The basis of the British Democrasy

Match the words from lists A and B
A B
to appoint a) a new law
to revise b) the country
to vote c) a bill
to rule d) Prime - Minister
to delay e) a programme
to sign f) a government
programme
to pass g) the policy

THE MONARCH
THE GOVERNMENT
PARLIAMENT
THE PEOPLE

The structure of the British Parliament:

THE MONARCH
is the official head of state and an integral part of Parliament in her constitutional role;
appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister;
has mostly representative functions;
gives the royal assent to the bills passed by the House of Commons and the House of Lords;
is the head of the Commonwealth of Nations;
everything today is done in the Queen’s name;

THE GOVERNMENT
chooses
chooses
David Cameron

The Cabinet.
The Cabinet is the basis of the government; its members consist of the most important ministers who are selected by the Prime Minister. The members of the Cabinet are 23, much of their work being carried out in Committee
The Cabinet determines, controls and integrates the policies of the government. The Cabinet meets in private and its deliberations are secret, collective responsibility is assumed for all decisions taken.

THE GOVERNMENT
to determine government policies;
to be responsible for government policies;
to coordinate government departments;
to be responsible to the House of Commons;

The Prime-Minister lives and works
in the official residence,
No. 10 Downing Street, London.

PARLIAMENT
about 650 elected MPs-
makes laws;
discusses political
Problems
Life peers
Over 1 100permanent,
non-elected members;
peers and life peers.
Examines and revises
bills from the House of
Commons;
can delay bills for one year
the House of
Commons
the House of
Lords

The House of Commons
The supremacy of the British House of Commons was established in the early 20th century. In 1909, the Commons passed the so-called "People's Budget”.
The House currently consists of 646 members, but the number of Scottish Members was reduced by the Scotland Act 1998.

Election of MPs, terms & functions
Members of the House are elected by almost universal adult suffrage to represent constituencies.
Any British subject aged 18 or over, citizens of the United Kingdom, (for example, members of the House of Lords, except of certain clergy, civil servants, holders of judicial office) may be elected a Member of Parliament.
The term of members of the House of Commons depends on the term of Parliament, a maximum of five years; a general election, all the seats are contested, occurs after each dissolution.

The Lords
It consists of: Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual.
Lords Temporal are all members of the Peerage. Formerly, they were hereditary peers.
Lords Spiritual are the senior clergymen of the Church of England — archbishops, bishops and abbots. Later under Henry VIII the abbots lost their positions in Parliament. All bishops continued to sit in Parliament, but now there are only the 21 most senior Lords Spiritual.

The House of Lords
Until the 19th century — the House of Lords was superior to the House of Commons both in theory and in practice. Members of the House also controlled tiny constituencies, known as pocket boroughs
The House of Lords now subordinates to the House of Commons.
More recently, the Act of 1999 removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the Upper House (except of 92 on temporary basis.
The Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 abolished the judicial functions of the Lords.

THE PEOPLE
all men and women over 18;
elect members of the House of Commons;
there are about 650 constituencies in the UK with 60-70,000electors in each of them;
on electing day people mark an “X” beside the candidate they wish to be elected;
in each constituency, the candidate with most votes wins;