British Political System

2020/3/151Chapter10PoliticalSystemofBritain2020/3/152ContentsConstitutionalMonarchyBritishParliamentBritishGovernmentBritishJudicialBodyBritishPoliticalPartiesMonarchParliamentGovernmentThePrimeMinisterThePrivyCouncilTheindependentdepartmentsTheCabinetTheHouseofCommonsTheHouseofLords2020/3/154ConstitutionalMonarchyWhatisConstitutionalMonarchy?DevelopmentofConstitutionalMonarchyTheRightandRoleoftheMonarchElizabethIIandHerRoyalFamily2020/3/155Thepowerofthemonarchislimitedbythecountry‘sconstitution,thelegalauthorityisgiventoparliament,andtheexecutiveauthoritytothegovernment.Thesovereignreigns,butdoesnotrule.ThecountryisgovernedinthenameoftheSovereignbyHisorHerMajesty’sGovernmentwhoisresponsibletotheParliament.2020/3/156Anglo-SaxonskingstheGreatCouncil(410-1066)NormankingsWithouttheGreatCouncil(1066-1215)MagnaCarta(1215)LimitationoftheKing’spowerfirstparliamentofnobles(1264)evolutionofconstitutionGloriousRevolution(1688)MorepowerfuloftheparliamentWeakeningoftheMonarch2020/3/157TheRightoftheMonarchKingorQueenHeadoflegislature,executive,judiciaryHeadofStateCommander-in-chiefofallarmedforcesAppointmentofOfficialsHeadoftheChurchofEnglandandScotlandForeignAffairs2020/3/158TheRoleoftheMonarchThemonarchisthepersonalembodimentoftheBritishgovernmentandaofBritishunity,representingthecontinuityofthewholepoliticalsystem.SothestabilityoftheBritishgovernmentowesmuchtothemonarchy.symbol2020/3/159SuccessionoftheMonarchActofSettlementSonhasprecedenceoverdaughter.Daughterstaketheprecedenceoverthebrotherofthemonarch.2020/3/1510theeldestsonwifeoftheeldestsontheeldestdaughterhusbandofthequeenPrinceofWalesPrincessofWalesRoyalPrincessDukeofEdinburgh2020/3/1511QueenElizabethIIHertitleintheUnitedKingdomisElizabeththeSecond,bytheGraceofGodoftheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandandHerOtherRealmsandTerritories,Queen,HeadoftheCommonwealth,DefenderoftheFaith.伊莉莎白二世，她的全称是“伊丽莎白二世天佑大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国以及她的其他所属领土女王、英联邦元首、英国国教首领”2020/3/15122020/3/1513BuckinghamPalace2020/3/15142020/3/1515QueenElizabethⅡThePrincePhilip,DukeofEdinburghPrinceCharlesPrinceAndrewPrinceEdwardPrincessAnnePrinceWilliamPrinceHarryTheRoyalFamily2020/3/1516QueenElizabethIIbeingCrownedin1952oneofthelongest-reigningmonarchsinBritishhistorywidelyrespectedforthewayinwhichsheperformsherduties2020/3/1517Marriedin19472020/3/1518PrinceCharlesheirtothethronePrinceofWalesPrincessDiana(1981)PrincessCamilla(2005)2020/3/15192020/3/1520PrincessAnnePrincessRoyalwidelyrespectedforhercharitywork2020/3/1521PrinceAndrewPrinceEdward2020/3/1522PrinceWilliam2020/3/1523PrinceHarry2020/3/1524TheMonarchOpenseachnewannualsessionThelifeofparliamentisdividedintoperiodscalled“sessions”(会期)(Asessionlastsfor1year).Thebeginningofanewsession,calledthe“StateOpeningofParliament”(议会开幕典礼),takesplaceintheHouseofLords.It’satraditionforthemonarchtoopenParliamentinperson.Ontheday,theQueentravelsfromBuckinghamPalacetoParliamentintheStateCoach(典礼马车,agoldencarriage).OncetheQueenarrivesatParliament,theUnionFlagisloweredandreplacedbytheRoyalStandard.GoldenStateCoachTheUnionFlaga.k.a.（亦称）TheUnionJackTheRoyalStandardFromBuckinghamtoWestminsterThequeenthentakesherplaceonthethroneintheHouseofLords,fromwhereshesendshermessengerBlackRod(黑杖礼仪官)tosummontheMPs.WhentheBlackRodarrivesattheLowerHouse,thedoorisslammedinhisface,symbolizingtheindependenceanddominanceoftheHouseofCommons.Hemustthenknock3timestogainentryanddeliverhissummons.ThentheleadingMPsfollowtheBlackRodtotheUpperHouse,standingcrowdedattheendofthechamberoppositetothethrone.TheThroneintheUpperHouseBlackRod(黑杖礼仪官)Knock3timesCometotheUpperHouse(Throne)TheQueenwillthenreadouttheQueen’sSpeech,adocumentabout1,000wordsinlengthpreparedbythegovernment.Whatisthespeechabout?Inthedocumentthegovernmentoutlinesitsplannedprogrammesandthepoliciesitintendstofollow.Whentheone-weekdebatesontheQueen’sspeecharefinished,Parliamentisreadytobegintheactualworkofthenewsession.TheQueen’sSpeech2020/3/1536BritishParliamentthecentreofthepoliticalsystemintheUKthesupremelegislativebodyTheGovernmentisdrawnfromandanswerabletoitBritishParliamentWhat’sthemeaningof“parliament”?(Aplaceforargumentanddebate)Thewordparliamentcomesfromtheverb“toparley”,thatis,todiscussortalk.Thebirthofthisterm:thekingoccasionallysummonedbaronsandrepresentativesfromcountiesandtownsifhewantedtoraisemoney.2020/3/1537ThebirthofParliamentTheHouseofLordsThosewhoweresummoned“byname”.Atfirstit’sonlyagatheringofbaronsandbythe13thcentury,kingsfoundtheycouldn’tmakeendsmeetbyaskingmoneyfromthisquitesmallgroup.Andlatertheywidenedittoincluderepresentativesofcounties,citiesandtowns.TheHouseofCommonsRepresentativesofcommunitiesTheCommonsquicklygainedinpoliticalstrengthandinreturntheywantedanincreasingsay(发言权)inwhatthekingwasdoing.Parliament:thetrendUK:aunitarystateTheParliamentatWestminster(London)•In1999,ScotlandandWaleshadtheirownparliaments•In2007,NorthernIrelandsetupitsparliamentUKseemstobemovingtowardfederalism.2020/3/15392020/3/1540HouseofLordsthemonarchHouseofCommonsLegislativebodyTh