the UK-Unit 4 Government and Politics.docVIP

The United Kingdom: A Survey 2013 Unit 4 Government and Politics What do you know about the role of British Monarchy? The Constitution The UK has no written constitution in any one document; it is only partly written and contained in multiple documents. The Constitution consists of: (1) statute law (成文法), such as Acts of Parliament; (2) common law (习惯法,普通法) or judge-made law, which are precedents established by decisions made in British courts of law, and various traditions and customs; (3) conventions, i.e. principles and practices of government which are not legally binding but have the force of law; (4) ancient documents such as The Magna Carta (1215), The Petition of Right (权利请愿书) (1628), The Bill of Rights (1689), and the new addition of European Union law. Evolution of British Constitution: 1215: Magna Carta 1611: Case of Proclamations 1689: Bill of Rights 1701: Act of Settlement 1832: Reform Act 1911: Parliament Act 1918: Representation of the People Act 1949: Parliament Act 1973: EEC membership 1998: Human Rights Act Characteristics of British Constitution include: (1) constitutional monarchy; (2) parliamentary supremacy; (3) representative democracy; (4) the rule of law. The Constitution: Constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters[p?`r?m?t?(r)] (范围) of a constitution. This form of government differs from absolute monarchy in that an absolute monarch serves as the sole source of political power in the state and is not legally bound by any constitution. Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the monarch may have strictly ceremonial duties or may have reserve powers, depending on the constitution. Under most modern constitutional monarchies there is also a prime minister who is the head of government and exercises effective political power. The Monarchy: the title of the Queen The current Queen, Elizabeth II’s title