英美文化 课件.ppt

England has been called the mother of parliaments, its democratic institutions having set the standards for many democracies throughout the world, and the United Kingdom parliament is the largest Anglophone legislative body in the world. In theory, supreme legislative power is vested in the Queen-in-Parliament; in practice in modern times, real power is vested in the House of Commons; the Sovereign generally acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and the powers of the House of Lords are limited. P.S. [1] There are 5 noble titles available in Britain now are Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. [2] Today Britain has more than 1000 peers who are generally known as Lords. All of them are certain members of the House of Lords. [3] The House of Lords also includes 26 Lords Spiritual (archbishops and bishops) [4] The Lords get no pay for their work in Parliament. [5] The nucleus of the government is known as the Cabinet which is headed by the Prime Minister. [6] The Prime Minister’s official residence is No.10, Downing street, London. Political Parties Politics in Britain is based on the two-party system. There are two most important parties which are called the major parties. Small parties are called minor parties. The two major parties are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative and Unionist Party, popularly known as the Conservative Party, is a political party in the United Kingdom. Founded in its present form during the early 19th century, it has historically been the principal party of the right, though in the modern day the party and its voters are more associated with the centre-right. The Conservative Party is descended from the Historic Tory Party which was founded in 1678. Due to this lineage the party is still often referred to as the Tory Party. As well as the more correct description of Conservatives, its members are also called T