British Political System,Monarchy Parliament Government Cabinet Political Parties General Election,Constitutional Monarchy,The King or Queen is the personification of the State.,An old-fashioned government On the basis of constitutional monarchy Head of state: the king or queen In practice: the Sovereign reigns, but does not rule.,I. A Brief Introduction,The present Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II since 1952,3.Prince Charles is the heir to the throne.,Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor and Prince William,The Royal Family,Gives effects to all laws as the head of the executive branch of the government May pardon criminal offences and cancel punishments The commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the temporal head of the Church of England,The Power of the Queen,4. Confers all titles of rank, and appoints judges, army officers, governors, bishops and diplomats 5. Concludes treaties, declares war, and makes peace with other nations,The Importance of Monarchy,1. Effects on public attitude,3. A symbol of national unity,4. Preserves the human rights and property,2. Represents the political continuity and adaptability,Visits many parts of Britain,Pays state visits to foreign countries,Tours other Common-wealth countries,The Constitution,Britain doesnt have a constitution written down in a single document. The constitution flows from(出自，来自)6 sources: 1) The Royal Prerogatives 皇家特权 2) *Statute Laws 成文法 3) *Common Laws 普通法, 判例法 4) *Conventions 习惯法 5) Authoritative Opinions 权威意见 6) European Union Laws 欧盟法,Israel and Britain are the only two countries without written constitutions. 英国宪法不是一个具体的法律文本，但实际上其大部分内容还是以成文法的形式出现的，包括由议会通过的法例、法院的判例和国际公约等等。除此之外，英国宪法的法律渊源还包括英国议会惯例和国王特权。,Parliament consists of 3 constituent parts: they must all agree to pass any given legislation,Parliament,UK: a unitary state The Parliament at Westminster (London) In 1999, Scotland and Wales had their own parliaments In 2007, Northern Ireland set up its parliament UK seems to be moving toward federalism.,Legislature (立法机关) = Parliament,Parliament is the highest legislative authority in the UK the institution responsible for making and repealing (废止) all the UK laws. Its also known as the Legislature. Function: Make all the UK laws; Scrutinize (审查) government policy, administration Debate the major issues of the day.,Whats the meaning of “parliament”? (A place for argument and debate) The word parliament comes from the verb “to parley”, that is, to discuss or talk. The birth of this term: the king occasionally summoned barons and representatives from counties and towns if he wanted to raise money.,The birth of Parliament,The House of Lords,Those who were summoned “by name”. At first its only a gathering of barons and by the 13th century, kings found they couldnt make ends meet by asking money from this quite small group. And later they widened it to include representatives of counties, cities and towns.,The House of Commons,Representatives of communities The Commons quickly gained in political strength and in return they wanted an increasing say(发言权)in what the king was doing.,Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament),House of Lords,House of Commons,Red Chamber 红厅,Green Chamber 绿厅,The House of Lords,Structure: About 1,100 hereditary and life peers or peeresses Power: Review legislation Propose amendments Veto bills according to conventions and operations of the Parliament Acts.,The House of Commons,Also called the Lower House 651 MPs,The Sovereign,power,Summons the House of Lords,Dissolves Parliament,Opens each new annual session,The Monarch - Official Head of Parliament,The life of parliament is divided into periods called “sessions” (会期) (A session lasts for 1 year). The beginning of a new session, called the “State Opening of Parliament” (议会开幕典礼) , takes place in the House of Lords. Its a tradition for the monarch to open Parliament in person. On the day, the Queen travels from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in the State Coach (典礼马车, a golden carriage). Once the Queen arrives at Parliament, the Union Flag is lowered and replaced by the Royal Standard.,Golden State Coach,The Union Flag a.k.a.（亦称）The Union Jack,The Royal Standard,From Buckingham to Westminster,The queen then takes her place on the throne in the House of Lords, from where she sends her messenger Black Rod (黑杖礼仪官) to summon the MPs. When the Black Rod arrives at the Lower House, the door is slammed in his face, symbolizing the independence and dominance of the House of Commons. He must then knock 3 times to gain entry and deliver his summons. Then the leading MPs follow the Black Rod to the Upper House, standing crowded at the end of the chamber opposite to the throne.,The Throne in the Upper House,Black Rod (黑杖礼仪官),Knock 3 times,Come to the Upper House (Throne),The Queen will then read out the Queens Speech, a document about 1,000 words in length prepared by the government. What is the speech about? In the document the governme