debated in the
House, then a parliamentary committee considers whether amendments should
be made.
Whitehall: In the widest sense it includes all the politicians of the
government departments. These people are usually called ministers. Their
number is not fixed but there are about a hundred. The Secretary of State is the
heads of the government departments. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and
the Lord Chancellor is responsible for all economic and financial matters.
Narrower meaning of the government is the Cabinet which consists of the
Secretaries of State together with a few other senior ministers. The most
important departments can be found along Whitehall, a road running from the
Trafalgar Square to Parliament. The office of the Prime Minister can be found
at 10 Downing Street a small side street opening from Whitehall. After a
general election the Queen appoints the head of the majority party to form a
government. The Prime Minister can choose and dismiss the ministers. The
Cabinet works on the principle of collective responsibility which means that all
ministers are responsible for any government policy. The Prime Minister is the
most powerful person in Britain.