British Parliament in English. Topic of The British Parliament. Powers of the Parliament, its functions. Monarch as head of state. Composition of the House of Commons and Lords. The British Constitution, its main differences from the constitutions of other countries. Commonwealth of Br

04.08.2020

Powers of the Parliament, its functions. Monarch as head of state. Composition of the House of Commons and Lords. The British Constitution, its main differences from the constitutions of other countries. Commonwealth of the British Empire and Great Britain. political party system.

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british parliament

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch as its Head of the State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Everything today is done in the Queen's name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done however on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.Once the British Empire included a large number of countries all over the world ruled by Britain.The process of decolonization began in 1947 with the independence of India, Pakistan and Ceylon.Now there is no Empire and only a few small islands belong to Britain.In 1997 the last colony, Hong Kong, was given to China.But the British ruling classes tried not to lose influence over the former colonies of the British Empire.An association of former members of the British Empire and Britain was founded in 1949. It is called the Commonwealth. It includes many countries such as Ireland, Burma, the Sudan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. The Queen of Great Britain is also a Head of t he Commonwealth, and also the Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

The Monarchy in Britain. When the Queen was born on 21 April 1926, her grandfather, King George V, was on the throne and her uncle was his heir. The death of her grandfather and the abdication of her uncle (King Edward VIII) brought her father to the throne in 1936 as King George VI. Elizabeth II came to the throne an 6 February 1952 and was crowned on 2 June 1953. Since then she made many trips to different countries and to the UK also. The Queen is very rich, as are other members of the royal family. In addition, the government pays for her expenses as Head of the State, for a royal yacht, train and aircraft as well as for the upkeep of several palaces. The Queen's image appears on stamps, notes and coins.

The Powers of Parliament. The three elements, which make up Parliament -the Queen, the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons -, are constituted on different principles. They meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance such as the State Opening of Parliament, when the Commons are invited by the Queen to the House of Lords.

The Functions of Parliament. The main functions of Parliament are: to pass laws; to provide, by voting taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government; to scrutinize government policy and administration; to debate the major issues of the day. In carrying out these functions Parliament helps to bring the relevant facts and issues before the electorate.

A Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, but in practice general elections are usually held before the end of this term. Parliament is dissolved and rights for a general election are ordered by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The life of a Parliament is divided into sessions. Each usually lasts for one year - normally beginning and ending in October or November. The adverse number of "sitting" days in a session is about 168 in the House of Commons and about 150 in the House of Lords. At the start of each session the Queen's speech to Parliament outlines the Government's policies and proposed legislative programme.

The House of Commons. The House of Commons is elected and consists of 651 Members of Parliament (MPs). At present there are 60 women, three Asian and three black Mps. Of the 651 seats, 524 are for England, 38 for Wales, 72 for Scotland, and 17 for Northern Ireland. Members are paid an annual salary of ‡30,854. The chief officer of the House of Commons is the Speaker, elected by the MPs to preside over the House. The House of Commons plays the major role in law making.

The Political Party System. The present political system depends upon the existence of organized political parties, each of which presents its policies to the electorate for approval. The parties are not registered or formally recognized in law, but in practice most candidates in elections, and almost all winning candidates, belong to one of" the main parties.

For the last 150 years there were only 2 parties: the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. A new party - the Liberal Democrats - was formed in 1988. Social Democratic Party is also the new one founded in 1981. Other parties include two nationalist parties, Plaid Cymru (founded in Wales in 1925) and the Scottish National Party (founded in 1934) ).

The effectiveness of the party system in Parliament rests largely on the relationship between the Government and the Opposition parties. Depending on the relative strengths of the parties in the House of Commons, the Opposition may seek to overthrow the Government by defeating it in a vote on a "matter of confidence". In general, however, its aims are to contribute to the formation of policy and legislation by constructive criticism; to oppose government proposal - it considers objectionable; to seek amendments to government bills; and to put forward its own policies in order to improve its chances of winning the next general election.

Because of the electoral method in use, only two major parties obtain seats in the House of Commons. People belonging to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their influence felt. The exception to this are members of the Scottish National and Welsh Nationalist Parties, who, because their influence votes are concentrated in specific geographical areas, can manage to win seats although their total support is relatively small.

Her Majesty's Government: Prime Minister, the Cabinet. Her Majesty's Government is the body of ministers responsible for the administration of national affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen, and all other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Most ministers are members of the Commons, although the Government is also fully represented by ministers in the Lords. The composition of governments can vary both in the number of ministers and in the titles of some offices. New ministerial offices may be created, others may be abolished and functions may be transferred from one minister to another.

The Prime Minister is also, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister's unique position of authority derives from majority support in the House of Commons and from the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. By modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister presides over the Cabinet , is responsible for the allocation of functions among ministers and informs the Queen at regular meetings of the general business of the Government. The Prime Minister's Office is situated at 11 Downing Street.

The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers chosen by the Prime Minister. The functions of the Cabinet are initiating and deciding on policy, the supreme control of government and the co-ordination of government departments. The exercise of these functions is vitally affected by the fact that the Cabinet is a group of party representatives, depending upon majority support in the House of Commons. The Cabinet meets in private and its proceedings are confidential. Its members are bound by their oath as Privy Counsellors not to disclose information about its proceedings, although after 30 years Cabinet papers may be made available for inspection.

So Great Britain is the constitutional monarchy. Monarch is the Head of the State. But Queen or King rules with the support of the parliament. And practically monarch have no real political power. The main political decisions are made by the Parliament and Cabinet. And the House of Commons are more powerful.

British Parliament

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the monarch is the head of state. The monarch rules with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not precisely defined. Everything today is done in the name of the Queen. It is her government, her military, her legal courts, and so on. She appoints all Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is decided on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch does not take part in the decision-making process. At one time, the British Empire included a large number of countries that were ruled by Great Britain throughout the world. The process of decolonization began in 1947 with the independence of India, Pakistan and Ceylon. Now there is no Empire and only a few small islands belong to Great Britain. In 1997 the last colony, Hong Kong, was given to China. But the British ruling classes tried not to lose influence on the former colonies of the British Empire. In 1949 an association of former members of the British Empire and Great Britain was founded. They are called the Commonwealth. It includes many countries such as Ireland, Burma, Sudan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. Queen of Great Britain, also Head of the Commonwealth, and also Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

British Constitution. The British Constitution is to a large extent the product of many historical events and has thus evolved over many centuries. Unlike the constitutions of most other countries, all this is not set out in a single document. Instead, it's all made up of law expressed in laws, common law, and conventions. The constitution may be amended by an act of parliament, or by general agreement to change the agreement. Monarchy in Great Britain. When the Queen was born, on 21 April 1926, her grandfather, King George V, was on the throne and her uncle was his heir. Her grandfather's death and all the powers of her uncle (King Edward VIII) were given away, her father came to the throne in 1936 as King George VI. Elizabeth II came to the throne on February 6, 1952 and was crowned on June 2, 1953. Since then, she has made many trips to various countries and to the UK as well. The Queen is very wealthy, as are members of other royal families. In addition, the government pays for her expenses as head of state, paying for the royal yachts, trains and planes, as well as the upkeep of several palaces. The image of the Queen appears on seals, notes and coins.

Powers of Parliament. These are the three elements that make up Parliament - the Queen, the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons - they are composed on different principles. They meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance, such as the State Opening of Parliament, when the House of Commons is invited by the Queen to the House of Lords.

Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of a country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is only one of the three that is the true power. It is here that new bills are submitted for consideration and discussed.

Functions of Parliament. The main functions of the Parliament are: to pass laws; provide, approve taxation, the means of continuing the work of the government; scrutinize government policy and administration; discuss the main issues of the day. In the performance of this function Parliament helps to bring the relevant facts and issues before the electorate.

Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, but in practice a general election is usually held before the end of this term. Parliament is dissolved and the rights for a general election are ordered by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The life of Parliament is divided into sessions. Each usually lasts for one year - usually beginning and ending in October or November. An unfavorable number of "sitting" days in session is about 168 in the House of Commons and about 150 in the House of Lords. At the beginning of each session, the Queen's speech to Parliament outlines the policy of the Government and proposed a legislative program.

House of Commons. The House of Commons is elected and consists of 651 Members of Parliament (MPs). There are currently 60 women, three Asians and three black Mps. Of the 651 locations, 524 are for England, 38 for Wales, 72 for Scotland, and 17 for Northern Ireland. Members are paid an annual salary of 30,854. The Senior Assistant to the House of Commons is the Speaker, elected by the MPs to preside over the House. The House of Commons plays a major role in lawful creation.

House of Lords. The House of Lords is made up of the Ecclesiastical House of Lords and the lay members of the House of Lords. The Ecclesiastical Lords are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the 24 most senior bishops of the Church of England.

political party system. The current political system depends on the existence of organized political parties, each of which presents its policies to the electorate for approval. The parties are not registered or formally recognized in the law, but in practice the majority of candidates are present at the elections, and almost all winning candidates belong to one of the main parties.

For the past 150 years there have been only 2 parties: the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. A new party, the Liberal Democrats, was formed in 1988. The Social Democratic Party, also a new one, was founded in 1981. Other parties include two nationalist parties, Plaid (founded in Wales in 1925) and the Scottish National Party (founded in 1934).

The effectiveness of the party system in Parliament relies to a large extent on the relationship between the Government and the Opposition parties. Depending on the relative strengths of the parties in the House of Commons, the Opposition may seek to overthrow the Government by defeating it in a "question of certainty" vote. In general, however, its aims are to contribute to the formation of policy and legislation by constructive criticism; to oppose a government proposal - this is considered undesirable; seek amendments to government accounts; and put forward his own policies to improve his chances of winning the next general election.

Due to the use of the electoral method, only the two main parties receive seats in the House of Commons. People belonging to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their influence clear. An exception to this are members of the Scottish National and Welsh Nationalist parties, because their votes are influential and concentrated in certain geographic areas, they may manage to win seats, although their overall support is relatively small.

Her Majesty's Government: Prime Minister, Cabinet. Her Majesty's Government - Ministers responsible for the administration of public affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen and all other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. Most ministers are members of the House of Commons, although the Government is also fully represented by ministers in the House of Lords. The composition of the government may change both in the number of ministers and in the names of some offices. New ministerial offices may be created, others may be abolished, and functions may be transferred from one minister to another.

The Prime Minister is also, by tradition, subordinate to the First Lord of the Treasury and the Minister for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister's unique position of power derives from majority support in the House of Commons and from the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. Under modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister exercises control over the Cabinet, is responsible for the distribution of functions among ministers and reports all business to the Queen at the regular meetings of the general business of the Government. The Prime Minister's Office is located at 11 Downing Street.

The Cabinet is made up of approximately 20 ministers chosen by the Prime Minister. The functions of the Cabinet are appointing and selecting policy directions, supreme control of government, and coordinating departments. The exercise of these functions is vitally affected by the fact that the Cabinet is a group of party representatives, subject to the support of a majority in the House of Commons. The Cabinet meets in private and its hearings are confidential. Its members are required to be under oath as Privy Consultants and not to disclose information about its proceedings, although after 30 years Cabinet papers could not be made available for inspection.

Thus Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. Monarch - Head of state. But the Queen or King governs with the support of Parliament. And in fact the monarch has no real political power. Major political decisions are made by Parliament and Cabinet. And the House of Commons is stronger.

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Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch as its Head of the State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Everything today is done in the Queen's name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done however on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.
Once the British Empire included a large number of countries all over the world ruled by Britain. The process of decolonisation began in 1947 with the independence of India, Pakistan and Ceylon. Now there is no Empire and only a few small islands belong to Britain. In 1997 the last colony, Hong Kong, was given to China. But the British ruling classes tried not to lose influence over the former colonies of the British Empire. An association of former members of the British Empire and Britain was founded in 1949. It is called the Commonwealth. It includes many countries such as Ireland, Burma, the Sudan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. The Queen of Great Britain is also a Head of the Commonwealth, and also the Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand…

The British Constitution. The British Constitution is to a large extent a product of many historical events and has thus evolved aver many centuries. Unlike the constitutions of most other countries, it is not set out in any single document. Instead it is made up of statute law, common law and conventions. The constitution can be changed by Act of Parliament, or by general agreement to alter a convention.
The Monarchy in Britain. When the Queen was born on 21 April 1926, her grandfather, King George V, was on the throne and her uncle was his heir. The death of her grandfather and the abdication of her uncle (King Edward VIII) brought her father to the throne in 1936 as King George VI. Elizabeth II came to the throne an 6 February 1952 and was crowned on 2 June 1953. Since then she made many trips to different countries and to the UK also. The Queen is very rich, as are other members of the royal family. In addition, the government pays for her expenses as Head of the State, for a royal yacht, train and aircraft as well as for the upkeep of several palaces. The Queen's image appears on stamps, notes and coins.

The Powers of Parliament. The three elements, which make up Parliament –the Queen, the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons –, are constituted on different principles. They meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance such as the State Opening of Parliament, when the Commons are invited by the Queen to the House of Lords.

Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which is true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and discussed. If the majority of the members aren't in favor of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only than it becomes law. Although a bill must be supported by all three bodies, the House of Lords only has limited powers, and the monarch hasn't refused to sign one.

A Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, but in practice general elections are usually held before the end of this term. Parliament is dissolved and rights for a general election are ordered by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The life of a Parliament is divided into sessions. Each usually lasts for one year – normally beginning and ending in October or November. The adverse number of "sitting" days in a session is about 168 in the House of Commons and about 150 in the House of Lords. At the start of each session the Queen’s speech to Parliament outlines the Government’s policies and proposed legislative programme.

MPs sit on two sides of the hall, one side for the governing party and the other for the opposition. Parliament has intervals during its work. MPs are paid for their parliamentary work and have to attend the sittings. MPs have to catch the Speaker's eye when they want to speak, then they rise from where they have been sitting to address the House and must do so without either reading a prepared speech or consulting notes.

The House of Lords. The House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal. The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the 24 next most senior bishops of the Church of England. The Lords Temporal consists of: all hereditary peers of England, Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom; all other life peers. Peerages, both hereditary and life, are created by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. They are usually granted in recognition of service in politics or other walks of life. In 1992 there were 1,211 members of the House of Lords, including the two archbishops and 24 bishops. The Lords Temporal composed of 758 hereditary peers and 408 life peers. The House is presided over by the Lord Chancellor, who takes his place on the woolsack as the Speaker of the House.

The division of Parliament into two Houses goes back over some 700 years when the feudal assembly ruled the country. In modern times, real political power rests in the elected House although members of the House of Lords still occupy important cabinet posts.

For the last 150 years there were only 2 parties: the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. A new party – the Liberal Democrats – was formed in 1988. Social Democratic Party is also the new one founded in 1981. Other parties include two nationalist parties, Plaid Cymru (founded in Wales in 1925) and the Scottish National Party (founded in 1934 ).

The Prime Minister is also, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister's unique position of authority derives from majority support in the House of Commons and from the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. By modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister presides over the Cabinet, is responsible for the allocation of functions among ministers and informs the Queen at regular meetings of the general business of the Government. The Prime Minister's Office is located at 11 Downing Street.

The British Parliament is the oldest in the world. It originated in the 12th century as Witenagemot, the body of wise counsellors whom the King needed to consult pursuing his policy. The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and the Queen as its head. The House of Commons plays the major role in law-making. It consists of Members of Parliament (called MPs for short). Each of them represents an area in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. MPs are elected either at a general election or at a by-election following the death or retirement. Parliamentary elections are held every 5 years and it is the Prime Minister who decides on the exact day of the election. The minimum voting age is 18. And the voting is taken by secret ballot. The election campaign lasts about 3 weeks, The British parliamentary system depends on political parties.

The party which wins the majority of seats forms the government and its leader usually becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses about 20 MPs from his party to become the cabinet of ministers. Each minister is responsible for a particular area in the government. The second largest party becomes the official opposition with its own leader and "shadow cabinet". The leader of the opposition is a recognized post in the House of Commons.
The parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government and they only meet together on symbolic occasions, such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of the parliament.

In reality, the House of Commons is the one of three which has true power. The House of Commons is made up of six hundred and fifty elected members, it is presided over by the speaker, a member acceptable to the whole house. MPs sit on two sides of the hall, one side for the governing party and the other for the opposition. The first 2 rows of seats are occupied by the leading members of both parties (called "front benches") The back benches belong to the rank-and-life MPs. Each session of the House of Commons lasts for 160-175 days. Parliament has intervals during his work. MPs are paid for their parliamentary work and have to attend the sittings. As it was mentioned above, the House of Commons plays the major role in law making. The procedure is the following: a proposed law ("a bill") has to go through three stages in order to become an act of parliament; these are called "readings".

The first reading is a formality and is simply the publication of the proposal. The second reading involves a debate on the principles of the bill; it is examination by parliamentary committee. And the third reading is a report stage, when the work of the committee is reported on to the house. This is usually the most important stage in the process. When the bill passes through the House of Commons, it is sent to the House of Lords for discussion, when the Lords agree it, the bill is taken to the Queen for royal assent, when the Queen sings the bill, it becomes act of the Parliament and the Law of the Land. The House of Lords has more than 1000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work in the house. Members of this Upper House are not elected, they sit there because of their rank, and the chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor. And he sits on a special seat, called "WoolSack" The members of the House of Lords debate the bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons.

Britain is administered from the Palace of Westminster in London. This is also known as the Houses of Parliament. Parliament is made up of two chambers - the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The members of the House of Lords are not elected: they qualify to sit in the House because they are bishops of the Church of England, aristocrats who have inherited their seats from their fathers, people with titles. There has been talk of reform in this century because many Britons think that this system is undemocratic.
The House of Commons, by contrast, has 650 seats which are occupied by Members of Parliament (MPs) who are elected by the British public. The United Kingdom is divided into constituencies, each of which has an elected MP in the House of Commons.
Each of the major political parties appoints a representative (candidate) to compete for each seat. Smaller parties may have a candidate in only a few constituencies. There may be five or more parties, fighting for one seat, but only one person - the candidate who gets the greatest number of votes - can win.
Some parties win a lot of seats and some win very few, or none at all. The Queen, who is the Head of State, opens and closes Parliament. All new laws are debated (discussed) by MPs in the Commons, then debated in the Lords, and finally signed by the Queen.
All three are part of Parliament in Britain.

Parliament. Palace of Westminster.

The British government is located in the Palace of Westminster in London. The Palace of Westminster is also known as Parliament House. Parliament consists of two chambers - the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Members of the House of Lords are not elected: they are members of Parliament because they are bishops of the English Church and aristocrats who have inherited their seats from their fathers, titled persons. There is talk of reforming this system in the present century, as many Britons do not see such a system as democratic.
The House of Commons, by contrast, has 650 seats. These seats are held by Members of Parliament elected by the British people. The United Kingdom is divided into constituencies, each of which has a representative (member of parliament) in the House of Commons.
Each of the major political parties appoints a representative (candidate) to compete for a seat in parliament. Smaller parties may only have candidates in a few constituencies. Five or more parties may compete for one seat, but only one person can win - the candidate receiving the largest number of votes.
Some parties get a lot of seats, others get very few or none at all. The Queen, head of state, opens and closes Parliament. All laws are discussed by members of the House of Commons, then by members of the House of Lords, and finally signed by the Queen.
Parliament in Britain consists of: the Queen, the House of Commons, the House of Lords.

Questions:

1. What is Parliament made up of?
2. Are the members of the House of Lords elected?
3. What do Britons think about this system?
4. Who appoints a representative to compete for each seat?
5. Who can win the seat?
6. Who is the Head of State?

Vocabulary:

to be made up of - consist of
elected - elected
inherited - inherited
seat - place
constituency - constituency
candidate - candidate
vote - voting, the right to vote

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch as its Head of the State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Everything today is done in the Queen's name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done however on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.
Once the British Empire included a large number of countries all over the world ruled by Britain. The process of decolonisation began in 1947 with the independence of India, Pakistan and Ceylon. Now there is no Empire and only a few small islands belong to Britain. In 1997 the last colony, Hong Kong, was given to China. But the British ruling classes tried not to lose influence over the former colonies of the British Empire. An association of former members of the British Empire and Britain was founded in 1949. It is called the Commonwealth. It includes many countries such as Ireland, Burma, the Sudan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. The Queen of Great Britain is also a Head of the Commonwealth, and also the Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand...

A Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, but in practice general elections are usually held before the end of this term. Parliament is dissolved and rights for a general election are ordered by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The life of a Parliament is divided into sessions. Each usually lasts for one year – normally beginning and ending in October or November. The adverse number of "sitting" days in a session is about 168 in the House of Commons and about 150 in the House of Lords. At the start of each session the Queen's speech to Parliament outlines the Government's policies and proposed legislative programme.