The British Institutions

THE BRITISH INSTITUTIONS

CRASH COURSE

How are THE BRITISH INSTITUTIONS organised?

CONSTITUTION?

Hum...No!

The Monarch

The Parliament

King Charles III

aka The Palace of Westminster aka The Houses of Parliament

1707

TiMeline

1801

1921

VS

its alleged weaknesses

its alleged strengths

• undemocratic nature
• associated with class, wealth and privilege
• royal scandals
• King Charles III's low popularity

• The monarch has a figurehead role
• continuity
• objectivity
• Queen Elizabeth's large popularity

The constitutional monarchy

1997-1998

The 1707 Act of Union united England and Scotland

In 1801 a second Act of Union united Ireland to England and Scotland.

In 1921, part of Ireland obtained Home Rule, i.e. autonomy, and left the United Kingdom.

The 1707 Act of Union united England and Scotland. Their flag was the Union flag of Scotland and England.

Devolution is a process of decentralisation which began in 1997-1998. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have now gained a measure of autonomy with Parliaments and an assembly : people vote to have their own local governments and their own First Ministers. Devolution is often considered as a case in point of the flexibility of the UK's Constitution, and a major asset to political life. Devolved powers : local governments have devolved powers = they decide on education, health, housing and environment.

TWO key textS

• The Magna Carta (1215) was the first document to put into writing the principle that the monarch and the government were not above the law.

- It limits the powers of the monarch- It protects individuals against arbitrary imprisonment or punishment without prior judgement.

• The Bill of Rights (1689) is the basis for constitutional monarchy since it makes the arbitrary use of royal power illegal.

It deals with the relationship between the monarch and Parliament. > The sovereign now must govern according to the statutes voted by Parliament. > S/He cannot raise taxes unless Parliament has agreed. > The Bill of Rights excludes Catholics from the succession to the throne.

Representative role

• Head of the Nation
• Head of State
• Head of the Commonwealth (= 56 states)

• Supreme Governor of the Church of England
• Commander-in-chief of the military

The Monarch: King Charles III

His first and foremost duty is to ensure that there is a prime minister and government who can govern. He has the power to dismiss a PM but his mother never used it. The last time this happened was in 1834 when King William IV dismissed Lord Melbourne - because his cabinet was considered as extremist and a threat to the monarchy. He then asked Sir Robert Peel to form a new government.

Ok, but what on earth does this job consist of?

The monarch's choice is bound by convention.

The sovereign / monarch

• gives their royal appointment to the PM. The kissing of hands is, at this point, merely a symbolic gesture, a name for the proceedings, but at one point in history, the prime minister was actually required to kiss the sovereign’s hand to show their loyalty to the sovereign and the crown.
• appoints a government by signing the list of names presented to them by their new PM.
• reads Cabinet papers regularly
• meets the PM every week or so to be informed of the government's actions.
• opens the Parliament sessions in the House of Lords
• gives Royal assent to bills passed by Parliament
• fulfills international duties as Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth

THE UNITED KINGDOM

A state composed of 4 COUNTRIES BUT 1 NATION in a legal and Sovereing sense

• A constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy.
• No written constitution but an unwritten one formed of Acts of Parliament, court judgements and conventions.

• No elected head of state
• The monarch reigns but does not rule.
• The 3 organs of government (legislative / executive & judiciary) are independent of one another.

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AND

• 26 Lord Spirituals (among whom is the Archbishop of Canterbury)
• Lords Temporal

- Hereditary peers/lords (92 of them since 1999) - Life Peers & Peeresses (about 600 approved by the monarch: the title is not hereditary.) - 12 Law Lords( = senior judges of the Supreme Court of the UK) who are Life Peers and act as the final Court of Appeal. (not hereditary)

650 MPs --> One for each of the 650 constituencies (=voting districts) in the UK

• MPs are elected by the people

• General elections every 5 years

• first-past-the-post system = 1st candidate with a majority of votes is elected.

• The leader of the political party which has the majority of seats in the Commons becomes Prime Minister.

• This House is more powerful than the House of Lords.

• It scrutinises and approves all legislation

The 1949 Parliament Act limited the power of the Lords to delay a Commons bill to one year. After that if the Commons so wishes, the bill will go forward to the Sovereign to receive the Royal assent.

Women are now admitted in the House of Lords yet as life peers only!

Life peers need to disclaim their title temporarily if they want to be eligible for election to the Commons.

It has important political functions:

• It is the "watchdog" or guardian of the constitution.
• It scrutinises Commons bills to make sure they are well written and do not pose any threat to the constitution.
• It discusses and may block bills.
• It has a legislative function : it can introduce bills which must not be controversial or financial.
• It has a judicial function: it acts as the final Court of Appeal.

About 800 Peers (= members of the House of Lords) from different walks of life, different professions, approved of by the King from a list submitted by the PM. They are chosen for their " experience and knowledge".

1st Chamber= Lower Chamber

2nd Chamber= Upper Chamber

The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker

The House of Lords is presided over by the Lord Chancellor

THE PARLIAMENT

= The Palace of Westminster = The Houses of Parliament

The Parliament's main functions:- scrutiny : checks and balances the work of the Cabinet- legislation : makes and changes laws-debate : debates the key issues of the day- budget and taxes : checks and approves government spending

Legislative power

Lyndsay Hoyle

Shabana Mahmood

Their number was reduced from 663 to 92 by Tony Blair's Labour government in an attempt to make it more acceptable in a modern democracy.

The speaker presides over the House's debates, determining which members may speak and which amendments are selected for consideration. The speaker is also responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the House. The incumbent speaker is Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Executive power

Legislative power

The Prime Minister

= the head of Government = the leader of the majorityLives at 10, Downing street

The Cabinet

= 20 senior ministers selected by the PMThey meet at 10, Downing street, the headquarters of the Government