The Uk System Of Government And Politics

A summary of the UK`s system of politics and government

The United Kingdom`s system of government is based upon structures, institutions, rules, laws, conventions and theoretical constructs that are the product of a long history. As a result it can be difficult to study and understand exactly what is happening. when looking at the news. This is especially the case when the day-to-day politics of the UK are overlaid on the government systems. Government and politics are two separate areas of study that, in the real world, are interrelated.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is indeed a kingdom. Currently the monarch is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In theory the sovereignty of the UK is vested in the Crown and the Monarch is the human embodiment of the Crown. This means all UK citizens are described as royal subjects. This is because in theory all are subjected to the power of the monarch. The Crown owns all of the UK, including all buildings, all land, all resources and even the atmosphere.

But, the Monarch does not actually govern. Instead, they appoint a Prime Minister that leads Her Majesty`s Government. The Prime Minister forms a government by appointing ministers to lead government departments, but this is not the whole story. The UK is, in addition to being a monarchy, a liberal parliamentary democracy. This means there is a parliament that is, in part, elected by the people of the UK.

This is where the whole system becomes complicated. Although the Monarch could appoint any person (in theory) to be Prime Minister, in practice they appoint the leader of the largest political party within the House of Commons. The largest party is the one that wins the most seats at the general election. A seat is a term that refers to a constituency, which is a geographically defined area from which an Member of Parliament is elected. So, when there is a general election, it is in fact 650 separate elections in 650 constituencies throughout the UK. When all are counted each constituency returns one MP to the House of Commons. So, the winning party is the one with the most MPs and if it has a majority of all MPs (over 325) it can form a government by asking the Monarch to appoint its leader as the Prime Minister. If one party does not have a majority then there may be a coalition to achieve a majority, as is the case in the UK right now.

Parliament also has a second chamber. This is called the House of Lords and is filled with spiritual lords (Church of England Bishops), appointed Life Peers and some hereditary peers. Peer is a word that means Lord. The House of Lords is theoretically equal in power to the House of Commons, but in practice it has agreed allow the House of Commons to be higher due to the House of Commons being elected and so being seen as more democratically legitimate.

Parliament`s main function is to make laws and to do this it is provided with sovereignty by the Monarch. This is symbolised by the fact the Monarch opens parliament each year and by the presence of a mace in each chamber. If the mace is not there in the chamber, the proceedings have no legitimacy. This concept of `parliamentary sovereignty` is a key feature of the UK government and political system. Parliament is the highest authority and cannot be challenged by other areas of government, including the judiciary.

But, the system is more complex still. The Prime Minister and the main ministers are also MPs. By convention they have to be. So, Her Majesty`s Government is composed of MPs and some Lords, meaning the government, through the party system has come control over parliament and particularly the House of Commons. In fact, if the government lose a `vote of no confidence` in the House of Commons they must either replace the Prime Minister or resign as a government, meaning there would usually be a general election.

In summary, the UK is a constitutional monarchy that operates a political system known as a liberal democracy. The government of the UK is led by an appointed Prime Minister and is composed of MPs and Lords. The House of Commons and House of Lords jointly pass legislation and hold the government to account. There are general elections, usually every five years, to elect MPs and the number of MPs determine which political party(s) form the government. The House of Lords is appointed, not elected, so chooses to exercise less power.

The whole system is governed by constitutional arrangements, but there is not a single document called `The Constitution`, instead the Constitution is a combination of statute laws made by parliament, common law, conventions, and works of constitutional authority. So, it is messy, difficult to understand and can be changed easily.

In addition, since the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973, which is now called the European un ion (EU), some UK constitutional arrangements are due to EU decisions. For example, EU law is seen as higher than UK law, so is higher than Acts of Parliament, which challenges Parliament`s sovereignty.