7. The Monarch (Crown)

The monarch or Crown is extremely important in British constitution.

The Queen is a part of the legislature - here she is known as «the Queen in Parliament». It is the Queen who opens and dissolves (closes) Parliament.

The Queen is head of the executive. Government operates in her name. It is the Queen whi invites a new Prime Minister to form a Government. The Government Ministers are called «Ministers of the Crown». Even the leader of the largest «minority» party is called «Leader of her Majesty’s Opposition».

Judiciary. The sovereign is the «fountain of justice and mercy». The power of doing justice in the courts is in the hands of the judges but they are called «Her Majesty’s Judges».

Only one other person has straddled the L, E and J. He is the Lord Chancellor, but his active role is no longer considered acceptable in a modern democracy, because it breaches the separation of powers.

The Queen’s position in the constitution may be a ceremonial one, but she is uniquely placed to bind together the most powerful bodies in the country.

8. The House of Commons

The House of Commons is the chief source of British laws. Members of it were ordinary common people, known as «commoners». Even to this day a noble or «peer», who is a member of the House of Lords isn’t allowed to become an MP.

The UK is divided up into 646 geographical parts. Each part is known as a constituency. Everyone who lives in the constituency and who is over the age 18 is entitled to vote when a General Election is held. Those who wish to stand for Parliament are called candidates. Candidate who gets the most votes in the constituency is elected to become MP. Almost every MP belongs to one of the political parties. The party with an overall majority of MPs

will be asked by the Queen to form the next Government. Some candidates, however, are independent of any political party .

The MPs decide which laws to pass. It is the duty of MP to look after the interests of all the people in his constituency. Britain has the system of government by the people, which is called a democracy. The leadership of the Government are Prime Minister, and the other Ministers.

The House of Commons is presided over by Speaker, whose job is to keep order in the House and ensure that its rules are obeyed.

9. House of Lords

House of Lords is made up of the Peers of the Realm. There are two main groups of Peers. The Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal.

The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops and Bishops. They are all representatives of the Church of England.

The Lords Temporal are made up of two types of peer, Hereditary Peers and Life Peers.

Hereditary Peers are those whose titles are passed down from generation to generation. They include Dukes, Earls and Viscounts. They are known as «peers by succession». In 1999 Hereditary Peers lost the sit and vote in the House of Lords. But a small number Hereditary Peers have have been made Life Peers.

Life Peers are made peers for their lifetime only. They can’t pass their titles to their children. They are usually people with a successful career in politics, education, business, medicine and the law.

The members of the House of Lords have examined the laws proposed by the House of Commons, and suggest amendments if they think they are necessary. They also can block or delay a new law, but this power is very limited.

The House of Lords has its own Speaker, named the Lord Chancellor. He presides over debates in the House of Lords (legislature), he is a senior member of the Cabinet (executive), and he is a head of the judiciary.