英语国家概况Unit 3.ppt

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1、Unit 3The Government of the United Kingdom,The Political Institution:the constitutional monarchy Britain is arguably the oldest representative democracy in the world,with roots that can be traced over a thousand years.The process of state-building has been one of evolution rather than revolution.,Mo

2、narchy,The oldest institution of government is the Monarchy.This dates back to the Saxons.The present Queen:Elizabeth II,On Williams Wedding Ceremony,The Evolution of Monarchy,1.the ancient doctrine of the“divine right of kings”2.one brief exception after the civil wars3.conflicts:while the King in

3、theory had God on his side,in practice even in medieval times it was thought that he should not exercise absolute power.4.Magna Carta,The Parliament,The meaning of Parliament:It comes from“parley”,-to discuss or talk.The term was first used officially in 1236 to describe the gathering of feudal baro

4、ns and representatives from counties and towns.,The Derivation of the Parliament,1.Traditionally,medieval kings were supposed to meet their own royal expenses out of their own wealth.If extra money needed,he would try to persuade the Great Council to give him some extra money.,2.By the 13th century,

5、kings found they could not make ends meet from this quite small group,and so they widened the Great Council to include representatives of counties,cities,and towns,to get them to contribute to his projects.-they were known as Commons.3.Then,the Great Council came to include the House of Lords and th

6、e House of Commons.,4.the Commons quickly gained in political strength.5.The Civil War which brought the Roundheads to power of the king vis-vis Parliament.Kings side-the Parliament6.The Bill of Rights in 1689,The Birth of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,To ensure good relations between Crown and Par

7、liament,the king or queen met regularly with a group of important Parliamentarians,a group which became known as the Cabinet.While Cabinet ministers were appointed by the sovereign,they had to have enough support in the House of Commons to enable them to persuade Parliament to pass laws and vote for

8、 taxes.,In 1714,the new King George I from Germany left the job of chairing cabinet meetings to one of his ministers.In time he came to be called the prime minister.In 1832,when a system for choosing the House of Commons by popular election replaced the monarchs job of appointing representatives,the

9、 modern political system was born.MPs assembled themselves into groups which eventually would become political parties.,The party with the most supporters in the Commons forms the government,and by tradition,the leader of that party becomes Prime Minister.,The British Government Today,Britain is bot

10、h a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.Characteristics of constitutional monarchy the official head of the state is the Queen,her powers are largely traditional and symbolic.In this system,the monarch,King or Queen is the nominal head of the state.She reigns,but not rules.,The Con

11、stitution,Britain has no written constitution.1.statute mon laws3.conventions,Parliament,The Functions1.it passes laws.2.it provides the means of carrying on the work of government by voting for taxation.3.its other roles are to scrutinise government policy,administration and expenditure and to deba

12、te the major issues of the day.,Position Parliament is supreme in the British state because it alone has the power to change the terms of the Constitution.There are no legal restraints upon Parliament.,The Composition of ParliamentQueenThe House of LordsThe House of Commons,The Role of the Monarchy

13、Today,Primary role The role of the monarchy today is primarily to symbolise the tradition and unify of the British stage.Her other rolesShe is legally head of the executive,an integral part of the armed forces and“supreme governor”of the Church of England.,In a 1988 poll,most Britons felt the Queens

14、 most important job was to represent Britain at home and abroad;her second most important job was to set standard of Good citizenship and family life.A less well known role of the Queen,which is nevertheless very important to British politics,is that of a confidante to the Prime Minister.,Criticism

15、of the Royal Family,Criticism of her childrenPrince CharlesAndrewMuch of the financial support for the Royal Family comes from the taxpayers,which had led to great controversy in recent years.More general criticism about the monarchy after the fire of Windsor Castle.,The House of Lords,CompositionTh

16、e Lord SpiritualThe Lord Temporal Hereditary peers(Membership was once a right of birth to hereditary peers but,following a series of reforms,as of 2010 only 92,elected by the House from the hereditary peers,remain as members.)Life peersLaw Lords,The House of Commons,Members of Parliament:646MPs rep

17、resent the interest of constituency or seat.Term:5 yearsSalary:64 766 pounds a year,Most MPs belong to political parties-labour,the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are the majors ones.20 MPs are chosen by the Prime Minister to become government ministers in the Cabinet.The functions of the CabinetPolicy-making,the coordination of government departments and the supreme control of government.,