1 / 20

The UK government

The UK government. 23rd November , 2011. Executive power. Her Majesty the Queen Her Majesty ’s Government : the Prime Minister other Ministers the supreme decision - making committee = the Cabinet ( leaders of government departments , members of the Privy Council ).

reuben
Download Presentation

The UK government

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The UK government 23rd November, 2011

  2. Executive power • HerMajestythe Queen • HerMajesty’s Government: • the Prime Minister • otherMinisters • thesupremedecision-makingcommittee = theCabinet(leadersofgovernmentdepartments, membersofthePrivyCouncil)

  3. The Prime Minister • Selected by the monarch as the leader of the party most likely to command a majority in Parliament • David Cameron – minister for the Civil Service • the Conservative Party had a hung Parliament in 2010 • coalition government with the Liberal Democrats

  4. Governmentdepartments • 24 ministerial departments: • Attorney General’s Office • Cabinet Office • Home Office • Ministry of Justice • Office of the Advocate General for Scotland • …

  5. 26 non-ministerial departments: • Crown prosecution service • Serious fraud office • the Treasury Solicitor’s Department CIVIL SERVANTS – permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that support the government

  6. TheCabinet (shadowcabinet) • executive committee of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council - formal body of advisers to the Queen - advises the Queen on the Royal Prerogative, Royal Charters… - other members: the opposition, the senior judges (Judicial Committee of the Privy Council)

  7. TheGovernmentandtheCrown • The Royal Prerogative consistsofthefollowingdomesticpowers: • to dismiss and appoint other ministers • to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament • to grant or refuse Royal Assent to bills  • to commission officers in the Armed Forces • to command the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom • to appoint members to the Queen's Council • to issue and withdraw passports • to grant Prerogative of mercy • to grant honours • to create corporations via Royal Charter

  8. TheGovernmentandtheParliament • Responsible government • Ministers are responsible to the House they sit in • the Prime Minister must be an elected MP and must be accountable to the House of Commons • Cabinet collective responsibility (to the Parliament and to the government policies)

  9. BUT: • First-past-the-post voting system (the candidate with the most votes, not necessarily the majority, wins)

  10. Government Whips • “enforcers” who offer inducements and threaten punishement for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy • also must ensure that party members are in attendance when important voting is scheduled

  11. “payroll vote” - MPs who concurrently hold government positions and are on the government’s payroll

  12. Limitsofgovernment power • powers limited to those retained under common law or granted by Acts of Parliament • subject to EU Law and judicial review • HM Judges, Local Authorities and the Charity Commission are more or less independent

  13. Prime ministers • Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer KD • William Pitt the Younger (1783 – age 24) • Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB,  GCH, PC, FRS

  14. Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl ofBeaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS • William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS (PM 4 separate times) • Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS (1937-1940) • Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS, Hon. RA

  15. Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS • Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS • Sir John Major, KG, CH, ACIB (1990-1997) • Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (1997-2007) • James Gordon Brown (2007-2010)

  16. Politicalparties • Up to mid 19th century: • Whigs (aristocrats, industrialists and merchants) Liberal Party up to 1920 • Labour Party emerged as an alliance between trade unions and socialists socities • Liberals merged with Social Democrats Liberal Democrats

  17. Tories (landedgentry, ChurchofEngland, Churchof Scotland) ConservativeParty • ConservativeParty – centre-right • Thatcherites – freemarket, eurosceptic, • One NationConservatives – economicallymoderate, more europhile • Cornerstone Group – sociallyconservative, deeplyeurosceptic

  18. Labour party – centre-left • mixed market policies replaced earlier socijalists views • support greater pro-Europeanism • still have left-wing factions

  19. Liberal Democrats – radical centrist • socially progressive, supportthewelfare state andsocialliberalism • supportgreater EU integration Ireland: DemocraticUnionsitParty, SinnFein, SocialDemocraticandLabourParty, AlliancePartyof Northern Ireland, Ulster Unionist Party, Green Partyin Northern Ireland

  20. Thankyou!

More Related