HIGH SCHOOL AINOUMADY EXECELLENCE Class : 1er L2 A professor : Mr. DIOP ENGLISH PRESENT THEME BRITISH POLITICAL SYSTEM INTRODUCTION I. ROLE OF THE QUEEN II. PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET III. DEPARTMENTS AND PUBLIC SERVICE IV. PARLIAMENT 1. the House of Commons 2. House of Lords V. JUDICIAL SYSTEM VI. Law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland VII. COMPONENTS OF THE POLITICAL EXHIBITORS MOUHAMED GUEYE IBRAHIMA NDIAYE MAME FATOU DIALLO AICHA SOW ALAIN ALIOU SAGNE SYMPTOM BRITISH 1. The crown 2. Limited powers VIII. Departments and Public Service IX. The parliamentary system of Great Britain 1. Bipartisanship 2. The institutional framework CONCLUSION ACEDEMIC YEAR:2018 -2019 INTRODUCTION The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a parliamentary monarchy in which the monarch is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government responsible to the House of Commons. Executive power is exercised by the government on behalf of the Queen. Legislative power is exercised by Parliament, which includes the Queen, the elected House of Commons, and the unelected House of Lords. The members of the government are at the same time members of one of the Houses of Parliament and the most important of them form the cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister. This system of government, known as the Westminster system after the name of the place where Parliament sits, is often considered the main model of a parliamentary system. It has inspired many countries, including those of the Commonwealth. The Constitution of the United Kingdom has the particularity of not being codified: it includes ordinary laws and unwritten conventions but with constitutional value. Since the 1990s, the United Kingdom has initiated a process of devolution of power in its constituent nations: a Scottish Parliament, a National Assembly of Wales and a Northern Ireland Assembly have been created. The United Kingdom is a multi-party state in which there are two main parties that generally alternate in power since 1920: the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. Minority or coalition governments are rare, the first-past-the-post voting system tending to give strong majorities to one or other of the major parties. General elections are held at most every five years. Since the adoption of the "Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011", elections are held every five years on the first Thursday of May. The United Kingdom had its first fixed-date general election in 2015. The current Queen is Elizabeth II since 1952. Theresa May, of the Conservative Party, has been Prime Minister since July 13, 2016. I. ROLE OF THE QUEEN The Queen is formally a part of the United Kingdom Parliament, but her role is limited to granting royal assent to passed bills. Today, this sanction is never denied. Royal Assent is granted in the name of the Queen by Lords Commissioners at a ceremony at the Palace of Westminster. The executive power of the Queen is exercised by Her Majesty's Government (HMG). The monarch appoints the prime minister on the basis of a strict constitutional convention: the prime minister must be a member of the House of Commons who can form a government with the support of the latter. In practice, it is usually the leader of the majority party. The Prime Minister then chooses the other ministers who make up his government, by convention, all are members of one of the two Houses of Parliament. The government is responsible to Parliament: the adoption of a motion of censure by the House of Commons leads to the resignation of the Prime Minister or the dissolution of Parliament. In practice, members of Parliament from major political parties are strictly controlled by the whips who ensure that their vote is in line with the party line. If the government has a large majority in the House of Commons, the chances of losing votes are very low. II. PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET The government is usually composed of about 100 members, but only about 20 of the most important ministers form the Cabinet, which is a collective decision-making body. It is chaired by the Prime Minister, who selects government and cabinet members. In fact, the Prime Minister is the head of the executive power of the United Kingdom because he exercises in the name of the monarch powers under the royal prerogative. The Cabinet includes, in addition to the Prime Minister, the Secretaries of State, that is to say the ministers responsible for an executive department (ministry). The most important are usually: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in charge of finances Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Secretary of State for the Interior The Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for Justice The secretary of state for defense The Cabinet usually meets once a week when Parliament is in session III. DEPARTMENTS AND PUBLIC SERVICE The Government comprises a number of ministries, usually called "department". They are led by ministers, who are most often Secretaries of State and Cabinet member. Secretaries of State may be assisted by other ministers. The application of the decisions of a minister is the work of the Civil Service, a body of neutral officials who remain in place regardless of the government. Each department is administratively run by an official bearing the title of Permanent Secretary. "Whitehall" is a metonymy often used to designate the central services of the Government, these being for the most part located around the Palace of Whitehall. IV. PARLIAMENT The United Kingdom Parliament includes the monarch and two chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords, 1. the House of Commons The House of Commons does not sit in a hemicycle: the government and the opposition face each other. The House of Commons is the lower house of Parliament. It is composed of 650 deputies (called Members of Parliament or MPs) elected by direct universal suffrage according to the first-past-the-post system: the United Kingdom is divided into as many constituencies as there are deputies and each constituency elects a deputy. The term of office of the House is five years maximum. Previously, the Prime Minister had the faculty to ask the queen a dissolution at any time but this prerogative was abolished in 2011. The Marquis of Salisbury is the last Prime Minister to sit in the House of Lords in 1903. Since then, all prime ministers have been members of the House of Commons. The leader of the first party other than the parties forming the Government is the Leader of the Opposition. The House of Commons is the chamber before which the Government is responsible. At the beginning of each session, the House can express its confidence by voting on the Speech from the Throne. 2. House of Lords The House of Lords has long been composed largely of noble hereditary members, life peers and members of the Anglican clergy (the Lords Spiritual). Since the adoption of the House of Lords Act of 1999, the House has only two types of members: the Temporal Lords, which include appointed members (life peers but no hereditary right for their descendants) and 92 remaining hereditary members, elected by all the titular holders who were entitled to a hereditary siege; The 26 Spiritual Lords representing the Church of England, State Church. The House of Lords may exercise a twelve-month suspensive veto on House of Commons bills. However, laws and some conventions limit this right of veto: budget laws or laws implementing important election promises by the Government are not subject to veto. In any case, the House of Commons may override a persistent veto by the House of Lords under provisions of the Parliament Act of 1911. Since 2005 and the creation of the United Kingdom Supreme Court, the House of Lords has no longer a judicial function and the Law Lords have been abolished. V. JUDICIAL SYSTEM Since the United Kingdom is the union of various previously independent countries, it does not have a unified legal system: the Treaty of Union of 1707 provides that Scotland united with England, however, continues to possess its own right. Since 2009, the UK Supreme Court has replaced the House of Lords Appeals Committee as the supreme court of the land. VI. Law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland Scheme of the courts of England and Wales. English law, which applies in England and Wales, and North Irish law, are both based on common law, that is, they are primarily based on case law. And the previous ones. The English and Wales court system is dominated by the Senior Courts: the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the High Court of Justice (Civil Matters) and the Crown Court (Supreme Court). penal). The United Kingdom Supreme Court is the court of last resort for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish law is a mixed legal system that combines common law and civil law. Sheriff's Courts know most of the cases in the first instance. The Court of Session (civil cases) and the High Court of Justice (criminal cases) are the highest courts in Scotland. The VII. COMPONENTS OF THE POLITICAL SYMPTOM BRITISH There are two of them, the Executive and the Parliament . The Executive The executive is dualistic, which is normal in the parliamentary system, it consists of Government and Crown. 1. The crown Britain is the oldest of the current European monarchies, but this monarchy has evolved over time. The monarch has seen his powers gradually diminish. However, its functions are not negligible. 2. Limited powers The Queen of England has significant powers, but they are only nominally exercised. They are the trace of powers that previously belonged fully to the Sovereign, but which with the evolution of the regime, are exercised by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The first of these is the appointment of the Prime Minister. This is a power important, but that has been reduced, since the Queen can not choose the prime minister, her intervention is reduced to a mere formality: the appointment. According to one custom, the Queen must appoint the party leader who wins the legislative elections. It is the monarch who opens every year the sessions of the Parliament, during a ceremony named the State Opening of Parliament at which the Queen delivers the "speech of the Throne "which sets out the Government's program during the year. But if this speech is read by the Sovereign, it is written by the Prime Minister. Royal Assent is also part of royal powers. It corresponds to what we call for the promulgation of laws. In the distant past the monarch could refuse his sanction: he thus opposed his veto. Today, the sanction must be granted. Again, what was once an important prerogative has become a mere formality. Finally, it is the Queen who pronounces the dissolution of the House of Commons. Here again we are witnessing the same phenomenon. Dissolution was for a long time an exclusive power of the King. From the moment when the dualist parliamentary regime became monist, the right of dissolution passed from the hands of the King to those of the Prime Minister. Today the queen is only pronounce the dissolution of the House of Commons, but it is the Prime Minister who decides to resort to this means. However, the law of September 15, 2011 (Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011) removes this power to the Prime Minister. The dissolution can only be decided by the self-dissolution voted at the majority of two-thirds of the deputies or becomes automatic in the event that the Chamber, having officially withdrawn its confidence in a Government does not grant it to any other within the time limit fourteen days. Certain functions The Queen exercising her functions as Head of State for the duration of her life embodies the principle continuity of the state and especially since it belongs to a very old dynasty. At this stability function is added a symbol function. The Queen indeed embodies the Nation, she is which unites the different kingdoms. The crown is an important symbol of identity British. But above all, she exercises a judiciary of influence and persuasion that goes through her weekly meeting with the Prime Minister. By tradition, the latter informs the Sovereign, of the course of business, and asks for his opinion. With over sixty years of reign, the Queen Elizabeth II has extensive experience in managing state affairs. VIII. Departments and Public Service The Government comprises a number of ministries, usually called "department". They are led by ministers, who are most often Secretaries of State and Cabinet member. Secretaries of State may be assisted by other ministers. The application of the decisions of a minister is the work of the Civil Service, a body of neutral officials who remain in place regardless of the government. Each department is administratively run by an official bearing the title of Permanent Secretary. "Whitehall" is a metonymy often used to designate the central services of the Government, these being for the most part located around the Palace of Whitehall. IX. The parliamentary system of Great Britain The British regime is marked by two characteristics. The first is bipartisanship, that is, the existence of two successive parties to power: the conservative party and the party Labor. This bipartisanship is the result of the majority one-round voting system voters to vote useful and therefore to turn away from a third party closer to their beliefs to the extent that it is unlikely to participate in the struggle for power. Moreover, this third party, knowing that it is unlikely to win, does not present candidates in all constituencies and practice electoral alliances with one of the two major parties. Then, this regime has an unwritten Constitution. The latter is a constitution flexible, that is to say that it can be modified according to the same procedure as that applicable for ordinary laws. In addition, there are two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Lords. municipalities. The first saw its powers considerably reduced in 1911 and 1949: thus, in vote on laws or budgets, the House of Commons may override opposition. In addition, a reform of 1999 modified its composition: thus, it is no longer composed appointed members, the hereditary members can no longer 1. Bipartisanship The British regime is marked by bipartisanship, that is the existence of two parties succeed in power: the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. This bipartisanship is the result of majority voting system that requires voters to vote and therefore away from a third party closer to their convictions to the extent that it has little chances to participate in the struggle for power. Moreover, this third party, knowing that it has little chances of winning, does not present candidates in all constituencies and practices electoral alliances with one of the two major parties. The voting system promotes the emergence of stable parliamentary majorities in the measure or it allows the over-representation of the two big parties, and under-represents the third part, the liberal-democratic party, with the exception of the period 1974-1979 marked by a certain instability. Moreover, during the vote, the name of the leader of each party is known and the leader of the party gagging elections become prime minister, voters vote more for a man than for a left. 2. The institutional framework The British regime has an unwritten constitution. The latter is a flexible constitution that is to say that it can be modified according to the same procedure as applicable for ordinary laws. As for the monarch, he must respect strict neutrality. His powers are for the most part symbolic and require the countersignature of the Prime Minister. His most important power is the the Prime Minister's choice, but again he can not say that the leader of the party who won the elections. There are two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The first saw its powers considerably reduced in 1911 and 1949: thus, in the matter of law or budget, the House of Commons can overrule its opposition. In addition, a reform of 1999 changed its composition: thus, it is composed only of members appointed, hereditary members can no longer sit on it. The House of Commons is presided over by a Speaker whose neutrality ensures him to be re-elected in case of a change of majority. Moreover, if the parliamentary session can, in law, last most of the year, it only lasts 6 months. Each session opens with the Speech from the Throne which allows the Prime Minister to make known the main lines of his policy. This speech is followed by a debate. Government control is ensured by oral questions which are highly developed and by standing committees corresponding to the scope of a ministry and special commissions for a particular bill. His powers are extended since it votes the laws and authorizes the opening of credits and approves the recipes. However, in the budget area, its powers are limited by the fact that it does not have power of initiative. Finally, it can call into question the political responsibility of the Government, but this power is rarely used. The Prime Minister is necessarily the leader of the party that won the elections, and that is he who chooses and dismisses Cabinet members. These are the two organs that determine and lead the politics of the nation, and who hold most of the power to the extent that they effectively lead the majority party, which in the hands of the Cabinet Executive and, indeed, the legislature. Finally, there exists in the House of Commons, a ghost cabient composed of leaders of the opposition party and who is responsible for criticizing the cabinet. CONCLUSION Our analysis shows that there is no "better alternative" to EU membership, where all rights currently enjoyed by European citizens in the United Kingdom and British citizens in the EU could be fully preserved. The level of guarantee of European rights is different in each scenario presented. A choice must therefore be made in the context of the negotiations on the exit from the United Kingdom on the rights to be preserved. It should be noted that this study analyzes only the already existing agreements between the EU and other countries. Other types of agreements may however, be considered during the negotiations. A "gentle Brexit" including a support integral, indeed almost complete, concept of the free movement of persons who, at the moment document is drafted, unrealistic, efforts should be made to protect the acquired rights of European citizens already residing in the United Kingdom and British citizens residing in the EU, in order to to dispel the legal uncertainties that these two groups face. In addition, it is important discuss possible scenarios, with the aim of facilitating mobility and exchanges between the EU and the United Kingdom, knowing that in the eyes of European citizens, particularly British citizens, the free movement of people is one of the main achievements of the EU
