The political system of Great Britain

Britain is a constitutional monarchy which means that the monarch, at the moment Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State. The hereditary principle upon which the monarchy is founded is strictly observed. The now reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II is a descendant of the Saxon King Egbert.

There is no written constitution in Great Britain because it is not set out in a single document. Instead it is made up of a combination of laws and practices which are not legally enforceable, but which are regarded as vital to the working of government. The term "English Constitution" means the leading principles, conventions and laws, many of which have been existing for centuries, though they have undergone modifications and extensions in agreement with the advance of civilization. These principles are expressed in such documents of major importance as Magna Charta, a famous document in English history agreed upon in 1215 by King John and the barons, which set certain limits on royal power and which was later regarded as a law stating basic civil rights; Habeas Corpus Act, a law passed in 1679, which guarantees to a person arrested the right to appear in court of justice so that the jury should decide whether he is guilty or not guilty; The Bill of Rights, an act of Parliament passed in 1689, which confirmed certain rights of the people; the laws deciding the succession of the royal family, and a number of constitutional acts, separate laws and agreements.

The stability of the British government owes much to the monarchy. Its continuity has been interrupted only once (the republic of 1649-60) in over a thousand years. According to the law the Queen is head of the executive branch of the government, an integral part of the Queen Mother legislature, head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Crown and the 'supreme governor' of the established Church of England. While that sounds like a lot of responsibility, the real power of the monarchy has been steadily reduced over the years to the point where the Queen is uninvolved in the day-to-day operation of the government. She is impartial and acts only on the advice of her ministers. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament and the elected Government, and takes no part in the decision-making process.

Power in Great Britain is divided among three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch.

The legislative branch is represented by Parliament, which consists of two chambers, or houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament in Britain has existed since 1265. Having been organized in the reign of King Edward I, it is the oldest parliament in the world.

The House of Lords has more than 1,000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. This House consists of those lords who have been given life peerages which end with the life of their possessors. Members of this Upper House are not elected. They sit there because of their rank. New peers are created by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. Sometimes a prominent politician is made a peer, sometimes a leading civil servant who has served the country well. As a result, about one-third of the Lords today are company directors, bankers, newspaper proprietors and other businessmen. The chairman of the House of Lords isthe Lord Chancellor and he sits on a special seat called the Woolsack.

The members of the House of Commons are elected by a general election. The whole country is divided into constituencies, every one of which chooses one delegate. Big cities are divided into several constituencies each. Members of the House of Commons are elected for five years.

Parliament's main function is to make laws. The procedure of making new laws is as follows: a member of the House of Commons proposes a bill, which is discussed by the House. If the bill is approved, it is sent to the House of Lords, which, in case it does not like it, has the right to veto it for one year. If the House of Commons passes the bill again the following year, the House of Lords cannot reject it. Finally the bill is sent to the Queen for the "royal assent", after which it becomes a law.

The executive branch is headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the queen. According to tradition, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party that has won the elections and has the majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister appoints the ministers to compose the government. After that the newly appointed ministers are presented to the monarch for the formal approval. The most important ministers of the government (about twenty) form the Cabinet. Members of the Cabinet make joint decisions or advise the Prime Minister. The main function of the executive branch of the government is to administer the laws (to see that the laws are carried out, actually to rule the country).

The judicial branch interprets the laws. The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court of Judicature, which consists of two divisions: the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal. It is often said that English law is superior to the law of most other countries. Indeed, the English judicial system contains many rules which protect the individual against arbitrary action by the police and the government.

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