British Government

How much do you know about the British government? Question 1 What form of government does the United Kingdom have? Constitutional Monarchy with a Parliamentary Government

How much do you know about the British government? Question 2 Where are the Houses of Parliament? Westminster, London

How much do you know about the British government? Question 3 How many chambers1 does parliament have? Two 1Chamber – A large room used for formal or public events Any of the houses of a legislature

How much do you know about the British government? Question 4 What are the chambers called? House of Commons, House of Lords

How much do you know about the British government? Question 5 Members of which house are not elected by voters? House of Lords

How much do you know about the British government? Question 6 Who is the Head of State of the United Kingdom? The Queen

How much do you know about the British government? Question 7 Who is the Head of Government of the United Kingdom? The Prime Minister

If the Queen is the Head of State, then how is the UK a democracy? Although the UK is a monarchy, the powers of the reigning head of state have dwindled since King Charles I was beheaded (1649). Today, the monarch's role is largely ceremonial, restricted to state functions and appearing on stamps & banknotes. The monarch still retains some formal powers, e.g. opening parliament each year.

House of Commons, House of Lords, Monarch Parts of Parliament: House of Commons, House of Lords, Monarch

Parliament The job of Parliament is to: Make laws Scrutinize the actions of the government Debate issues of the day

The House of Commons The House of Commons – recognise it? Who works in the House of Commons? A group of people called MPs (Members of Parliament). Anyone know the names of any MPs? There are currently 650 MPs representing everyone in the UK – each MP is elected in an area of the country called a constituency, and their job is to come to Parliament and represent the people (the constituents) within that area. Each MP represents everyone in their constituency – even if you didn’t vote for them in particular, or you’re not old enough to vote at all, they are still there to look after you. Their job is to represent you, to take part in making and changing UK laws at Parliament, to debate and discuss issues in the House of Commons chamber, and to work in committees that focus on particular topics or issues. The House of Commons chamber is also the place where the Prime Minister and the government will sit when they are in Parliament.

The House of Commons Currently consists of 650 lawmakers Known as Members of Parliament or MPs MPs are elected by citizens in each area (constituency) of the UK England – 533 Scotland – 59 Wales – 40 Northern Ireland – 18

MP’s are from a political party Party Leaders MPs Political Party Political Parties

MP’s are from a political party The UK has a multi-party system, but is sometimes called a “Two-and-a-Half" party system, because parliamentary politics is dominated by the Conservative and Labour Parties, with the smaller Scottish National Party having some influence. Conservative Party Labour Party Scottish National Party Political Parties

MP’s are chosen in the general election

MP’s are chosen in the general election According to the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act of 2011: Elections are held every 5 years Parliament can be dissolved prior to the completion of a 5-year term if: 2/3 of the House of Commons votes for an early election OR A no-confidence vote is successful

The party that wins the general election puts together the government Election Results Governing Party

The party leader becomes the Prime Minister (not voted in)

A cabinet is chosen to help advise on important matters Government

Government The government runs the country. It has responsibility for developing and implementing policy and for drafting laws. It is also known as the 'Executive’.

Government Leader is the Prime Minister Chooses Secretaries of State that form the Cabinet (each in charge of a different department, e.g. Education, Transportation, Defense, etc.) The Cabinet is the ultimate decision making body of the executive in the parliamentary system.

If the government has the power, why have Parliament? Parliament checks and challenges the government through debating Share the views of the people that they represent Has select committees, who look at a specific subject and make recommendations for improvements Write reports, giving recommendations to the government

The House of Lords Going back to the three parts of Parliament, let’s look at the House of Lords – Anyone recognise this chamber? Any contrasts you can see to the House of Commons? The members of the House of Lords (usually called peers) are there to look at the suggestions for new/amended laws, much the same as the House of Commons does. The Lords are sometimes called the second chamber, or the revising chamber, as they are there to check that the laws make sense, that they are applicable to the UK and that they are (hopefully) going to work as intended. Many of the Lords are experts in particular subject areas so they can apply this knowledge to the laws that come up in their area – for example a peer who used ot be a teacher will be able to say whether a new law about education is practical, makes sense etc.

The House of Lords About 760 members Most are appointed by the government Chosen for special knowledge and skills Members serve for life Some have the role passed down from their family Main duty is to vote on bills (proposed laws) passed by the House of Commons, and to send them back for further debate

The House of Lords The powers of the House of Lords are much less than those of the House of Commons. All bills except money bills are debated and voted upon in House of Lords. By voting against a bill, the House of Lords can only delay it for a maximum of two parliamentary sessions over a year. After this time, the House of Commons can force the bill through without the Lords' consent

How is the House of Commons different from the House of Lords? Why is it important to have both the House of Commons & the House of Lords?

Bill House of Lords 1st Reading 2nd Reading 3rd Reading Bill introduced 2nd Reading Debate bill Committee suggests changes 3rd Reading Debate & Vote on bill AMENDMENTSTAGE: Two Houses agree on the final bill The monarch agrees to the bill Bill FINISH START House of Commons 1st Reading Bill introduced 2nd Reading Debate bill Committee suggests changes 3rd Reading Debate & Vote on bill Suggested by political parties & campaign groups Law

Why have a monarchy if Britain is a democracy?

The Monarchy: What is a monarch? A monarch is a sovereign head of state (King or Queen) The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II She has been Queen since 1952

Powers of the monarchy Opens and closes parliament Gives royal assent to new laws Asks party that wins election to form a government Meets leaders of other countries Head of the Commonwealth of Nations Hands out honors, such as knighthoods

Should Britain abolish the monarchy? Some people believe that the monarchy should be abolished They say that Britain should become a republic, like America or France Others argue that the monarchy is very important

Should Britain abolish the monarchy? The Queen is not elected – citizens are meant to live in a democracy Many tourists visit London to see the royal family, spending lots of money Money spent on the royal family could be used to help poor people The monarchy has become more popular in recent years Some members of the royal family don’t seem to do much The monarchy is an important tradition in the UK Having a royal family creates a system in which some people are viewed as better than others The monarch acts as a symbol of national unity in difficult times

Watch “The British Monarchy Explained”

What is the European Union (EU)? An economic & political partnership Includes 28 European countries Began after World War II Purpose – foster economic cooperation Countries that trade together are more likely to avoid going to war with each other.

What is the European Union (EU)? Has grown into a "single market” Goods and people can move around – as if one country. Currency – the Euro (used by 19 member countries) Has its own parliament Its own rules – transport, the environment, consumer rights, mobile phone charges, etc.

What does the word “Brexit” mean? It’s a shorthand way of saying that the UK is leaving the European Union – merging the words Britain and exit to get Brexit.

Why is Britain leaving the EU? A referendum (a vote on a single political issue in which every citizen of voting age can take part) was held on June 23, 2016 to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union. “Leave” won by 52% to 48%. The referendum turnout was 71.8%, with more than 30 million people voting.

What was the breakdown across the UK? England – Leave, 53.4% to 46.6% Wales – Leave, 52.5% to 47.5% Scotland – Remain, 62% to 38% Northern Ireland – Remain, 55.8% to 44.2%

What has happened since the referendum? Britain has a new Prime Minister – Theresa May. The former home secretary took over for David Cameron, who resigned the day after losing the referendum. Like Mr. Cameron, Mrs. May was against Britain leaving the EU, but says she will respect the will of the people.

What about the Economy? The UK economy appears to have weathered the initial shock of the Brexit vote. The value of the pound is near a 30-year low. Long-term effects of leaving the EU unknown. Britain has lost its top AAA credit rating, meaning the cost of government borrowing will be higher.

When will Britain leave the EU? To leave the EU, Britain must invoke an agreement – Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. This gives the two sides 2 years to agree to the terms of the split. Theresa May has said she intends to trigger this process by the end of March 2017. The UK is expected to leave the EU by the summer of 2019.

American Culture – 35 Questions British Culture – 25 Questions Final Exam American Culture – 35 Questions British Culture – 25 Questions Week 16 Wednesday, December 21 6:30 to 8:00 PM Building G, Room 101