The Political Parties of the uk.

The main parties in the UK are the Conservative party (right wing), the Labour party (left wing) and the Liberal Democrats (centre).

The Conservative party goes back to the Tories, or Royalists, who originated in King Charles’ reign (1660-1685). The Tories were the party that supported Church and King; the other main party at time were the Whigs, who were a group eager for political reform. The Tory party gave way to its successor, the Conservative party, in around 1830.

The Conservative party believes in free enterprise and the importance of a capitalist economy, with private ownership preferred to state control.

In 1899 the Trade Union Congress summoned a special conference of trade unions and socialist bodies to make plans to represent labour in Parliament. The proposal for such a meeting had come from Thomas Steels, a member of the Independent Labour Party, which had been formed in 1893. The conference met in February 1900 in London and has always been looked on as the foundation of the Labour Party. The Labour party believes that private ownership and enterprise should be allowed to flourish, but not at the expense of their traditional support of the public services.

There has been a Liberal party in Great Britain since 1868 when the name was adopted by the Whig party. The Whig party was created after the revolution of 1688 and aimed to subordinate the power of the Crown to that of Parliament and the upper classes. In 1981 a second centre party was created by 24 Labour MPs. It was called the Social Democratic party, and which became the Liberal Democrats after the 1987 election.

The Liberal Democrats believe that the state should have some control over the economy, but that there should be individual ownership.

There are other political parties within the UK. The Green party offers economic and industrial policies that relate directly to the environment. The Scottish Nationalist Party wants independence for Scotland within the European Community. Plaid Cymru – the Welsh Nationalist Party – is determined to preserve the Welsh language and culture as the foundation of a distinctive Welsh identity within the UK. Its radical wing has resorted to arson attempts as a means of protest.

14 Гілки влади Об’єднаного Королівства Великої Британії та Північної Ірландії, основні функції.

The Legislative branch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

What is the Government! The Government is the management of the country. The Government makes the important decisions, e. g. about foreign policy, education, or health, but all these decisions have to be approved by Parliament. If Parliament thinks that a particular Government policy is against the public interest, then it can force the Government to change its mind.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. It has either a king or a queen – as its Head of State, but the power of the monarch is limited by the country’s constitution. In practice the monarch reigns but doesn’t rule. The legal authority (the passing of acts) is given to Parliament, and executive authority (the carrying out of laws) to the government. All real power lies with Parliament and the existing government.

The British form of government, that of a “Constitutional Monarchy”, might seem a puzzling notion to many on discovering that Britain does not actually have a written constitution. The Constitution of the United Kingdom is not one document, as are the constitutions of many other countries. Much of it is not ever in writing and so the country is often said to have an unwritten constitution.

Some of the written parts of the Constitution come from laws passed by Parliament. Some written parts come from such old documents as Magna Carta, which limited the king’s power. Other written parts come from common law, a body of laws based on people’s customs and beliefs, and supported in the courts.

The unwritten parts of the Constitution include many important ideas and practices that the people have developed over the years. They include the Cabinet system of government and the relationship between the Cabinet and the monarch. The Constitution can be changed at any time by an act of Parliament or by the people’s acceptance of a new idea or practice. The Constitution is thus very flexible and adapts readily to changing political conditions and ideas.

State Organs of the United Kingdom include the monarchy, the legislative, executive and judicial organs of Government.

Parliament is the most important legislative body of the British people consisting of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Sovereign.

They meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance such as the state opening of Parliament or coronation of a new monarch. The agreement of all three elements is normally required for legislation.

Parliament in Britain exists since 1265. Having been organized in the reign of king Edward 1, it is the oldest Parliament in the world. The main functions of Parliament are:

• to pass laws;

• to give authority for the government to raise money through taxation;

• to examine (to scrutinize) government policy and administration, particularly its financial program;

• to debate or discuss the major political issues of the day.

The House of Commons is a nation-wide representative body, the lower house of the British Government. This assembly is elected by a universal adult suffrage. The House of Commons consists of 651 Members of Parliament, who are directly elected by voters in each of Britain’s 651 parliamentary constituencies. Members of the House of Commons are granted a salary for their parliamentary work. They are elected either at a general election or at a by-election following the death or retirement of an MP. The extreme duration of the House of Commons is fixed at 5 years. So not less frequently than once in 5 years the election has to take place. Only the House of Common can give permission for the Government to collect taxes. The House of Common decides what taxes shall be collected and how money shall be spent. The chairman, who keeps the House of Commons in order, is called the Speaker. He is elected by the members of the House immediately after each new Parliament is formed.

The House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament, consists of over 1,000 non-elected members: the Lords Temporal and the Lords Spiritual. The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, together with twenty-four senior bishops of the Church of England.

The Lords Temporal consists of hereditary peers who have inherited their titles: life peers who are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Government for various services to the nation (their titles cannot be inherited) and the Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) who become life peers on their judicial appointments. The latter serve the House of Lords as the ultimate court of appeal. This appeal court consists of some nine Law Lords who hold senior judicial office. They are presided over by the Lord Chancellor and they form a quorum of three to five when hear appeal cases. So the House of Lords is a Court of Justice, the highest Court of Appeal in Britain. The work of the House of Lords is largely complementary to that of the House of Commons, and includes examining and revising bills from the Commons, and discussing important matters which the Commons cannot find time to debate. The House of Lords doesn’t have the same power as the House of Commons.

It can:

- pass Bills sent to it from the House of Commons;

• amend Bills and send them back to the Commons for approval;

• delay Bills for a limited time;

• start its own Bills, but it must send them to the Commons for approval.

The monarchy is the most ancient institution in the United Kingdom, with a continuous history stretching back over a thousand years. The monarchy is hereditary. The present Sovereign of the UK, Queen Elizabeth II (born 1926; ascended the throne on February 6, 1952; crowned on June 2, 1953) is the head of the judiciary, the commander- in - chief of the armed forces of the Crown and the temporal head of the established Church in England. By convention the Queen invites the leader of the political party, which commands a majority in the House of Commons to form a government. In international affairs the Queen, as head of state, has the power to declare war and make peace, to recognize foreign states and to annex or cede territory. The Queen continues to play an important role in the work of the government. She holds meeting of the Privy Council, gives audience to her ministers and other officials in Britain and overseas, receives accounts of Cabinet decisions, reads dispatches and signs state papers. She must be consulted on every aspect of national life, and she must show complete impartiality.