武汉理工大学英美文化英国概况Unit3.docVIP

英美文化与国家概况 British and American Studies ( British Part ) Unit Three 大学英语第一教研室 余非编 2013年2月 Unit 3 Politics and Law Contents: Political Parties Elections Justice and Law Courts Legal Profession Political Parties In the United Kingdom, politics is under the control of political parties, and this is known as party politics. There are two major political parties that contest the majority of seats of Parliament in the general election. Britain normally holds a general election every five years for British people to elect Members of Parliament. British voters regard the transfer of political powers from one party to another as an effective way of making the government more responsive to their demands. Under the British law, people are free to set up political parties, and a number of political parties exist in the United Kingdom. The law grants equal treatment to all political parties. However, only two of them are most important and they are known as the major parties. Consequently, politics in Britain is based on a two-party system instead of multi-party system. The two major parties are respectively called the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. British Parliament is always dominated by one or the other of these two major parties. Small parties, usually called minor parties, cannot win the majority seats of Parliament and have no chance to control the government. The history of political parties in Britain can be traced back to the late 17th century when two political parties, the Whigs and the Tories, were founded. The Whigs (辉格党): 1. The name Whig is derived from a derogatory term first applied to Scottish rebels. Towards the middle of the 19th century, the Whigs adopted a new name, the liberal Party. After the First World War, the Liberal Party disintegrated and some of its members later joined the Labor Party, which was founded in 1900. Its supporters are mainly from trade unions, liberals, socialists, and progressive intellectua