Slide 19

The first modern Prime Minister was Sir Robert Walpole who served from 1721-1742, so the current PM - David Cameron - is the 53rd. David Cameron is the leader of the Conservative Party. He also heads a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The Prime Minister combines three positions: that of the Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service.

The Prime Minister is the most important person in the British political system. In theory, the Prime Minister simply chooses the ministers who run Government departments and chairs the Cabinet. In practice, however, the Prime Minister is a very powerful figure and increasingly has been behaving much like a president in other political systems, especially in the area of foreign policy.

The UK's head of government is prime minister. This position is held by the Member of Parliament who can obtain the confidence of a majority in the House of Commons. Usually it is the leader of the largest political party in that chamber.

All Government Ministers have to be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords. The number of Ministers varies from administration to administration, but typically there will be around 90.

Slide 18.

Slide 17.

Discussion and debate involve quite a confrontational approach. This is reflected in the physical shape of the chambers. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are rectangular with the Government party sitting on one side and the Opposition parties sitting on the other side. It is quite normal for speakers in debates to be interrupted by other members, especially of another party, and, in the Commons, cheering and jeering is a regular occurrence.

In the Commons, there is a Prime Minister's Question (PMQ) Time for 30 minutes at 12 noon every Wednesday. Questions can be asked on any subject. This is frequently an affair with the Leader of the Opposition trying to embarrass the Prime Minister.

The official record of the proceedings of the Commons and the Lords is called Hansard. The press and broadcasters are present all the time and live audio and visual broadcasting can take place at any time.

Exacutive power. Government.

The official residence of the Prime Minister is at 10 Downing Street.

The most important political departments in the Government are called:

· The Treasury - In most countries, this would be called the Ministry of Finance. It is responsible for the raising of all taxes and the control of all government expenditure plus the general management of the economy.

· The Home Office - In most countries, this would be called the Ministry of the Interior. It is responsible for criminal matters, policing, and immigration.

· The Foreign and Commonwealth Office - In most countries, this would be called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is responsible for all international relationships, especially membership of the European Union.

Many other UK Government Departments are similar to those in other countries and cover subjects such as education, health, transport, industry, and justice. However, there are also departments for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A number of Government Departments are located along a central London street very close to Parliament called Whitehall. Each Department is headed by Secretary of State.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-11