Life in the
United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship
Chapter 4. How the United
Kingdom is governed
The British Constitution
The
British Constitution is not written down in any single document, as are the
constitutions of many other countries. This is mainly because the United
Kingdom has never had a lasting revolution, like America or France, so our most
important institutions have been in existence for hundreds of years. Some
people believe that there should be a single document, but others believe that
an unwritten constitution allows more scope for institutions to adapt to meet
changing circumstances and public expectations. The
monarchy Queen
Elizabeth II is the Head of State of the United Kingdom. She is also the
monarch or Head of State for many countries in the Commonwealth. The UK, like
Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden, has a constitutional
monarchy. That means that the King or Queen does not rule the country, but
appoints the government which the people have chosen in democratic elections.
Although the queen or king can advise, warn and encourage the Prime Minister,
the decisions on government policies are made by the Prime Minister and
Cabinet. The
Queen has reigned since her father's death in 1952. Prince Charles, the Prince
of Wales, her oldest son, is the heir to the throne. The
Queen has important ceremonial roles such as the opening of the new
parliamentary session each year. On this occasion the Queen makes a speech that
summarises the government's policies for the year ahead. Government The system of government in the United Kingdom
is a parliamentary democracy. The UK is divided into 646 parliamentary
constituencies and at least every five years voters in each constituency elect
their Member of Parliament (MP) in a general election. All of the elected MPs
form the House of Commons. Most MPs belong to a political party and the party
with the largest number of MPs forms the government. The law that requires new elections to
Parliament to be held at least every five years is so fundamental that no
government has sought to change it. A Bill to change it is the only one to
which the House of Lords must give its consent. Some people argue that the power of Parliament
is lessened because of the obligation of the United Kingdom to accept the rules
of the European Union and the judgments of the European Court, but it was
Parliament itself that created these obligations. The House of Commons The House of Commons is the more important of
the two chambers in Parliament, and its members are democratically elected.
Nowadays the Prime Minister and almost all the members of the Cabinet are
members of the House of Commons. The members of the House of Commons are called
"Members of Parliament", or MP s for short. Each MP represents a parliamentary
constituency, or area of the country: there are 646 of these. MPs have a number
of different responsibilities. They represent everyone in their constituency,
they help to create new laws, and they scrutinize and comment on what
government is doing, and they debate important national issues. Elections There must be a general election to elect MPs
at least every 5 years, though they may be held sooner if the Prime Minister so
decides. If an MP dies or resigns, there will be another election, called a
by-election, in his or her constituency. MPs are elected through a system
called "first past the post". In each constituency, the candidate who gets the
most votes is elected. The government is then formed by the party which wins
the majority of constituencies. The Whips The Whips are a small group of MPs appointed by their party leaders. They are responsible for discipline in their party and making sure MPs attend the House of Commons to vote. The Chief Whip often attends Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet meetings and arranges the schedule of proceedings in the House of Commons with the Speaker. European
parliamentary elections Elections for the European Parliament are also held every 5 years. There are 78 seats for representatives from the UK in the European Parliament and elected members are called Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Elections to the European Parliament use a system of proportional representation, whereby seats are allocated to each party in proportion to the total votes it won. The House
of Lords Members of the House of Lords, knows as peers, are not elected and do not represent a constituency. The role and membership of the House of Lords have recently undergone big changes. Until 1958 all peers were either "hereditary", meaning that their titles were inherited, senior judges, or bishops of the Church of England. Since 1958 the Prime Minister has had the power to appoint peers just for their own lifetime. These peers, known as Life Peers, have usually had a distinguished career in politics, business, law or some other profession. This means that debates in the House of Lords often draw on more specialist knowledge that is available to the House of Commons. Life Peers are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, but they include people nominated by the leaders of the other main parties and by an independent Appointments Commission for non-party peers. In the last few years the hereditary peers have lost the automatic right to attend the House of Lords, although the are allowed to elect a few of their number to represent them. While the House of Lords is usually the less important of the two chambers of Parliament, it is more independent of the government. It can suggest amendments or propose new laws, which are then discussed by the House of Commons. The House of Lords can become very important if the majority of its members will not agree to pass a law for which the House of Commons has voted. The House of Commons has powers to overrule the House of Lords, but these are very rarely used. The Prime
Minister The Prime Minister (PM) is the leader of the political party in power. He or she appoints the members of the Cabinet and has control over many important public appointments. The official home of the Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, in central London, near the Houses of Parliament; he or she also has a country house not far from London called Chequers. The Prime Minister can be changed if the MPs in the governing party decide to do so, or if he or she wishes to resign. More usually, the Prime Minister resigns when his or her party is defeated in a general election. The Cabinet The Prime Minister appoints about 20 senior MPs to become ministers in charge of departments. These include the Chancellor of the Exchequer, responsible for the economy, the Home Secretary, responsible for law, order and immigration, the Foreign Secretary, and ministers (called "Secretaries of State") for education, health and defence. The Lord Chancellor, who is the minister responsible for legal affairs, is also a member of the Cabinet but sat in the House of Lords rather than the House of Commons. Following legislation passed in 2005, it is now possible for the Lord Chancellor to sit in the Commons. These ministers form the Cabinet, a small committee which usually meets weekly and makes important decisions about government policy which often then have to be debated or approved by Parliament. The
Opposition The second largest party in the House of Commons is called the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition is the person who hopes to become Prime Minister if his or her party wins the next general election. The Leader of the Opposition leads his or her party in pointing out the government´s failures and weaknesses; one important opportunity to do this is at Prime Minister´s Questions which takes place every week while Parliament is sitting. The Leader of the Opposition also appoints senior Opposition MPs to lead the criticism of government ministers, and together they form the Shadow Cabinet. The Speaker Debates in the House of Commons are chaired by the Speaker, the chief officer of the House of Commons. The Speaker is politically neutral. He or she is an MP, elected by fellow MPs to keep order during political debates and to make sure the rules are followed. This includes making sure the Opposition has a guaranteed amount of time to debate issues it chooses. The Speaker also represents Parliament at ceremonial occasions. The Party
system Under the British system of parliamentary democracy, anyone can stand for election as an MP but they are unlikely to win an election unless they have been nominated to represent one of the major political parties. These are the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, or one of the parties representing Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish interests. There are just a few MPs who do not represent any of the main political parties and are called "independents". The main political parties actively seek members among ordinary voters to join their debates, contribute to their costs, and help at elections for Parliament or for local government; they have branches in most constituencies and they hold policy making conferences every year. Pressure
and lobby groups Pressure and lobby groups are organisations that try to influence government policy. They play a very important role in politics. There are many pressure groups in the UK. They may represent economic interests (such as the Confederation of British Industry, the Consumers´ Association, or the trade unions) or views on particular subjects (e.g. Greenpeace or Liberty). The general public is more likely to support pressure groups than join a political party. The civil
service Civil servants are managers and administrators who carry out government policy. They have to be politically neutral and professional, regardless of which political party is in power. Although civil servants have to follow the policies of the elected government, they can warn ministers if they think a policy is impractical or not in the public interest. Before a general election takes place, top civil servants study the Opposition party´s policies closely in case they need to be ready to serve a new government with different aims and policies. Devolved
administration In order to give people in Wales and Scotland more control of matters that directly affect them, in 1997 the government began a programme of devolving power from central government. Since 1999 there has been a Welsh Assembly, a Scottish Parliament, and, periodically, a Northern Ireland Assembly. Although policy and laws governing defence, foreign affairs, taxation and social security all remain under central UK government control, many other public services now come under the control of the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland. Both the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly have been set up using forms of proportional representation which ensures that each party gets a number of seats in proportion to the number of votes they receive. Similarly, proportional representation is used in Northern Ireland in order to ensure "power sharing" between the Unionist majority (mainly Protestant) and the substantial (mainly Catholic) minority aligned to Irish nationalist parties. A different form of proportional representation is used for elections to the European Parliament. The Welsh
Assembly Government The National Assembly for Wales, or Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), is situated in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. It has 60 Assembly Members (AMs) and elections are held every four years. Members can speak in either Welsh or English and all its publications are in both languages. The Assembly has the power to make decisions on important matters such as education policy, the environment, health services, transport and local government, and to pass laws for Wales on these matters within a statutory framework set out by the UK Parliament at Westminster. The
Parliament of Scotland A long campaign in Scotland for more independence and democratic control led to the formation in 1999 of the Parliament of Scotland, which sits in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. There are 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), elected by a form of proportional representation. This has led to the sharing of power in Scotland between the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties. The Scottish Parliament can pass legislation for Scotland on all matters that are not specifically reserved to the UK Parliament. The matters on which the Scottish Parliament can legislate include civil and criminal law, health, education, planning and the raising of additional taxes. The
Northern Ireland Assembly A Northern Ireland Parliament was established in 1922 when Ireland was divided, but it was abolished in 1972 shortly after the Troubles broke out in 1969. Soon after the end of the Troubles, the Northern Ireland Assembly was established with a power-sharing agreement which distributes ministerial offices among the main parties. The Assembly has 108 elected members known as MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly). Decision-making powers devolved to Northern Ireland include education, agriculture, the environment, health and social services in Northern Ireland. The UK government kept the power to suspend the Northern Ireland Assembly if the political leaders no longer agreed to work together or if the Assembly was not working in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland. This had happened several times and the Assembly is currently suspended (2006). This means that the elected assembly members do not have power to pass bills or make decisions. Local
government Towns, cities and rural areas in the UK are governed by democratically elected councils, often called local authorities. Some areas have both district and county councils which have different functions, although most larger towns and cities will have a single local authority. Many councils representing towns and cities appoint a mayor who is the ceremonial leader of the council but in some towns a mayor is appointed to be the effective leader of administration. London has 33 local authorities, with the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London co-ordinating policies across the capital. Local authorities are required to provide "mandatory services" in their area. These services include education, housing, social services, passenger transport, the fire service, rubbish collection, planning, environmental health and libraries. Most of the money for the local authority services comes from the government through taxes. Only about 20% is funded locally through "council tax" - a local tax set by councils to help pay for local services. It applies to all domestic properties, including houses, bungalows, flats, maisonettes, mobile homes or houseboats, whether owned or rented. Local elections for councillors are held in May every year. Many candidates stand for council election as members of a political party. The
judiciary In the UK the laws made by Parliament are the highest authority. But often important questions arise about how the laws are to be interpreted in particular cases. It is the task of the judges (who are together called "the judiciary") to interpret the law, and the government may not interfere with their role. Often the actions of the government are claimed to be illegal, and, if the judges agree, then the government must either change its policies or ask Parliament to change the law. This has become all the more important in recent years, as the judges now have the task of applying the Human Rights Act. If they find that a public body is not respecting a person´s human rights, they may order that body to change its practices and to pay a compensation, if appropriate. If the judges believe that an Act of Parliament is incompatible with the Human Rights Act, they cannot change it themselves but they can ask Parliament to consider doing so. Judges cannot, however, decide whether people are guilty or innocent of serious crimes. When someone is accused of a serious crime, a jury will decide whether he or she is innocent or guilty and, if guilty, the judge will decide on the penalty. For less important crimes, a magistrate will decide on guilt and on any penalty. The police The police service is organised locally, with one police service for each county of group of counties. The largest force is the Metropolitan Police, which serves London and is based at New Scotland Yard. Northern Ireland as a whole is served by the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI). The police have "operational independence", which means that the government cannot instruct them on what to do in any particular case. But the powers of the police are limited by law and their finances are controlled by the government and by police authorities made up of councillors and magistrates. The Independent Police Complaints Commission, (or, in Northern Ireland, the Police Ombudsman) investigates serious complaints against the police. Non-departmental
public bodies (quangos) Non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos, are independent organisations that carry out functions on behalf of the public which it would be inappropriate to place under a political control of a Cabinet minister. There are many hundreds of these bodies, carrying out a wide variety of public duties. Appointments to these bodies are usually made by ministers, but they must do so in an open and fair way. The role of
the media Proceedings in Parliament are broadcast on digital television and published in official reports such as Hansard, which is available in large libraries and on the Internet. Most people, however, get information about political issues and events from newspapers (often called the press), television and radio. The UK has a free press, meaning that what is written in newspapers is free from government control. Newspaper owners and editors hold strong political opinions and run campaigns to try and influence government policy and public opinion. As a result it is sometimes difficult to distinguish fact from opinion in newspaper coverage. By law, radio and television coverage of the political parties at election periods must be balanced and so equal time has to be given to rival viewpoints. But broadcasters are free to interview politicians in a tough and lively way. Who can
vote? The United Kingdom has had a fully democratic system since 1928, when women were allowed to vote at 21, the same age as men. The present voting age of 18 was set in 1969, and (with a few exceptions such as convicted prisoners) all UK-born and naturalised citizens have full civic rights, including the right to vote and do jury service. Citizens of the UK, the Commonwealth and the Irish Republic (if resident in the UK) can vote in all public elections. Citizens of EU states who are resident in the UK can vote in all elections except national parliamentary (general) elections. In order to vote in a parliamentary, local or European election, you must have your name on the register of electors, known as the electoral register. If you are elegible to vote, you can register by contacting your local council election registration office. If you don´t know what your local authority is, you can find out by telephoning the Local Government Association (LGA) information line. You will have to tell them your postcode or your full address and they will be able to give you the name oyour local authority. You can also get voter registration forms in English, Welsh and some other languages on the Internet. The electoral register is updated every year in September or October. An electoral registration form is sent to every household and it has to be completed and returned, with the names of everyone who is resident in the household and elegible to vote on 15 October. In Northern Ireland a different system operates. This is called individual registration and all those entitled to vote must complete their own registration form. Once registered, you can stay on the register provided your personal details do not change. By law, each local authority has to make its electoral register available for anyone to look at, although this now has to be supervised. The register is kept as each local electoral registration office (or council office in England and Wales). It is also possible to see the register at some public buildings such as libraries. Standing
for office Most citizens of the United Kingdom, the Irish Republic or the Commonwealth aged 18 or over can stand for public office. There are some exceptions and these include members of the armed forces, civil servants and people found guilty of certain criminal offences. Members of the House of Lords may not stand for election to the House of Commons but are elegible for all other public offices. To become a local councillor, a candidate must have a local connection with the area through work, being on the electoral register, or through renting or owning land or property. Contacting
elected members All elected members have a duty to serve and represent their constituents. You can get contact details for all your representatives and their parties from your local library. Assembly members, MSPs, MPs and MEPs are also listed in the phone book and Yellow Pages. You can contact MPs by letter or phone at their constituency office or their office in the House of Commons. Many Assembly Members, MSPs, MPs and MEPs hold regular local Òsurgeries. These are often advertised in the local paper and constituents can go and talk about issues in person. How to
visit Parliament and the Devolved Administrations The public can listen to debates in the Palace of Westminster from public galleries in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. You can either write to your local MP in advance to ask for tickets or you can queue on the day at the public entrance. Entrance is free. Sometimes there are long queues for the House of Commons and you may have to wait for at least one or two hours. It is usually easier to get into the House of Lords. In Northern Ireland, elected members, known as MLAs, meet in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, in Belfast. The Northern Ireland Assembly is presently suspended. There are two ways to arrange a visit to Stormont. You can either contact the Education Service or contact an MLA. In Scotland, the elected members, called MSPs, meet in the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh. You can get information, book tickets or arrange tours through the visitor services. In Wales, the elected members, known as AMs, meet in the Welsh Assembly in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. You can book tours or seats in the public galleries for the Welsh Assembly. Check
that you understand The role of the monarchy How Parliament works, and the difference between the House of Commons and the House of Lords How often general elections are held Where the official residence of the Prime Minister is The role of the Cabinet and who is in it The nature of the UK Constitution The job of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow cabinet The difference between Òfirst past the postÓ and proportional representation The form of electoral systems in the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales The rights and duties of British citizens, including naturalized citizens How the judiciary, police and local authorities work What non-departmental public bodies are The UK in
Europe and the World The
Commonwealth The Commonwealth is an association of countries, most of which were once part of the British Empire, though a few countries that were not in the Empire have also joined it. The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth, which currently has 53 member states. Membership is voluntary and the Commonwealth has no power over its members although it can suspend membership. The Commonwealth aims to promote democracy, good government and to eradicate poverty. The
European Union (EU) The European Union (EU), originally called the European Economic Community (EEC), was set up by six Western European countries who signed the Treaty of Rome on 25 March 1957. One of the main reasons for doing this was the belief that co-operation between states would reduce the likelihood of another war in Europe. Originally the UK decided not to join this group and only became part of the European Union in 1973. In 2004 ten new members joined the EU, with a further two in 2006 making a total of 27 members countries. One of the main aims of the EU today is for member states to function as a single market. Most of the countries of the EU have a single currency, the euro, but the UK has decided to retain its own currency unless the British people choose to accept the euro in a referendum. Citizens of an EU member state have the right to travel and to work in any EU country if they have a valid passport or identity card. This right can be restricted on the grounds of public health, public order and public security. The right to work is also sometimes restricted for citizens of countries that have joined the EU recently. The Council of the European Union (usually called the Council of Ministers) is effectively the governing body of the EU. It is made up of government ministers from each country in the EU and, together with the European parliament, is the legislative body of the EU. The Council of Ministers passes the EU law on the recommendations of the European Commission and the European Parliament and takes the most important decisions about how the EU is run. The European Commission is based in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. It is the civil service of the EU and drafts proposals for new EU policies and laws and administers its funding programmes. The European Parliament meets in Strasbourg, in north-eastern France, and in Brussels. Each country elects members, called Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), every five years. The European Parliament examines decisions made by the European Council and the European Commission, and it has the power to refuse agreement to European laws proposed by the Commission and to check on the spending of EU funds. European Union law is legally binding in the UK and all other member states. European laws, called directives, regulations or framework decisions, have made a lot of difference to people´s rights in the UK, particularly at work. For example, there are EU directives about the procedures for making workers redundant, and regulations that limit the number of hours people can be made to work. The Council
of Europe The Council of Europe was created in 1949 and the UK was one of the founder members. Most of the countries of Europe are members. It has no power to make laws but draws up conventions and charters which focus on human rights, democracy, education, the environment, health and culture. The most important of these is the European Convention on Human Rights; all member states are bound by this Convention and a member state which persistently refuses to obey the Convention may be expelled from the Council of Europe. The United
Nations (UN) The UK is a member of the United Nations (UN), an international organisation to which over 190 countries now belong. The UN was set up after the Second World War and aims to prevent war and promote international peace and security. There are 15 members on the UN Security Council, which recommends action by the UN when the are international crises and threats to peace. The UK is one of the five permanent members. Three very important agreements produced by the UN are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although none of these has the force of law, they are widely used in political debate and legal cases to reinforce the law and to assess the behaviour of countries. Check
that you understand: The differences between the Council of Europe, the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament The UK is a members of the Council of Europe and the European Union The EU aims to become a single market and it is administered by a Council of Ministers of governments of member states Subject to some restrictions, EU citizens may travel to and work in any EU country The roles of the UN and the Commonwealth |
