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Guide to English-Speaking Countries

Guide to English-Speaking Countries. 英语国家概况. 英语国家概况. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Chapter 3 Government and the Commonwealth. 英语国家概况. CONTENT. I. II. III. IV. V. Constitution. Government.

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Guide to English-Speaking Countries

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  1. Guide to English-Speaking Countries 英语国家概况 英语国家概况 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  2. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Chapter 3Government and the Commonwealth 英语国家概况

  3. CONTENT I II III IV V Constitution Government Political Parties Election The Commonwealth

  4. I Constitution • Great Britain (UK) is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch as the head of state • British Constitution is made up of: • Statutory Law (成文法) • Common Law (判例法) • Conventions (习惯法)

  5. Constitution • 1.1Statutory Law • passed by Parliament • example • the Magna Carta (1215) • the Bill of Rights (1689) • the Reform Act (1832) • the European Communities Act (1972) • the European Communities (Amendment) Act (1986)

  6. 1. Constitution • 1.2 Common law • deduced from custom or legal precedents and interpreted in court cases by judges • 1.3 Conventions • rules and practices which do not exist legally, but are regarded as vital to the working of government

  7. II Government 2.1 The Legislature 2.2 The Executive 2.3 The Judiciary

  8. 2.1 The Legislature Basic Structure of UK Central Government Monarch (non-political) Legislature —Parliament Executive Judiciary (non-political) House of Commons (political) House of Lords (semi-political) Prime Minister & Cabinet (political) House of Lords Ministers & Civil service (non-political) Court of Appeal

  9. 2.1.1 Parliament Parliament the law-making body of Britain one of the oldest representative assemblies in the world Strictly speaking, the parliament consists of the King or Queen, the House of Lords (上议院), the House of Commons (下议院)

  10. Queen Elizabeth II Born: April 21, 1926 Queen since June 2, 1953 Queen Elizabeth II is a “constitutional monarch” Although she is officially the head of state, the country is actually run by the government and led by the Prime Minister. 2.1.2 Queen

  11. 2.1.2 Queen Buckingham Palace

  12. 2.1.2 Queen Queen Elizabeth II

  13. She reigns but does not rule! Theoretically, she is the source of all government powers: an integral part of the legislature head of the executive, executive and judiciary branches the commander-in-chief of all armed forces of the Crown “supreme governor” of the Church of England More >> 2.1.2 Queen Q. What powers does the Queen have?

  14. 2.1.2 Queen In reality, her role is “ceremonial, unpolitical and symbolic”: • State opening of the Parliament • Royal assent to new law • Meeting with the Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace • Pay state visits to Commonwealth countries as head of state and non-Commonwealth countries on behalf of the British government

  15. 2.1.2 Queen From Buckingham to Westminster The State Opening of Parliament Wednesday November 26, 2003

  16. 2.1.3 The House of Lords • often referred to as “the Upper House” • The Lords Spiritual (上议院神职议员) (archbishops and prominent bishops of the Church of England) • The Lords Temporal (上议院世俗议员) (hereditary peers and life peers and the Law Lords) The House of Lords in the early 19th century

  17. 2.1.3 The House of Lords • The Upper House Reforms • Reduce the number of seats • from 705 to 666 (Mar. 1, 2004) • Final court of appeal—Supreme Court The House of Lords meets in a lavishly decorated chamber in the Palace of Westminster

  18. 2.1.4 The House of Commons • Often referred to as “the Lower House” (center of parliamentary power) • Three major functions • to pass laws, bills and acts of Parliament • to scrutinize, criticize and restrain the actions of the government • to influence the future government policy

  19. 2.1.4 The House of Commons • 646 Members of Parliament, known as “MPs” for short, who represent the 646 geographical areas / constituencies

  20. 2.2.1 The Prime Minister—powerful leader head of the government the leader of the majority party in Parliament controls the Parliament 2.2.2 The Cabinet supreme decision-making body in the British government Cabinet members are chosen by the Prime Minister from members of his own party in Parliament. 2.2 The Executive

  21. The Cabinet works on the principle of collective responsibility and individual ministerial responsibility Ministers responsible for their particular department (most senior members are the Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary) Collective responsibility or resignation 2.2 The Executive

  22. 2.2.2 Privy Council a body of advisors (450 members) current and former Cabinet members and important public figures Its main duty is to give advice 2.2 The Executive

  23. 2.3 The Judiciary Proceedings All criminal trials are held in open court because the criminal law presumes the innocence of the accused until he has been approved guilty beyond reasonable doubt In criminal trials by jury, the judge passes sentence but the jury decides the issue of guilt and innocence.

  24. Two branches of law Civil law—defines and enforces the duties or obligations of persons to one another Criminal law—by contrast, defines and enforces the obligations of persons to society as a whole 2.3 The Judiciary English Judges

  25. House of Lords Court of Appeal Court of Appeal High Court (QBD, CCD, FD) Crown Court County Court Magistrates’ Court (JPs, stipendiary magistrates) 2.3 The Judiciary Civil branch Criminalbranch The Court System

  26. III Political Parties 3.0 Overall Introduction 3.1 The Conservative Party 3.2 The Labor Party 3.3 The Liberal Democrats

  27. 3.0 Overall Introduction The Parliament operates on a two-party system. Political parties originated in the late 17th century. the Whig Party—Liberal Party the Tory Party—Conservative Party

  28. 3.0 Overall Introduction Development The Conservative Party From Tories (a political group which appeared under King Charles II) The Labor Party By Unionists, liberals, socialists and the Fabian Society Comparative Description on the two major parties:

  29. 3.0 Overall Introduction Time The Labor Party in 1900 (young) The Conservative Party the middle of the 19th century (old) Comparative Description on the two major parties (cont.):

  30. 3.0 Overall Introduction Characteristics The Conservative Party Right wing party They stand for private enterprise and freedom from state control. The Labor Party Left wing party They stand for national and communal growth. Comparative Description on the two major parties (cont.):

  31. 3.0 Overall Introduction Supporters The Conservative Party middle& upper-middle class People of higher position TheLabor Party Working class and common people relatively poor or underprivileged Comparative Description on the two major parties (cont.):

  32. 3.1 The Conservative Party the “Right” landowners and businessmen, the middle and upper-middle class free enterprise and privatization of state-owned firms

  33. Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990) —The Iron Lady privatized state-owned industries and promoted a more competitive spirit in Britain’s economy reduced old age pensions, shortened the period of unemployment benefits, and cut child benefits curbed the power of the trade unions 3.1 The Conservative Party

  34. 3.2 The Labor Party the “Left” created by the growing trade union movement at the end of the 19th century After 1945—to establish a welfare state nationalized industries exercised control over private industries to revive the primary industries

  35. Recent Prime Ministersfrom the left Tony Blair (1997-2006)— “Third Way” made the Bank of England independent (separate politics and economic policy) put an emphasis on the minimum wage and supplementing low incomes 3.2 The Labor Party • Gordon Brown (June 27, 2007)

  36. 3.3 The Liberal Democrats An amalgamation of the old Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (the latter being a breakaway group from the Labor Party, formed in 1981) advocates policies based on freedom of the individual and supports the adoption of Propositional Representation at elections remains a minority party a party of protest rather than a real alternative for government

  37. IV Election • held every five years in the 646 constituencies • candidate who wins in each constituency becomes a Member of Parliament • The party which holds the majority of “seats” in Parliament forms the government, with its party leader becoming the Prime Minister.

  38. V The Commonwealth 5.1 The Origin of the Commonwealth 5.2 Characteristics and Functions 5.3Members of the Commonwealth 5.4Organizations of the Commonwealth 5.5CommonwealthDay

  39. 5.1 Origin of the Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations is the successor of the British Empire. In 1949, “British” was dropped from the title of “Commonwealth”. In 1949, the London Declaration accepted and recognized India’s continued membership as a republic. From 1960 onwards, new members joined the Commonwealth.

  40. 5.1 Origin of the Commonwealth

  41. a voluntary association of independent sovereign states to advocate (提倡) democracy, human rights, and to promote economic cooperation and growth of its members 5.2 Characteristics and Functions

  42. an organization composed of 53 states in 2005 a population of approximately 1.8 billion people, some 30 percent of the world’s total population 5.3 Members of the Commonwealth

  43. The headquarters are all located in London. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Commonwealth Ministers’ Meeting held annually The Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Foundation and other professional associations 5.4 Organizations of the Commonwealth

  44. the second Monday in March every year an opportunity to promote understanding of global issues, international cooperation and the efforts to improve the lives of its 1.8 billion citizens 5.5 Commonwealth Day

  45. Thank You ! 英语国家概况

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