The official head of great britain

“Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.”

The Queen is the official Head of State and, for many people, a symbol of the unity of the nation. For a thousand years England (and later the whole of the United Kingdom) has been united under one sovereign, a continuity broken only after the Civil War, by the republic of 1649 to 1660. The hereditary principle still operates and the Crown is passed on to the sovereign’s eldest son (or daughter if there are no sons).

The Queen has a central role in state affairs, not only through her ceremonial functions, such as opening Parliament, but also because she meets the Prime Minister every week and receives copies of all Cabinet papers. However, she is expected to be impartial or “above politics”, and any advice she may offer the Prime Minister is kept secret.

Functions of the Sovereign:

1. opening and closing Parliament;

2. approving the appointment of the Prime Minister;

3. giving her Royal Assent to bills;

4. giving honours such as peerages, knighthoods and medals;

5. Head of the Commonwealth;

6. Head of the Church of England;

7. Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

The Queen is really a figurehead representing the country, but she has the power to prevent any politician from establishing a dictatorship. The Queen and her family are a symbol that people can identify with. The British public is obsessed with the details of the royal family life, and when people feel that the Queen has problems with her children, or her sister, they see her as a “real person” with the same worries and anxieties as themselves.

The monarchy has not always been popular. During the late 19th century there was a growing republican sentiment, but the personality and family image of the Queen, her father and grandfather have removed that feeling. The Queen is probably the wealthiest woman in the world, most of the money coming from family investments rather than the state. Her state salary (the Civil List) pays for her servants and transport. In recent years the Queen has become a roving ambassador for Britain, and if we calculate the increase in trade after a royal visit abroad, the nation probably makes a profit from her activities, and that does not take into account the income from tourism in Britain generated by the monarchy and great state events such as royal weddings.

Just how popular is she? In the late 1980s a newspaper conducted an opinion poll. People were asked, “If there were no monarchy, who would you vote for a President?” More than 80 per cent chose the Queen. Prince Charles came second, closely followed by his father, Prince Philip. The prime minister of the day was fourth - with 2 per cent of the votes.

The Royal Family

Many members of the Royal Family undertake official duties in Britain and abroad. Their various responsibilities reflect tradition, their own personal interests and Britain’s former imperial status. For example, among her many titles the Princess Royal (Princess Anne) is Chancellor of the University of London, Colonel- in-Chief of eleven Army regiments, including the 8th Canadian Hussars and the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, and President of the Save the Children Fund, for whom she has travelled widely.

The Royal Family’s money comes from two sources: government funds and their own personal wealth, which is considerable. On the one hand the Queen is certainly one of the richest women in the world, while on the other her power is limited by the fact that so many of her expenses are paid for by government money. Parliament has had effective control of the monarch’s finances since the seventeenth century.

Britain’s Government

Britain is a parliamentary democracy with a Constitutional monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, as head of State. The country is governed in the Queen’s name by the Government although she performs certain important acts of government on the advice of her ministers. The Queen is also head of the Commonwealth, and is head of State in 14 of its 41 member countries. She is temporal head of the Church of England.

Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, together with the Queen. The Queen formally summons and dissolves Parliament, and opens each new session with a speech setting out the Government’s broad programme.

The House of Commons, which plays the major part in law-making, consists of 635 elected members of Parliament (MPs), each representing an area in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. MP are elected either at a general election (which must be held at least every five years) or at a by-election held when a seat falls vacant because of the death or resignation of the member. The minimum voting age is 18, and the voting is by secret ballot. The Government is formed by the political party which can command majority support in the House of Commons. Its leader is the Prime Minister, who chooses a number of ministers. The second largest party becomes the official opposition with its leader and “shadow cabinet”.

The House of Lords is made up of hereditary and life peers and peeresses, including the law lords appointed to undertake the judicial duties of the House, and the Lords Spiritual (two arch-bishops and 24 bishops of the Church of England). The House is presided over by the Lord Chancellor who is head of the judiciary in England and Wales.

Legislative measures are introduced into Parliament as Bills considered both by the House of Commons and by the House of Lords.

The work of Government is carried out through the various government departments.

Local government is carried out by democratically elected councils (local authorities) which aeai with planning and housing, education, personal social services, police, fire brigades and many other services in their areas. Local authorities are given their powers by Parliament and are largely free to govern local affairs in their own way. They finance about a third of their current expenditures.

Three-fifth of current expenditures is met by grants from the central Government and the rest by rents and other forms of income.

The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

The Houses of Parliament constitute perhaps the most popular and widely spread image of London, known and recognized throughout the whole world. In this famous place are also many meeting halls and various parliamentary offices.

The Palace of Westminster, together with Victoria Tower and the Clock Tower - which houses the most famous clock in the world, Big Ben - form an unmistakable architectural complex. But the Towers and the Houses of Parliament are not only associated architecturally, but also in the democratic spirit that rules the political life developed in the House of Commons, for, if Parliament is sitting - British parliamentary debates constitute an exemplary political spectacle - the flag flies on top of Victoria Tower during the whole day. If the debates go on during the night - which quite often happens in the dynamic parliamentary life of Great Britain, especially if matters highly important for the nation are being discussed - a light burns above Big Ben in the Clock Tower. This light at night and the flag during the day-time signal for the people of London that the members of Parliament, each from his own political point of view, are watching over the nation’s interests.

The Houses of Parliament can be visited by the public. The entrance is through the door located at the foot of Victoria Tower and next to the Royal Arch. Visitors start at the Royal Gallery and then go to the House of Lords. Here there is the historical Woolsack, where the Lord Chancellor takes his place to preside over the sittings. From here, visitors proceed towards the Central Corridor, crossing the Antechamber of the Lords. The historical frescos that decorate the walls of the Central Corridor are very interesting. Passing from here visitors arrive at the Antechamber of the Commons and then continue to the actual Commons itself.

At the end of the House of Commons is the Speaker’s Chair, on the right side of which the members of the parliamentary majority sit. The members of the groups that form the Opposition sit on the left, directly facing the Government benches.

Another interesting point in the Houses of Parliament is St.Stephen’s Hall one reaches Westminster Hall. It is one of the oldest buildings in London.

Big Ben. Why is this bell called “Big Ben”? When the great bell was cast in London foundry in 1858, the question of its name was discussed in Parliament. One member said, “Why not call it Big Ben?”

There was much laughter among the members because the man in charge of public buildings was Sir Benjamin Hall, a very tall, stout man whose nickname was “Big Ben”.

From that time the bell has been known as Big Ben. The bell is 7 foot 6 inches high, and 9 foot 6 inches across the mouth. It weighs 13.5 tons (about the same as two double-decker buses). “Big Ben” is the name of the bell only - not the clock, and not the tower.

The Court System in England and Wales

The most common type of law court in England and Wales is the magistrates’ court. There are 700 magistrates’ courts and about 30,000 magistrates.

More serious cases then go to the Crown Court, which has 90 branches in different towns and cities. Civil cases (for example, divorce or bankruptcy cases) are dealt with in County courts.

Appeals are heard by higher courts. For example, appeals from magistrates’ courts are heard in the Crown Court, unless they are appeals on points of law. The highest court of appeal in England and Wales is the House of Lords. (Scotland has its own High Court in Edinburgh, which hears all appeals from Scottish courts.) Certain cases my be referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. In addition, individuals have made the British Government change its practices in a number of areas as a result of petitions to the European Court of Human Rights.

The legal system also includes juvenile courts (which deal with offenders under seventeen) and coroners’ courts (which investigate violent, sudden or unnatural deaths). There are administrative tribunals which make quick, cheap and fair decisions with much less formality. Tribunals deal with professional standards, disputes between individuals and government departments (for example, over taxation).

Types of Legal Professions

Solicitors

There are about 50,000 solicitors, a number which is rapidly increasing, and they make up by far the largest branch of the legal profession in England and Wales. They are found in every town, where they deal with all the day-to-day work of preparing legal documents for buying and selling houses, making wills, etc. Solicitors also work on court cases for their clients, prepare cases for barristers to present in the high courts, and may represent their client in a Magistrates’ court.

Barristers

There are about 5,000 barristers who defend or prosecute in the higher courts. Although solicitors and barristers work together on cases, barristers specialize in representing clients in court and the training and career structures for the two types of lawyer and quite separate. In court, barristers wear wigs and gowns in keeping with the extreme formality of the proceedings. The highest level of barristers have the title QC (Queen’s Councel).

Judges

There are a few hundred judges, trained as barristers, who preside in more serious cases. There is no separate training forjudges.

Jury

A jury consists of twelve people (“jurors”), who are ordinary people chosen at random from the Electoral Register (the list of people who can vote in elections). The jury listen to the evidence given in court in certain criminal cases and decide whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. If the person is found guilty, the punishment is passed by the presiding judge. Juries are rarely used in civil cases. Magistrates

There are about 30,000 magistrates (Justices of the Peace or JP’s), who judge cases in the lower courts. They are usually unpaid and have no formal legal qualifications, but they are respectable people who are given some training.

Coroners

Coroners have medical or legal training (or both), and inquire into violent or unnatural deaths. Clerks of the Court

Clerks look after administrative and legal matters in the courtroom.