By Noah Sprent THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

THE THREE ARMS OF STATE The three sections of the government that make important decisions

The Three arms of state Not like US where can be separate All ministers are in the Legislature Senior judges in upper House of Parliament Head of Judiciary is senior minister The Executive The Ministers who run the country and propose new laws The Legislature The elected body that passes new laws The Judiciary The people who make sure the laws are obeyed

THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT Where does all the decision making take place?

The Houses of Parliament Located in London Also known as Palace of Westminster Big Ben Two Separate houses

The House of Commons Sat in by MPs 646 seats MPs voted by constituencies Can have minority vote and still win General election is held to find leading party General election is called when PM wants it

The House of Lords Special people of high regard Only 92 hereditary peers left Life peers Distinguished figures of science, medicine etc.

Committees Work mostly done in committees not on floor (Select) Some temporary committees used to examine certain Bills that are going to b passed (General) In House of Lords there are no General committees, matters are discussed on floor

Debate Debate is quite confrontational Allowed to interrupt Cheering and Jeering are quite common in house of commons

Prime Minister Question Time 30 Minutes 12 o’clock on Wednesday Lots of media coverage Opposition party leaders challenge Prime Minister’s decisions

THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS bills are passed

The Stages of a Bill A piece of legislation (bill) Usually political party manifesto Queen’s speech Process gone through in both houses Reading of Bill by minister Debate and vote on general principles Each clause and section of bill examined to make sure wording is right Changes debated by floor Final version debated and decided upon by floor Royal Assent to make bill become an act

POLITICAL PARTIES What are the three main Political Parties in the UK?

What is a party? People vote during general election Vote for local MP not for overall party- (True?) Different views

Left Lots of things done by state Higher taxes but better social care and better rights for the people Example of Extremity: Communism Lots of thing Privatised Lower taxes but not very much Social care and less rights for the people. Example of Extremity: The National Socialist Party (Nazis) Left Wing or Right Wing? Right

The Labour Party Often called New Labour Led by Gordon Brown Centre-Left Main policy: ‘Labour’s purpose is fairness: fair rules, fair chances and a fair say for everyone’ Quote from website

The Conservative Party Often called Tories Led by David Cameron Center-right Main Policy: A Conservative Government will: Restore the integrity of the ballot by introducing individual voter registration and addressing the disparities that exist between constituency populations Address the West Lothian question and give English MPs a decisive say on laws that affect only England Replace the Human Rights Act, which has undermined the Government's ability to deal with crime and terrorism, with a British Bill of Rights.

The Liberal Democrats Often called the Lib Dems Led by Nick Clegg Centralist Main Policy: The way Britain's run means the Government doesn't have to listen to you. One party can get control over Parliament even if only a quarter of people vote for them. So individual people and families don't seem to have a voice to influence what happens. The old parties are comfortable because they know they'll get into government every few years - so they never change things and they never will. But people are fed up of being ignored. It's time to make a real change. We need to have an open political system that's designed to listen to people and deliver what they need. Everyone should have an equal voice - not just people who can pay for big donations.

THE U.K. GOVERNMENT What do all the members of the government do?

The Prime Minister The Most important person in the Political System Gordon brown is the 52 nd prime minister In theory PM just chooses ministers and chairs the cabinet Behaving more like President 10 downing street

Government Ministers Secretary of State- Head of a department Minister of State- Middle ranking minister Under-secretary of state- Most junior rank of minister Departments e.g.:  Treasury  Home Office  Foreign Office

DEVOLVED GOVERNMENT

Devolved Government The UK has three mini-governments underneath the main one they are: The Scottish Parliament The Welsh Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly They govern their own countries under the rule of the government of the UK

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM? Will there be changes for the better in the Government of the U.K

How is the government going to be better? New system of expenses A smaller House of Commons A younger voting age More modern culture in the Commons Election of the house of lords A written constitution

Questions? THANK YOU