Chapter 3 Government and the Commonwealth.pdf

Guide to English-Speaking Countries 英语国家概况 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Chapter 3 Government and the Commonwealth 英 语 国 家 概 况 Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press A Guide to English-Speaking Countries Political Parties Constitution Government Election The Commonwealth I II III IV V CONTENT Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press A Guide to English-Speaking Countries Constitution I ? 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) Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press A Guide to English-Speaking Countries ? 1.1 Statutory 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) Constitution Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press A Guide to English-Speaking Countries ?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 1. Constitution Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press A Guide to English-Speaking Countries Government II 2.1 The Legislature 2.2 The Executive 2.3 The Judiciary Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press A Guide to English-Speaking Countries 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) Ministers Civil service (non-political) House of Lords Court of Appeal Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press A Guide to English-Speaking Countries 2.1.1 Parliament ? Parliament ? the law-making body of Britain ? o