1. British Government

2. 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

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

4. 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

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

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

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

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

9. 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.

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

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

12. 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.

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. MP’s are chosen in the general election

17. 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

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

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

20. A cabinet is chosen to help advise on important matters
Government

21. 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’.

22. 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.

23. 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

24. 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.

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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?

28. 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

29. Why have a monarchy if Britain is a democracy?

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. Watch “The British Monarchy Explained”

35. 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.

36. 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.

37. 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.

38. 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.

39. 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%

40. 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.

41. 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.

42. 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 The UK is expected to leave the EU by the summer of 2019.

43. 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