British Political System 英国的政治制度.ppt

. The powers of the PM within the British political structure have developed in recent years to such an extent that some political analysts now refer to Britain as having a Prime Ministerial government rather than a Cabinet government. The PM selects his own Cabinet and he will select those people who: Have ability Have demonstrated good party loyalty Have clearly demonstrated loyalty to the PM himself 在地板中央有两排相距2.5米的红线,传说是为了正好超过两柄剑的长度。历史上，此举是为了避免下院的辩论演变为冲突。今天在下院辩发言时两方议员不得超越该线。若有议员在发言时越过该线，将会遭到对方的斥责。这可能也是英文用语“to toe the line”（循规蹈矩）的出处。 有趣的是，下院议事厅只有427个坐位，但议员总数却合共646人，并不能安置所有议员。因此，如果有议员迟到，而议事厅又满座的话，那他就只好站在议事厅的入口处，继续参与会议。 What Goes on in the House of Commons? Making New Laws This is what happens in the chamber, but in fact there’s much happening elsewhere in the Commons which has hundreds of rooms. There’re committee rooms, offices and a library, a barber’s shop, post office and restaurants. MPs meet in committees, or do their office work or meet visitors. 1. Debates Many hours are spent debating issues of national and international importance. Most often a motion is proposed by one or two of the Government’s front benchers (内阁大臣,资深议员) then the same number of persons from the Opposition front benches oppose it(the Shadow Cabinet). The Speaker (议长) decides who is allowed to speak he/she must ensure that each side is given equal opportunity and time to speak. 2. Vote After the debate the MPs vote for or against the motion. MPs vote by going into ‘lobbies’ (投票厅), corridors outside the chamber, one for ‘aye’ (满意厅)and one for ‘no’（反对厅）votes where they are counted. The MP’s vote is recorded so that anybody can know which way an MP voted on any particular issue. After the votes are counted the results are announced in the chamber. Prime Minister’s Question Time（质询时间） The PM answers questions from MPs in the Commons for half an hour every Wednesday from 12 at noon. Question Time is an opportunity for MPs to ask the PM questions known