Government.

The Government includes the Cabinet, the Civil Service and the local authorities. One of the characteristic features of British government is that the highest executive authority (the Cabinet) is a part of the highest legislative authority (Parliament). In this respect, the British form of government differs from the American model. In the USA the executive branch of government (The President and the Cabinet) is separated from the legislative branch (the Congress), while in GB they are overlapping.

The party which wins most seats at a general election usually forms the government. The leading position in the Cabinet came naturally to be associated with the Treasury.

The PM informs the Queen of the general business in the Government, presides over the Cabinet and is responsible for the allocation of functions among ministers. Choosing people for the positions of the bishops of the Church of England PM can influence religious policies of the state.

The current PM is Tony Blair, Labour. He is for proportional representation and he is proponent of the Euro and against abolition of monarchy. Even though his rating is considerably high, he is criticised for insufficient support to farmers after severe losses of the stock, he is criticised for not having improved medical service in GB. In the field of education, the Labour has not done anything yet to reduce student-staff ratio. And most severely still he is blamed for having entangled the country into the Iraqui conflict which is considered a gross swindlery.

Ministers in charge of government departments who are usually in the Cabinet, are known as ‘Secretaries of State ‘ or may have a traditional title: ‘The Chancellor’, ‘The Exchecker’, ‘The President of the Board of Trade’. The opposition forms the so-called ‘shadow Cabinet’.

The Cabinet meets on a weekly basis in a special Cabinet room at the London residence of PM, Number 10 Downing Street. Their main functions are: to govern the state according to the policy indicated by the Parliament, to coordinate the work of all elements of Government and to ensure progressive development of all spheres of life in the country. It is interesting that the Cabinet as an institution is not recognized by any law even now. Technically it is an informal committee of Privy Councillors.

In order to function normally, the Government needs some permanent officials, not dependable on the results of elections. In England they are called civil servants. That is why the Government is often referred to as Whitehall – the London street where the offices of the Civil Service are situated. ¾ of those who enter the Civil service are recruited by a severe open competitive examination from the most able university graduates; ¼ are promoted.

Local Authorities.

The combination of local autonomy with centralized control over matters of general character is a peculiar feature of British form of government which made it one of the most efficient in the world.

Administatively the UK is divided into 72 counties and over 80 city counties. The 2 largest counties, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire – are divided into smaller administrative areas – ridings in Yorkshire and parts in Lincolnshire. The three counties Chershire, Durham and Lancashire are called county palatines and have more autonomy than other English counties. (Originally they were formed to protect the inner regions from invasions).

In England there are 6 metropolitan counties – those which include conurbations – a word used to describe big industrial cities with their sattelites (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds).

The County Council is the most important unit of local government. Nobody can plan anything – shopping centres, factories, parks without its permission. Each county is divided into districts of about 60.000 – 100.000 people. The District councils are responsible for housing, keeping the district clean, inspecting the food shops, etc. Some districts have the cermonial title of boroughs. The Chairman there is normally known as Lord Mayor. On official occasions he is helped by his mayoress; even if a mayor is a woman, the mayoress is appointed just the same to help to carry social functions. The money the councils need comes from the rates, a local tax paid by all owners of houses or land.