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HOW is BRITAIN GOVERNED ?. HOW IS UK GOVERNED ? The British Government runs the UK. It is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch as Head of State. SO, there are : The Parliament : it represents the people
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HOW IS UK GOVERNED ? • The British Governmentruns the UK. • It is a parliamentarydemocracywith a constitutionalmonarch as Head of State. • SO, there are : • The Parliament : itrepresents the people • The Government: runs the country and isalsoelected by the people
A/ THE PARLIAMENT It is the place where politicians (MPs) meet to decide laws and make decisions . MPs = Members of Parliament • Its main functions are to : • To pass laws • To provide money (by voting for taxation) • To debate the major issues of the day • to scrutinize government policy and administration
Parliament is made up of 3 parts : • The House of Commons • 2. The House of Lords • 3. The Queen
1- The House of Commons It is the most important place for discussing policies and making laws . There are 659 MPs who represent the 659 constituencies (areas) in the UK and who are part of a political party . The main political parties are The Labour Party and the Conservative Party. They are elected. The Speaker controls the debates which can be very animated !!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xUy2inkGHQ
2. The House of Lords It is composed of 675 members with titles (family or by merit). Unlike the Members of the House of Commons , they are not elected. Their job is to ensure that the laws are fair and will work. However they don’t have the power to stop a law, just to delay it.
3. The Queen The Queen asHead of State has a final sayon whether a bill becomes a law. In fact she accepts the advice of her government and givesher Royal Assent.
B/ THE GOVERNMENT The leader of the government is the Prime Minister Do you know the name of the incumbent Prime minister ? Labour He was elected in June 2007 and belongs to the Party . There are normallypeople in a UK government and they are called ministers or secretaries of State 100 His official residence is in London N°10 Downing Street
Who was the Prime Minister before Gordon Brown ? His name is Tony Blair How is the Prime Minister elected ? He is the leader of the political party with the most MPs in the House of Commons . He is asked by the Queen to be Prime Minister and to form a government .
What is the Role of the Prime Minister ? • He heads the government • He appoints the Ministers • The most important ministers are called the Secretaries of State and they form the Cabinet . • They meet with the Prime Minister once a week at 10 Downing Street • The most important secretaries of States are • The Chancellor of the Exchequer for • The Foreign Secretary for • The Home Secretary for • The Lord Chancellor for finance International affairs Internal affairs Legal system
How are laws made ? • To make a law you start with a bill(projet de loi) • Normally, it comes from the government ( =a government sponsored Bill) • Yet it may also come from an ordinary MP ( = a Private Member’s Bill) 2. To become a law , it is debated and voted in both Houses. 3. Then the Queen gives her Royal Assent to this bill which then becomes a law .