英美概况课件-3-British-government.ppt

The Government of The UK 1.Britain is arguably the oldest representative democracy in the world, with roots that can be traced over a thousand years. 2. Its process of state-building has been one of evolution rather than revolution, in contrast to France and America. 3. Nowadays Britain is both parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. 4.The official head of the state is the Queen. The government at national and local level is elected by the people and governs according to British constitutional principles. I The Monarchy 1. The oldest institution of government, dating back to the Saxons. 2. Divine right of kings: It was held that the sovereign derived his authority from God, not from his subjects.While the King in theory had God on his side, in practice even in medieval times it was thought that he should not exercise absolute power. 3. Magna Carta(大宪章): A gang of feudal barons and the Church opposed some of King John’s (1199-1216) policies. This oppositions was so powerful that the king finally granted them a charter of liberty and political rights, still known by its medieval Latin name of Magna Carta. 4.The role of the monarchy today: (The present Queen, Elizabeth II, is directly descended from King Egbert, who united England under his rule in 829.) ①primarily to symbolize the tradition and unity of the British state. The Queen is legally head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces and “supreme governor” ② A less well known role of the Queen, which is nevertheless very important to British politics, is that of a confidante to the Prime Minister. Her long experience and her politically neutrality make her a good source of informed observation on the day to day problems of governance. II The Parliament 1. The word “parliament” comes from the verb “to parley”, that is to discuss or talk. The term was first used officially in 1236 to describe the gathering