POLITICAL SYSTEM

Great Britain - a Constitutional Monarchy

The United Kingdom is one of the few countries in the world where a constitutional monarchy has remained with its old customs, traditions and ceremonies. The British constitution is not a single document. There is no written constitution in Great Britain. It is formed by Acts of parliament, bills and conventions.

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy, and the Crown is a permanent and continuous institution. According to the Constitution, the powers of the Crown are very great. Every action of the government is carried out in its name. But the Queen cannot act independently. She may exercise these powers only on the advice of her ministers, who are responsible politically to Parliament.

In Britain they look to the Queen not only as their head of State, but also as the "symbol of their nation's unity". The Queen reigns but does not rule. She never vetoes bills passed by Parliament.

Although the Queen is deprived of actual power, she has retained many important, though formal, functions. She summons and dissolves Parliament, gives approval to Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament, she appoints government ministers, judges, officers in the armed forces, governors, diplomats and bishops of the Church of England. The Queen appoints the Prime Minister (usually the leader of the political party which has a majority In the House of Commons) to form a government. As head of State the Queen has, in international affairs, the power to declare war and make peace, to recognize foreign states and governments, to conclude treaties, etc. She gives audiences to her ministers and other officials at home and overseas, receives accounts of Cabinet decisions. She is informed and consulted on every aspect of national life.

The Queen is also head of the Commonwealth, and is head of State in 14 of its 41 member countries. The royal family is the main aristocratic house in the country It is the biggest landowner in Britain. Today the monarchy is also one of the great attractions for tourists.

I. Answer the questions.

1.Explain the statement: "Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy". 2. Who is the constitutional monarch of Great Britain now? Is the Queen's power hereditary or elective? 3. What is the relationship between the Queen and the Parliament In Britain? 4.What are the formal functions retained by the Queen? What functions does she have in home and international affairs? 5.How do you think who is the virtual ruler of the country?

Read the text about Parliament. Retell it.

The first Westminster Palace was built by Edward the Confessor in about 1050 and was used as a royal residence, then as the seat of Government and finally, after 1547, as the meeting place for Parliament.

The fire of 1834 destroyed most of the original buildings. The new building for Parliament was designed by Sir Charles Barry in 1840. The general style is gothic.

There are two "Chambers" or "Houses" of Parliament — that of the Commons and that of the Lords. The more important and powerful of these is the House of Commons, whose members are elected by the public. The Prime Minister and most of the Government are Members of the House of Commons. The House of Lords is made up of Lords who have inherited their titles and the right to sit in the House, and "life peers" who are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Government of the day.

Half of the building of Parliament is used by the Commons and the other half by the Lords. At the Westminster Bridge end is the residence of the Speaker, who presides over meetings of the House of Commons and at the other end is the residence of the Lord Chancellor, who presides over the House of Lords.

Parliament's most important function is the making of laws. Before a new law (or Bill) can come into effect, it must pass through three stages in each House and be given the Queen's approval. It then becomes an Act of Parliament. (See: Mountefield A. London. Lnd., 1979)

Part IV.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 1550