Great Britain -- parliamentary monarchy led by the queen. Legislature -- bicameral parliament(Monarch + House of Commons and House of Lords - the so-called King (Queen) in Parliament system). Parliament is the highest authority throughout the territory, despite the presence in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland own management administrative structures. The government is headed by the monarch, and is directly administered by the prime minister, appointed by the monarch, who is thus the Chairman of His (Her) Majesty's Government.

A distinctive characteristic is the absence of any single document that could be called the fundamental law of the country; there is no written Constitution, moreover, there is not even an exact list of documents that would relate to the Constitution. The relationship between the people and the government is regulated by statutes, unwritten laws and conventions, and British imperialism was one of the main culprits of the First World War.

In this war, the English bourgeoisie hoped to find a way out of the deepest social and Political crisis, in which England found itself, like other imperialist states, in the second decade of the twentieth century. During the first World War II, British imperialism sought to strengthen the class positions of the bourgeoisie in Great Britain itself and strengthen the British colonial empire, expand its possessions by seizing new territories.

Economic downturn

The war of 1914 - 1918, started by the imperialists of all countries, led to the most unexpected results for them. The war further aggravated class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie in each of the countries participating in the war - and created the preconditions for the maturation of a revolutionary situation in a number of countries. Since the time of the first world imperialist war and the Great October Revolution socialist revolution The capitalist world has entered a period of general crisis of capitalism.

The split of the world into two camps and the loss of one sixth of the globe from the system of capitalism, the revolutionary impact of the Great October Socialist Revolution on the peoples oppressed by capitalism significantly weakened the position of British imperialism. The general crisis of capitalism manifested itself in a particularly acute form in England, which was a classic example countries of decaying capitalism.

True, England continued to remain one of the largest colonial powers. It captured most of the German colonies and territories of the former Ottoman Empire. But the English bourgeoisie has irrevocably lost its former monopoly on the world industrial and financial markets. The center of financial exploitation of the capitalist world has moved from England to the United States of America, which has become extremely rich from the war.

England entered the war with a national debt of £650 million, and in 1919 its national debt reached the enormous sum of £7,829 million. After the war, England's foreign debt to the United States alone increased to $5.5 billion.

The material and human losses suffered by England (together with the colonies and dominions) in the First World War were very significant. Great Britain lost about 3 million people in the war (875 thousand were killed, over 2 million people were wounded). During the war, 70 percent were sunk. English merchant fleet.

Compared to other social classes, the English proletariat suffered the greatest number of casualties, since the English army consisted mainly of workers. But even after the end of the war, the British bourgeoisie sought to shift the entire burden of military expenses onto the working masses. War debts were paid primarily by the working class, which was forcibly drawn into the war and suffered most from this war.

At the same time, the bourgeoisie, having profited significantly during the war, continued to enrich itself in the post-war period. Loans made by the British government during the war became one of the main sources of enrichment for the English and American financial oligarchy. The British government took out loans from American and British bankers on very unfavorable terms for England. The interest that the British government paid on the war debt was 2-3 times higher than on the international stock exchange.

Subsequently, for many years, the English government spent 40 percent annually. expenditure budget (about 350 million pounds sterling) to pay interest on war loans. The process of concentration of capital, the merging of banking and industrial capital, and the merging of monopolies with the state apparatus has intensified. Stock traders, bankers and large industrialists occupied high government posts and had a decisive influence on the policy of the British government. The robbery of the working masses of Great Britain and its colonies could not save the English capitalist economy from the severe economic and chronic financial crisis that took place on the basis of the general crisis of capitalism. After the First World War, the English economy was characterized by an increasingly intensifying decline in the main industries (coal, textiles, metallurgy), chronic underutilization of enterprises and the presence of millions of unemployed armies, which turned from reserve to permanent armies of the unemployed. The clearest expression of the crisis state of the English economy was the situation created in industry.

For 20 post-war years (from 1918 to 1938), British industry almost did not exceed the level of 1913. During this period, industry in England as a whole hovered around the level of 1913. Only in the last years before the Second World War was there a certain rise in British industry, but this rise was associated with the revival of the military situation and the preparation of the imperialist countries for a new war.

The state finances of capitalist England were also in an extremely difficult state. The pound sterling has forever lost stability on the international stock exchange. If in 1913 the English pound sterling was equal to almost 5 dollars, then in 1920 it was a little more than 3 dollars. The hardships of war and October Revolution in Russia led to the scale of the mass labor movement. The short-term economic recovery in England gave way in the second half of 1920 to an economic crisis. The industrial production index fell and unemployment increased. Parliament adopted the Law on the Introduction state of emergency in the country. To suppress the workers' movement, the government could use police and army forces. An attempt to maintain British influence in the Middle East region by concluding an agreement with Iran was also unsuccessful. The Greek-English invasion of Turkey was defeated. On October 19, 1922, the King of Great Britain for the first time entrusted the formation of a government to Labor leader Ramsay MacDonald. The Labor government had to implement a number of measures in the interests of workers. These included a plan to increase allocations for housing construction. The insurance system for the unemployed was somewhat improved, and pensions for disabled elderly people were increased. Taking into account the mood of the popular masses, the government of R. MacDonald on February 2, 1924 established diplomatic relations from the USSR.

Monarchy and its role

The monarch is the head of state, the source of sovereign power and the symbol of the unity of the nation. According to the Act of Succession to the Crown of 1701, the Castilian system operates in Great Britain, according to which the succession to the throne of a deceased or abdicated monarch is carried out by the eldest son, and in his absence, by the eldest daughter. The English monarch must be a Protestant by religion and cannot be married to a Catholic. The monarch in Great Britain represents the stability of state institutions and the unity of the nation. His position in the system of power is determined by the formula “reigns, but does not rule.” At the same time, formally the monarch has significant powers and even greater influence on the functioning of government institutions. Most of the powers of the monarch are determined by the concept of "royal prerogative", other powers are enshrined in law.

The royal prerogative is the totality of the monarch's powers under common law. After 1688 the royal prerogative came to be seen as limited by law and defined judicial practice. Today, any of the powers of the monarch that are part of the royal prerogative can, if necessary, become the subject of lawmaking by the chambers. If Parliament passes a law on a matter within the royal prerogative, then from that time on it is considered to be removed from it. This is reflected in judicial practice.

In English constitutional law, there are two main types of prerogative powers of the monarch: a) personal; b) political.

Personal prerogatives are largely reduced to a series of rules ensuring royal immunities and property rights. For example, “a monarch never dies”, i.e. according to common law, there cannot be an interregnum, since the existing system of succession to the throne provides for the permanent functioning of the institution of the monarchy. Another example of personal prerogative is the rule that "the monarch cannot do wrong." In practice, this means judicial immunity for the monarch. It does not follow from this, however, that the Crown as an institution of power cannot be a defendant in court. We are talking only about the personal immunity of the monarch.

Political prerogatives. This group of powers is very extensive and is classified in educational and scientific literature according to various criteria. One of them is powers in the field of domestic and foreign policy.

In the field of domestic policy, the royal prerogative can be represented as follows: 1) prerogative in the field of management; 2) prerogative in the judicial field; 3) legislative prerogative.

The prerogative in the field of government means: a) the right of the monarch to appoint and dismiss ministers; b) leadership of the armed forces; c) management of Crown property; d) appointment of bishops; e) salary of honorary titles; f) emergency and defense powers.

The prerogative in the judicial field is based on the rule “the monarch is the source of justice.” Historically, British monarchs not only appointed judges, but also took part in court proceedings. Today British judges administer justice on behalf of the monarch, but are appointed according to a procedure established by law. In practice, judicial prerogatives consist in the monarch having the right to pardon. This right is exercised by the monarch with the active participation of the Minister of the Interior.

The prerogative in the legislative field manifests itself in two ways. Firstly, this is the right of the monarch to convene and dissolve Parliament - the legislative body of power. Secondly, legislative powers consist in the right to sign bills adopted by the chambers of Parliament.

In the field of foreign policy, the royal prerogatives are as follows: 1) the right to declare and conclude peace; 2) the right to conclude international treaties; 3) the right to decide on annexation and cession of territory; 4) right of referral and accreditation diplomatic representatives; 5) the right to recognition by foreign states and governments.

It should be borne in mind that the political powers (prerogatives) of the monarch are exercised on the advice and with the participation of Government ministers. Separately, it is necessary to say about the right to conclude international treaties. In accordance with the practice established since 1924, international treaties signed by heads of state are submitted for approval by both houses of Parliament. This rule can be considered as a constitutional convention. Agreements of an economic, commercial or technical nature do not require the above procedure for consideration in Parliament if they: a) do not contain in their text a rule requiring ratification; b) do not involve changes in UK law or taxation; c) do not affect the private rights of British subjects.

The Privy Council is an advisory body under the monarch, which historically appeared in the British government system in the 13th century.

Part Privy Council includes Cabinet Ministers, Judges of the Court of Appeal, Archbishops of the Church of England, the Speaker of the House of Commons, British Ambassadors to foreign countries and other persons holding or holding senior positions on public service. There are about 300 people in total. The entire Privy Council meets on especially solemn occasions, for example on the occasion of the coronation ceremony of the monarch. Usually only a few Council members take part in a meeting. Quorum is three people.

The Privy Council makes decisions on behalf of the monarch, either in the form of proclamations or orders. The convocation and dissolution of Parliament, the declaration of war and peace and any other speech of the monarch on solemn occasions are clothed in the form of a proclamation. Decisions on matters of law and government are made in the form of orders in the Privy Council. The legal force of orders in Council is recognized by the courts if these decisions: a) do not exceed the scope of the royal prerogative; b) do not exceed the powers delegated to the Crown by parliamentary statute.

The Privy Council can create various committees, the most important of which, from the point of view of legal development, is the Judicial Committee, established in accordance with the Judicial Committee Act 1833. The Committee includes: the Lord Chairman of the Council, the Lord Chancellor, former Lords Presidents , "Ordinary Lords of Appeal" (professional judges) and a number of other persons who hold or have held the highest judicial positions. Since 1833, the jurisdiction of the Judicial Committee has narrowed significantly, but today it plays a prominent role in the development of British law. In particular, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the body of appeal for decisions church courts and to decisions of tribunals of various professional bodies, such as health professionals.

The Judicial Committee also has the special competence that the monarch can request its opinion on any issue of law.

Government and cabinet, the role of the prime minister

The cabinet management system actually developed during the period between the First and Second World Wars. The Cabinet is a group of ministers invited by the Prime Minister to discuss and make decisions on the most important issues domestic and foreign policy of the country.

The Prime Minister decides independently on the size of the Cabinet. Usually this is about twenty people.

The personnel composition is also predetermined by the Prime Minister when appointing the most important ministerial posts. When forming the Cabinet, the only condition must be met: its members are required to sit in one of the chambers of Parliament so that their activities are under constant parliamentary control. At the same time, the law establishes a mandatory quota of ministers - members of the House of Commons, thus predetermining the participation in the Government of members of the House of Lords. The Lord Chancellor (Speaker of the House of Lords) is always a member of the Cabinet.

"Inner office". This concept became stable in the last years of British political life. It covers the group of the Prime Minister's closest advisers and friends who are members of the Cabinet. "Inner Cabinet" is an informal association of ministers that does not have legal status or a structural organization within the Cabinet of Ministers.

Cabinet committees. Within the framework of the Cabinet of Ministers, according to tradition, since the 19th century, committees have been created to consider various issues of domestic and foreign policy. The names of committees and their number are not determined by law, and these issues are resolved within the Cabinet primarily by the Prime Minister. Typically, committees are created in the following areas of Government work: 1) defense and foreign policy; 2) lawmaking (preparation of government bills and delegated legislation); 3) internal security and social issues; 4) economic policy and planning. Along with traditional ones, adhoc committees can be created. For example, in 1969 - on the problems of Rhodesia, in 1982 - on the South Atlantic (in connection with the Falklands crisis).

Functions of the Cabinet of Ministers

The main directions of activity of the Cabinet of Ministers, regardless of its political orientation and party composition, were defined in a government report in 1918 and have not fundamentally changed since then:

1) final definition political course state submitted for discussion and approval by Parliament;

2) monitoring that the executive branch acts in accordance with the political line determined by Parliament;

3) constant coordination and delimitation of the spheres of activity of ministries and departments.

The leader of the party that wins the election to the House of Commons is appointed Prime Minister. He exercises general leadership of the Cabinet and officially holds the position of First Lord of the Treasury.

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Great Britain (eng. United Kingdom; full name - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) -- Island state V Western Europe, form of government - parliamentary monarchy. The capital is the city of London. The name of the country comes from the English Great Britain. Britain - according to the ethnonym of the Britons tribe.

Great Britain consists of 4 administrative and political parts (historical provinces):

England (39 counties, 6 metropolitan counties and Greater London) - adm. central London

Wales (22 unitary entities: 9 counties, 3 cities and 10 city-counties) - adm. Cardiff center

Scotland (12 regions: 9 districts and 3 main territories) - adm. Edinburgh center

Northern Ireland (26 counties) -- adm. Belfast city center

Dependent territories with capitals:

British Isles Isle of Man (Douglas), Channel Islands, Guernsey (St Peter Port), Jersey (St Helier)

Europe - Gibraltar (Gibraltar)

Anguilla (Valley)

Bermuda (Hamilton)

British Virgin Islands (Road Town)

Cayman Islands (Georgetown)

Montserrat Island (Plymouth)

Turks and Caicos Islands (Cookburntown)

Falkland Islands (Port Stanley)

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Atlantic Ocean

Saint Helena (Jamestown) and its dependent territories - Ascension Islands and Tristan da Cunha

Pitcairn Island (Adamstown)

Indian Ocean

British Indian Ocean Territory - Chagos Archipelago

Statedevice

Great Britain government administrative

UK in politically is a constitutional monarchy. The order of succession to the throne is determined by the Act of Succession to the Throne (1701). The sons of the sovereign succeed to the throne according to seniority; in the absence of sons, the throne passes to eldest daughter. Only Protestants have the right to the throne. The monarch is considered the head of state, commander-in-chief, head of administration and secular head official church England. The monarch is an important symbol of national unity. Oaths of allegiance to the crown are pronounced by ministers, civil servants, police and armed forces; government is carried out in the name of Her Majesty.

The Queen is considered the supreme bearer of executive power, head of the judiciary, supreme commander of the armed forces, secular head of the Church of England, and has the formal right to convene parliament in session. The monarch is integral part parliament along with the House of Lords and the House of Commons; has the right of absolute veto on any law passed by parliament, however last time this power was applied in 1707, for which it received the nickname “sleeping power”; The monarch has the right to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and ministers, but following the constitutional custom that has developed over 200 years, the head of state appoints the leader of the party that won the election as prime minister, and ministers - at the proposal of the head of government.

Only the monarch has the right to dissolve the House of Commons early, although in reality, according to constitutional custom, this is always done by decision of the government and the prime minister.

The Queen heads the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists of 54 states. The Queen is the head of state of a number of Commonwealth countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu), where the Queen is represented by governors general.

Great Britain is a country without a Constitution. The procedures for elections, government formation, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens are determined by numerous laws and decrees. Despite such a complex structure of legal and political institutions this great country with a powerful economy and a huge polarizing influence on global processes is a rule of law state with the principles of legality and morality dominating its entire internal structure. The role of tradition in all spheres of relations between the state and society in England cannot be overestimated; for example, there is a draft constitution that should replace the existing code of laws, but a lot of time will pass before its final implementation, because there is no consensus on the existing “unwritten” The Constitution and whether it needs to be changed.

Supreme body legislative branch- Parliament (the oldest in the world, created in 1265), which consists of the monarch (king or queen), the House of Lords and the House of Commons. In fact, parliament refers to only two chambers, and in ordinary usage - the lower one, which carries out legislative functions. The king signs all laws and, based on constitutional custom, has not used his veto power for almost 300 years. A veto by the House of Lords can be overridden by a simple majority vote in the lower house, but at a different session of Parliament, which means that if it meets once a year, the upper house can delay the entry into force of the law for a year. In practice, the House of Lords, as a rule, very rarely raises objections to bills passed by the House of Commons.

The House of Lords is formed by inheritance, which in modern conditions is archaic. Lords are representatives of a land, industrial and financial aristocracy formed over centuries. The House of Lords, which is called the "upper house" of Parliament, consists of 1,260 members. It consists of peers, viscounts, barons, counts, marquises, dukes; In reality, no more than 100 people are present at the meetings.

By Acts of Parliament of 1911 and 1949, the rights of the House of Lords were significantly limited. In Great Britain, the issue of abolishing the House of Lords or its reorganization was repeatedly raised and discussed in the House of Commons, but without success.

The House of Commons is in practice the main and only house of parliament

The speaker leads the meetings of the chamber and its staff. The speaker is elected for the entire term of office of the chamber and leaves his party (considered non-partisan), since he must be an impartial person (he does not even have the right to dine with deputies so that they do not influence him).

The main function of parliament is lawmaking. Bills pass 3 readings. Generally, bills must be passed by both houses.

If the draft is adopted, it is sent to the House of Lords, where a similar procedure takes place.

The UK Parliament (practically the House of Commons) exercises control over the management and activities of the government. Legally, the government is collectively responsible to Parliament (only to the House of Commons). The House of Commons can demand the resignation of a minister, but the prime minister decides whether the entire government or just the guilty minister will resign if we're talking about about the omissions of a certain minister, and most often about his unethical behavior. The question of a vote of no confidence can only be related, i.e. it is put by the government itself in connection with the bill it proposes: the government declares that if the bill is not passed, it will resign, thereby putting pressure on the House of Commons.

The highest executive power is exercised by the government headed by the prime minister, who, along with the hereditary monarch, is the leader of the country. The UK government consists of about 100 people; the most important and influential members of the government form a narrower panel - the Cabinet of Ministers.

The government never meets and makes decisions.

The government is formed by the majority party in the House of Commons and presents it with a program, which is approved by vote. It is an act of expressing trust in the government. The government consists, firstly, of the heads of ministries and departments, who are members of the cabinet. They receive all decisions of the cabinet (“inner cabinet”). The remaining ministers, if they were not invited to the meeting, receive only excerpts from cabinet decisions that concern their departments.

Local municipal governments play an important role in resolving issues of local importance. This structure has changed significantly over the past few years. Twenty-six district authorities have been established in Northern Ireland. It also simplified the complex organization of self-government in England and Wales and transformed it into a two-fold system consisting of 53 large county authorities and 369 smaller district authorities. In Wales, instead of the previous 13 counties, there are now only eight left, and five of them received Welsh names. In Scotland, after the reform, there were nine regional and 53 district authorities.

Scotland has its own parliament. The unicameral Scottish Parliament has 129 members.

Politicalsystem

Traditionally, the main role in the struggle for power in parliament was played by two parties: until the beginning of the 20th century. conservatives (Tories) - the party of big capital and aristocracy and liberals (Whigs), reflecting the interests of middle and small capital; in the first decades of the 20th century. The Whigs were replaced by Labour, a social reformist party with collective trade union membership. The first direction received from its opponents the nickname of the Whig party, named after the Puritan fanatics of Scotland, who in their jealousy reached the point of open rebellion. The nickname “Tory” was given in response to reproach the monarchists for their connections with the Catholics who rebelled in Ireland.

A small number of seats in parliament are also held by two parties expressing the interests of the historical provinces: Scottish and Welsh. Despite the fact that in the 80s, in the context of economic restructuring and the complication of the social structure of society, the number of parties increased (for example, the Social Democratic Party emerged from the right wing of the Labor Party), the main features of electoral geography emerged as a result of the rivalry between the two main parties. In the northern regions, as well as in the centers of the largest cities, Labor supporters predominate; in the south, in rural areas and in suburban areas of the agglomerations, Conservatives prevail. In the May 1997 elections, after 18 years of Conservative rule, Labor won a major victory in a landslide.

Conservative Party- is one of the oldest political parties in the country. In foreign policy terms, the Party shares the concept of “nuclear deterrence”, advocates the preservation and modernization of the UK’s nuclear potential, and the country’s continued membership in NATO and the EU, although there is still a serious split in the party on the issue of the degree of UK involvement in European integration processes.

The Labor Party was founded in 1890 and unites collective (trade unions and cooperative societies) and individual members.

The Liberal Democratic Party was formed in 1988 by merging the Liberal and Social Democratic parties. Expresses the interests of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, part of the intelligentsia, as well as farmers.

National parties are also represented in parliament: Plaid Cymru (founded in Wales in 1925, leader I. Vic Jones); Scottish National Party (founded 1937, leader John Swinney); Ulster Unionist Party (founded in the early 20th century, leader David Trimble); Democratic Unionist Party (founded 1971, leader Ian Paisley); Social Democratic and Labor Party of Northern Ireland (founded in 1970, leader Mark Durken), Sinn Fein - the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA, formed at the end of the 1st World War, leader Gerry Adams), the party refused to take its seats in House of Commons

Int.nannyAndexternalNyapolicy

The key to understanding many of the features of the modern socio-political structure of British society is provided by such features of its development as evolution, “traditionalism” and the comparative stability of political institutions.

In May 1997, early parliamentary elections were won by the Labor Party, which came to power after almost 18 years in opposition, when the Conservatives ruled Britain undividedly. The new government was formed by the country's youngest prime minister in the twentieth century, Tony Blair. Under his leadership, the Labor leadership significantly changed the party program, discarding traditionally socialist principles, but borrowing a number of theses from both the Conservatives and the Social Democrats. Labor during 1997-2001 defended and consistently implemented a course towards the development of a market economy and a variety of forms of ownership, leaving behind their focus on the complete nationalization of industry in the past.

In fact, Tony Blair became the founder of the new ideology of the Labor Party - the ideology of neoliberalism (new liberalism). Labor accepted the challenge of a world changing literally before our eyes and managed to formulate an internal policy adequate to these changes. The Labor government achieved serious success in the socio-economic sphere. The most important of them was that for the first time under their rule the country avoided economic crisis. In addition, Britain recorded the lowest inflation rate in 30 years and the lowest unemployment rate in 16 years. During these 4 years, the British pound consistently grew in the same way as GDP.

There has been tangible progress in the areas of health and education, which British voters place even above the economy on their list of priorities. With the help of the “national health service” system created by Labour, it was possible to provide free medical care 3.5 million poor Britons. The level of education of British youth has increased noticeably - a program to expand the network of free schools has begun.

Blair dared to carry out constitutional reform. One of the areas of reform was the provision of greater autonomy to Scotland and Wales, as well as the main regions of England itself. The issue of the Scottish Parliament and Assembly in Wales was decided in September 1997 through referendums. In 1999, elections were held for these new representative bodies.

For the first time, the Prime Minister encroached on the “holy of holies” - the House of Lords. He initiated a reform to deprive its members of hereditary status and to gradually transform the upper house of parliament into a body representing all voters. In the autumn of 2001, the Blair government unveiled a project according to which part of the House of Lords should be elected, and the other should be appointed by the queen on the proposal of the government and the opposition. Only the proportion remained unclear.

On June 7, 2001, the Labor Party again won the general parliamentary elections to the House of Commons, with 42% of voters voting for it. The Conservative Party received 32.7% of the votes, and liberal democrats supported by 18.8% of voters. For the first time in the last 100 years in Britain, the ruling party went to a second term with such a high rating.

Prime Minister Tony Blair election program focused on social issues. Education and health care were Labour's main trump cards, with which they won the 1997 elections by a large margin. Over the past 4 years, these the most important areas Huge budget funds were spent. And although there are still quite a lot of unresolved problems here, progress is obvious.

One of the most pressing issues in the election struggle were issues related to immigration. At the end of May 2001, in one of the northern towns of Great Britain, Oldham, the most violent racial clashes in the last 15 years took place between white youth and people of African and Asian countries. Later, similar events were repeated in a number of other cities.

Recently, negative attitudes towards immigrants have tended to become increasingly widespread among British citizens. According to polls by an EU commission conducted in early 2002, 22% of Britons believed that immigrants should be returned to their homeland. Only 10% of Britons believed that Africans, Asians and Latin Americans could contribute to their country's culture.

At the parliamentary elections in Great Britain held on May 5, 2005, Labor took 356 seats, Conservatives - 197 seats, Liberal Democrats - 62 seats, maintaining their previous positions. In his victory speech, the re-elected head of the cabinet thanked the people of Great Britain. "There is no greater honor than to serve you as Prime Minister," Blair said. "For the first time in 100 years, the Labor Party will remain in power for a second term. This is an incredible event!" - added the Prime Minister.

Since 1969, the drama of Ulster (as Northern Ireland is sometimes called) has continued in the modern history of Great Britain, which goes back centuries.

In April 1998, a tripartite peace treaty on Northern Ireland was signed through US mediation. They restored the status of political autonomy for Ulster. The National Assembly of Northern Ireland (parliament), unlike the previous Stormont, was supposed to work under the rules of “mutual consent”, that is, any decision required the approval of deputies representing both the Catholic and Protestant communities. Ireland pledged to renounce its claims to Ulster, and British government agreed to the formation of all-Ireland local governments with limited powers (the practical solution of this issue became the responsibility of the National Assembly of Northern Ireland).

The peace treaty was approved in a referendum on May 28, 1998. In Ulster, 71% of voters were in favor, in Ireland - 94%.

Gradually the situation began to stabilize. In 2000, the British government refused to introduce new special forces into Ulster, but tightened anti-terrorism legislation.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) - a secret paramilitary organization of Catholics in Northern Ireland - decided to lay down their arms, and the British army began dismantling observation posts located in Catholic areas.

The main foreign policy priorities of Tony Blair's government are to increase Britain's role in both European and world affairs, which means the end of the isolationist course that the Conservatives have long followed. On the other hand, having campaigned under the slogan “Security First,” Labor has abandoned the provision of its program about striving for a nuclear-free Britain and no longer insists on reducing military spending.

Currently, the UK pays much more attention to cooperation with European countries and, above all, with the countries of the European Union. Strong trade and economic relations connect the UK with Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, which, along with the USA, Canada and Japan, are the main exporters of their products to Britain and importers of British goods.

The government of Tony Blair is persistently and consistently strengthening strategic relations with the United States, which London is accustomed to calling “special.” The UK supports almost unconditionally the efforts of the United States in the fight against international terrorism, accepting the most Active participation in all foreign policy actions of its ally, including in the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. London fully supports its main ally in actions directed against the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. The British Air Force has repeatedly taken part in the bombing of those areas of this country where weapons of mass destruction are being developed and produced.

The UK, as one of the key NATO countries, strives to strengthen Euro-Atlantic solidarity, even in cases where the Alliance's actions run counter to international law. As part of the NATO armed forces, British aircraft took part in the bombing of the territory of sovereign Yugoslavia in 1999.

London attaches particular importance to the development of relations with the countries of the Commonwealth, which includes former British colonies and dominions, as well as some other countries. The next conference of the member countries of this international organization at the level of heads of state and government with the participation of the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, took place in March 2002 in Australia. It primarily addressed issues of consolidating the Commonwealth countries in the fight against international terrorism, the problem of overcoming poverty, and introducing universal primary education in those countries where it does not yet exist.

Great Britain attaches great importance to the development of relations with Japan, China, and South Korea, constantly increasing the volume of trade with them. Big interest for the UK and British private business represent relations with Russia. Meetings between Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin have recently acquired a regular and constructive character. The UK is seeking to develop relations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other countries Persian Gulf- the main suppliers of oil to the world market.

The country's armed forces took part in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and a number of other countries and regions. In Afghanistan, by decision of the UN, an International Peacekeeping Force was formed at the end of 2001, initially led by Great Britain.

Britain has the most developed publishing industry in the world. It publishes more than 200 daily and Sunday newspapers, 1,300 weekly and more than 2,000 local newspapers. On an average day, two in three Britons over 15 read a national daily newspaper; about three out of every four citizens read the Sunday newspaper. Even more Britons read local and regional newspapers.

Largest publications (by circulation): News of the World (Sunday newspaper - 4.4 million copies), Sun (daily newspaper - 3.8 million), Daily Mail (daily newspaper - 2.1 million) , “Miror” (daily newspaper - 2.3 million). These are mainly small-format or so-called “tabloid newspapers”. Large-format ("serious") newspapers have a much smaller circulation - Financial Times (400 thousand copies), The Times (700 thousand), Daily Telegraph (over 1 million). "Guardian" (400 thousand), "Independent" (250 thousand). There are also more than 6,500 periodicals, including trade and technical magazines and "house" magazines for individual companies and organizations. Magazines for women have the largest number of subscribers.

Many reviews are published cultural life and art; The most respected is the literary supplement to the Times newspaper. Well-known weeklies also include the Lancet, Nature, New Scientist and the educational supplement to the Times newspaper. The main news agencies are Reuters, Press Association Limited and Associated Press UK. Organizations include the Newspaper Publishers Association, the Institute of Journalists, the Newspaper Society and trade unions.

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British government, two-party system. Legislative reform and democratization of electoral law. Recognition of the independence of dominions in international treaties; Westminster status. UK Local Government.

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Administrative-territorial structure of various states. Division of countries into unitary, federal and confederal. Brief description of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, its territorial structure.

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Historical features The development of the British "Constitution" did not have a clear principle of separation of powers. Fundamentals of the constitutional status of the individual: human rights, freedoms and responsibilities. Territorial structure of Great Britain. Government departments.

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Consideration of basic political and legal principles constitutional system USA: separation of powers; federalism; judicial supervision. US cultural traditions: two-party system; attitude towards personal safety. Features of the culture of the inhabitants of Great Britain.

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Form and structure of the British Constitution. Features of the legal status of a person and citizen. Legal regulation public associations. Institutes direct democracy. Legislative, executive and judicial system.

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The evolution of monarchies in Great Britain and Japan. The monarch as the head of state in Great Britain, his functions, rights and powers. The Emperor of Japan and his powers related to the exercise of state power. Comparison of the heads of state of these two countries.

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Features of UK family law: lack of codified branches, widespread development of statutory law. The range of issues affecting family relations in the UK. The concept of alimony obligations, their legal regulation.

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Government in the USA, basic principles of the Constitution. Legislative process, executive branch: Congress, President, Cabinet, court. Functions of federal departments, power in states and localities. Conducting elections, political parties; defense.

Great Britain's form of government is parliamentary monarchy. The head of state is the monarch, who, however, is a weak political figure, because his powers, formally quite strong, are either not actually used by him (“dormant prerogatives”), or are not used independently: on the initiative of parliament or the prime minister or with the sanction of the latter. The source of powers of the most important state bodies, including the government, is the parliament: it is after parliamentary elections (more precisely after the elections of its lower house - the House of Commons) that the government is formed each time anew from among parliamentarians who are members of the party of the parliamentary majority. The government also bears political responsibility to the House of Commons (the lower house of parliament), which can express no confidence in the government. But the chamber itself can be dissolved.

Formal supremacy of parliament in state mechanism in practice it does not receive adequate implementation. Legal scheme of relationships higher authorities state power is significantly adjusted by the existence of a two-party system. Strict party discipline determines that the parliamentary majority, and through it the entire parliament, are actually controlled by the government, consisting of the leaders of the party of the parliamentary majority. Therefore, it is the executive branch, or rather its head - the Prime Minister - that occupies a leading position in the state mechanism. In this regard, the state regime that exists in Great Britain is usually characterized as ministerial or a regime of ministerialism.

The existence of this type of state regime, the dominance of both the lower house of parliament and the government of one party and even the same individuals, the existence of the upper house of parliament of the right to act as the highest court of the country - all this gives rise to some experts doubt whether the The principle of separation of powers in the UK government mechanism. It seems that if we keep in mind the main purpose

of this principle - to create guarantees against the usurpation of power, mechanisms for “restraining” government bodies of each other’s claims to power - then, of course, this principle works. Indeed, the two-party system determines the existence of a strong opposition in parliament, ready to form a government at any time. Thanks to the existence of the opposition, parliament exposes and criticizes the activities of the government and can force it to resign or dismiss individual ministers.

Introduction

1. The essence and structure of parliament in Great Britain

2. Activities of Parliament in Great Britain

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

One of the oldest parliaments in the world is the English Parliament, the birth of which dates back to the 13th century, when, at the request of the rebel feudal lords, King John the Landless signed the Magna Carta. She entrusted the monarch with the responsibility to create a General Council of the Kingdom to establish taxes.

In Great Britain, the concept of Parliament as a proper name began to be used to designate the national representative institution.

This form of government exists as long as this state itself, i.e. from the beginning of the 9th century, when seven previously warring kingdoms united (there was, however, an 11-year break from Cromwell’s republican dictatorship from 1649 to 1660).

In the English state-legal doctrine, it is customary to place the monarch in first place in the system of state bodies, who is the head of state and is recognized as the source of sovereign power.

The purpose of this work is to examine the features of the parliamentary form of government using the example of Great Britain.

Object of study - parliamentary form government using the example of Great Britain.

1. The essence and structure of parliament in Great Britain

The English Parliament gained importance as a state forum already in the 13th century, becoming a classic example of a representative body. Later, in the 16th and 17th centuries, it acted as an estate representative body under the monarch.

However, only after the bourgeois revolution of the 17th century. Parliament is acquiring real and multifaceted significance.

The system of British parliamentarism did not develop immediately. Initially, all representatives of the English titled nobility gathered in the House of Lords (peers) (later, when England and Scotland were united into Great Britain, many noble Scots acquired English titles, since Scottish titles did not give the hereditary right to sit in the House of Peers). In addition, there was a practice of the king appointing lords for life and lords by office (for example, bishops). Two knights (untitled nobles) from each county and two citizens from each city were elected to the House of Commons.

It should be taken into account that the system of parliamentarism in the West arose as a negation of the absolutism of state power in the person of the monarch, the all-powerful first person in the state. But at the same time, the parliamentary system was in crisis every now and then. Kings often sought to restore absolutism, for example, Charles I did not convene parliament for more than 10 years, and only in 1640 did he do so due to a lack of funds in the treasury.

Cromwell was also going to abolish the medieval forms of representation in the parliament of the nation, but their restoration took place partly under Cromwell himself, partly under the last Stuarts. Under William III, the adoption of the Bill of Rights (1689) and the Act of Settlement (1701) finally determined the transfer of a number of powers from the king to parliament.

On the other hand, the electoral system ceased to reflect the actual representation of the population.

During the 18th century, out of 658 deputies of parliament, small towns and villages, even “rotten towns” (abandoned villages), elected 467 deputies. In fact, this representation was controlled by noble landowners using a special procedure. The voting was open. Deputies were named in advance (this was done by local landlords), and those who did not support them were punished. It is estimated that approximately 424 MPs were actually appointed by local landowners. Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, which became industrial centers England were not represented in parliament at all. London, with a population of half a million, had representation of four deputies, while in sparsely populated and abandoned villages, the so-called “rotten” or “pocket towns,” there lived 3-4 voters per deputy seat. A deputy seat was often traded for, valuing it at about 2 thousand pounds. Art. However, the growth of new cities, the increased influence on politics of the industrial and commercial-financial classes, as well as the reform activity of the Whig party brought closer the implementation of long-overdue electoral reform, which happened in 1832.

During this reform, as well as those that followed it during the 19th century. two more reforms, changes were made in two directions: a redistribution of electoral districts was carried out and the circle of voters themselves was expanded. 56 rotten towns were deprived of representation, and quotas for another 30 towns were reduced. The 146 places thus freed were transferred to the cities, counties and regions of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Due to the change in the electoral qualification, the corps of voters was increased by a third. In the counties, the voters were the owners and tenants of land with an income of 10l. Art. per year, in cities - owners and tenants of houses and other buildings with the same amount of annual income. Thus, the main qualification making participation in political life possible was the size of property.

In 1835, a workers' association arose in London, which put forward radical demands for further reform electoral system: universal suffrage for men, secret voting, abolition of property qualifications for candidates for deputies, equalization of electoral districts, remuneration for the work of deputies and annual re-elections of parliament. In support of such changes, a whole movement developed, known as Chartism (its participants' demands were set out in the form of a petition to Parliament for a people's charter of rights). The same

demands after the decline of the Chartist movement were taken up by trade unions, who hoped, with the help of working-class voters, to gain influence on the politics of the House of Commons. In this situation, both rival political parties were forced to take the initiative to reform the electoral system, but the direct executor of the plan was the Conservative cabinet headed by Disraeli, which presented a draft reform, which was then approved with amendments.

This happened in 1867. The representation of towns and small towns was again reduced. Cities with a population of 4 to 10 thousand received only one deputy seat each. In the cities, all owners and tenants of houses who pay a tax to the benefit of the poor, and tenants who pay at least 10 pounds a year, became voters. Art. rent. In the counties this qualification was lowered to 5 pounds. Art. the landowner's annual income. The tax qualification - payment of tax in favor of the poor - from now on was counted not only for homeowners, but also for numerous tenants small apartments, who were considered to have paid this tax, since it was actually paid by the landlord (landlord). As a result, the electorate was greatly expanded by urban artisans and workers.

In the interval between the second and third electoral reforms, at the initiative of the liberal Whig government, the Secret Ballot Act (1872) was adopted, the purpose of which was to eliminate voter bribery. In 1883, in furtherance of this policy, a law was passed that limited the amount of spending on election campaigns and obliged the organizers of these campaigns to submit public reports. At the same time, the list of penalties for violating the rules of election campaigns was clarified.

Third electoral reform 1884-1885 reduced the diversity of electoral qualifications and continued the policy of redistricting in favor of large cities. From now on, cities with a population of 15 to 50 thousand people elected only one deputy, and in major cities the same quota was established for districts of 50 thousand. A majoritarian election system was practiced (the one who collected a relative majority of votes won).

A peculiarity of the functioning of the British Parliament is the absence of a written (codified) Constitution in the state, therefore many norms of parliamentary life and relations with the Government remain regulated by constitutional (conventional) agreements and legal customs.

When analyzing the place of Parliament in the UK power system, it should be taken into account that it was based on two fundamental principles - parliamentary supremacy and parliamentary (responsible) government.

British Parliament is an example of a bicameral representative body consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Moreover, the British monarch is considered an integral part of Parliament.

One of the most important features of Parliament is also that one of its chambers, the House of Lords, is formed by inheritance, in other words, on a non-elected basis.

Membership in it is conditional on receiving a title of nobility, which gives the right to be a member. It is the largest upper house among European countries. Its members were in the late 90s. 20th century more than 1,200 peers of Parliament, titled nobility, whose names are inscribed in the “golden book” of the English nobility. However, after the first stage of constitutional reform, which began in 1999 and was supposed to last 10 years, there were only 665 people in the Chamber.

The British Parliament consists of two houses:

House of Commons;

House of Lords.

The House of Commons is elected for a term of five years by universal, equal elections by secret ballot on the basis of a majoritarian system of relative majority.

Elections to the House of Commons can be general, that is, held simultaneously throughout the country, or intermediate, that is, held additionally in individual electoral districts in connection with a vacancy in the deputy mandate.

The election campaign begins with the delivery of the writ of election to the "election officials," whose functions are performed in cities by mayors and in counties by sheriffs.

Any British subject (as well as citizens of Ireland and the Commonwealth residing in the country) who has reached the age of 21 and meets the qualifications established by law can be elected to the House.

Among such qualifications should be mentioned the qualification of incompatibility: a ban on being members of Parliament for persons holding certain positions government positions(professional paid judges, civil servants, military personnel, etc.).

A person who wishes to stand for election to the House of Commons must present a nomination paper to the Electoral Officer and must also pay an election deposit, which is five hundred pounds sterling, non-refundable if the candidate receives less than five per cent of the votes.

Elections to the House of Commons are held according to majoritarian system relative majority. There is no requirement that a candidate receive a minimum percentage of votes.

Thus, following the results of the 2010 general elections, 306 of the 6,491 seats in the House of Commons were won by the Conservative Party led by David Cameron. While falling just short of an unconditional majority, the Tories nevertheless form the largest faction in the new parliament (47.1%). Under the conditions of a majoritarian electoral system, the progress of the Conservatives is obvious: they took 97 electoral districts from their rivals. 10.7 million Britons voted for the Tories (36.1% of voters - 3.8% more than in the 2005 general election).

The Labor Party, led by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was defeated: having received 258 seats (39.7%), it lost its parliamentary majority. 8.6 million voters voted for Labor - 6.2% less than in the previous election. They lost 91 constituencies, and some influential figures were not re-elected to parliament (in particular, former ministers of the interior C. Clark and J. Smith). At the same time, the election results confirmed: Labor, along with the Conservatives, remains one of the two main political forces Great Britain. In total, these parties have 87% of the seats in the House of Commons, the Labor faction is the second largest.

Nick Clegg's Liberal Democratic Party won only 57 seats (8.8%) in the new parliament. The Liberal Democrats, who initially claimed victory, received the votes of 6.8 million voters - 1% more than in 2005 - but lost five of “their” constituencies. As a result, they retained their status as a "balancing party" in the House of Commons.

It is characteristic that the Conservatives achieved their success primarily in England: here they took 92 districts from other parties. Scotland remains Labour's electoral base; the results of the 2005 election were repeated here with 100% accuracy.

The Green Party, which became parliamentary, achieved fundamental success. Its leader Caroline Lucas, who won the European Parliament elections in 2009, won the Brighton constituency. In turn, the British National Party and the United Kingdom Independence Party, contrary to some forecasts, did not enter parliament.

The main regional political forces also retained their positions in Westminster. The Scottish National Party, as before, will be represented by six MPs. Plaid Cymru (Welsh Party) won three seats - one more than in the previous election.

The layout of seats for Northern Ireland is curious. The Democratic Unionist Party won 8 seats (one less than in 2005): DUP leader Peter Robinson lost to Naomi Long, the Alliance Party candidate. Five seats were retained by Sinn Fein (which will obviously continue to boycott meetings of the House of Commons), three by the Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP). The Conservative-Ulster Unionist New Force bloc did not win a single seat, and Sylvia Ermon remains the only independent MP.

The Speaker of the House of Commons is an officer who is elected by the House of Commons from among its members.

The Speaker sits in the Speaker's Chair at the end of the House Table. The Government sits to the right of the Speaker, and the Opposition sits to the left. The Speaker's duty is to maintain order during debates and to call Members of Parliament to speak.

The elected member of parliament must begin his speech by addressing the Chairman, and during his speech address members of parliament by the name of the constituencies they represent, and ministers by the name of the posts they hold.

Thus, Members of Parliament address each other as “The Right Honorable Member of Parliament for...” or “The Very Honorable Member of Parliament for...”. If a Member of Parliament addresses fellow party members, the address will usually be “My Honorable Friend.” By tradition, only ministers and representatives of the opposition (front benchers) can speak from the rostrum.

Debates in the House of Commons are carried out by introducing motions (for example, “Rules to approve” or “Bill to consider at second reading”). At the end of the debate, the Chairman (the Speaker or the Chairman in the case of a bill being considered in committee stage) calls for a vote. This may be followed by a vote (balloting) of the Chamber, according to which members of parliament must pass through the “For” and “Against” corridors adjacent to the Hall. The vote tellers announce the results to the Speaker or Chairman.

Committees of the whole House represent the full House of Commons, which meets under an elected chairman. This form of work of the House of Commons is used when making decisions of constitutional significance.

Standing committees are formed by the Selection Committee, consisting of from 16 to 50 deputies, for the purpose of considering specific bills. Most standing committees are not specialized.

Selected committees are formed from among the deputies. They are formed after consultation with the leaders of party factions and carry out the functions that are delegated to them by the House of Commons.

The House of Lords traces its origins to the "Great Council" that existed during the Norman period of English history. The “Grand Council” included the largest landowners who served the king and were called “barons.” Over time, the "Grand Council" underwent various changes, and on its basis the House of Lords was created, whose members began to be called "peers" and transfer their title and place in the House by inheritance.

Currently, the House of Lords has four types of membership:

Lords of Justice;

spiritual lords;

hereditary peers;

life peers.

Of life peers, more than 50% are former members House of Commons, the rest are outstanding figures of literature and art, retired representatives of industrial and financial business, retired diplomats and trade union leaders with outstanding services to the state. The title is bestowed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

Despite such a large composition, a smaller part of it takes an active part in the work of the House of Lords, mainly life peers and law lords. The quorum is only 3 people.

As a result of the reform of the upper house, of the 788 hereditary peers, only 90 and two ceremonial officers can sit in it. Nowadays these aristocrats are elected by all hereditary peers: a large majority of them are elected among the Conservatives and a small majority among the Laborites, which generally expresses the balance of political forces in the House of Lords.

For the transition period, 192 hereditary lords were retained in the chamber for life. The remaining lords have the right to stand for election, including in the lower house - the House of Commons.

It is noteworthy that, despite such an expanded composition of the Chamber, the quorum is only three people and generally about 100 people take part in its work (law lords and life lords).

For a long time, the Chamber was headed by the Lord Chancellor, who was appointed to the position by the Prime Minister and was at the same time a member of the Cabinet (minister). However, due to constitutional reform Since 2004, the head of the House of Lords has held this position on an intra-chamber elective basis and is not part of the Government.

Traditionally, the leader of the House of Lords takes part in debates and voting. But he does not decide procedural issues, compared to the Speaker of the House of Commons. Such powers are exercised independently by the Chamber with the coordination of the leader of the Chamber. He is the leader of its largest party faction. The Chamber has only non-specialized committees.

The Lord Chancellor is not just a figurehead. It performs essential functions in various areas state life. The Lord Chancellor has the right to debate and speak on behalf of the Government when the House of Lords sits as a Committee of the Whole House. The Lord Chancellor evaluates in advance requests (appeals) of peers sent to the Committee on Privileges.

In the House of Lords, the Lord Chancellor has two deputies, who are elected annually at the beginning of the session by the House.

The House of Lords sets up committees to consider various questions her competence. The most important are the Science and Technology Committee and the European Union.

2. Activities of Parliament in Great Britain

The most important powers of the House of Commons include:

adoption of laws;

adoption of the budget;

review of financial bills;

parliamentary control over the activities of the Government, etc.

Members of Parliament have many responsibilities related to their involvement in a wide range of activities both in the House of Commons and among their constituents.

A Member of Parliament spends part of the week in his constituency dealing with the issues of his constituents. He can give advice on how to solve a particular problem and can write to the responsible official or minister on behalf of the constituent. There are different ways of bringing local or personal issues before the House of Commons.

The House of Commons studies and passes drafts of new laws, mainly in the form of bills submitted to Parliament by the Government. Individual Members of Parliament can also introduce bills, but significantly less time is allocated for debate on private Members' business.

The government cannot make laws on its own - this requires the approval of the House of Commons and the House of Lords (however, the House of Lords does not participate in bills related to financial control). A bill is usually amended as it passes through both Houses, and a bill that has passed through all the necessary stages becomes an Act of Parliament. Main part detailed study Bills in the House of Commons are carried out in Standing Committees.

The main role of the House of Commons is to exercise public control over the government's policies and actions. The government runs the country, but the government is accountable to parliament. When government ministers bring matters before the House of Commons, they answer questions from the Opposition and individual MPs from different parties. Members of Parliament can directly question ministers during the allotted question time. Ministers also receive written questions, the answers to which are published in the Official Protocol.

When there is a parliamentary session, the House of Commons usually meets from Monday to Thursday and almost every Friday.

The work of the Chamber is governed by carefully developed rules and regulations. The government determines the cases to be considered and the order in which they will be discussed, and for opposition parties and backbenchers are allocated special times and days.

In the House, daily business begins with prayers, followed by formal (no debate) consideration of private cases. Then follow the main activities of the day.

Questions can be answered by government ministers in a particular department or departments from Monday to Thursday. The Prime Minister answers questions on Wednesdays. During the time allotted for questions, the Speaker announces the name of the Member of Parliament and the first question from the Order of Business.

Since the text of the question is already printed, the MP can simply say “Number one”. The minister reads a prepared response, after which the MP is given the opportunity to ask a follow-up question and the minister responds again. Then the names of other members of parliament are announced, who can ask additional questions.

After the time allotted for questions, matters in order of importance or urgency may be referred to the House for consideration in the form of Government Motions, Private Members' Business or a Request for Urgent Debate. The House Order of Business, detailing the cases brought up for consideration in the coming week or two, is usually announced every Thursday.

The functions of the House of Lords can be represented in three main groups:

) legislative;

) control;

) judicial.

The first group ensures the participation of the chamber in the legislative process (consideration of bills introduced in accordance with the procedure, with the exception of a special requirement for the introduction of financial bills, which are introduced only in the House of Commons; amendments to bills adopted by the lower house, etc. ).

The second group of powers mainly consists of monitoring the work of the Government.

The Chamber's judicial powers are significant and stem from its position as the highest court in the UK. However, in 2003, a new Ministry for Constitutional Affairs was created, which should take over most of the powers of the Lord Chancellor, including in the judicial sphere.

Legislative functions are carried out through participation in the legislative process, in particular in the following forms:

amending bills passed by the House of Commons;

introduction of bills providing for the approval of international treaties of Great Britain or adopted within the framework of
legal reform, especially in relation to participation in the EU; rejection of bills passed by the House of Commons;

study of private bills and acts of delegated legislation.

Control functions are manifested in the practice of asking questions to Government ministers and creating committees to study relevant issues. Based on the results of the discussions, the House of Lords informs the public and the Government.

The legislative process consists of considering, in accordance with the established procedure, bills that can be introduced in either chamber of Parliament. The exception is financial bills introduced only in the House of Commons.

Bills are considered in three readings.

The first reading consists of the following stages:

announcement of the title of the bill;

printing the bill;

distribution of the bill to deputies.

After two or three weeks, a second reading is carried out.

The second reading consists of the following stages:

discussion general provisions bill;

transfer of the bill to the House committees, where deputies and experts study the bill in detail.

In the third reading, the bill is considered at the plenary meeting of the Chamber based on the report of the lead committee.

Deputies can hold a discussion. However, usually the Speaker puts the bill to a vote. If the bill receives a simple majority of votes, then it is sent to the second chamber. If the House of Lords makes amendments to the bill, then they are discussed in the House of Commons.

Usually the issue is resolved by taking into account, based on a compromise, the positions of both chambers of Parliament. If agreement cannot be reached, then the House of Lords has the right to postpone the bill for one year, and on financial issues - for one month. If both houses pass the bill, then it is sent to the monarch, and after its approval it becomes law, which is published in the official publication.

Not all debates are lawmaking issues. There is also an opportunity for discussion of important issues of the day and local issues raised by backbenchers. For example, at the end of each working day there is a final debate, which usually lasts for half an hour and mainly concerns the business of voters.

The main agenda is usually to discuss legislation

in the second reading, report stage or third reading. If the bill is

committee stage is considered in the form of a meeting of a committee of the whole House, and not in Standing Committee, then the Rod, which is usually located on the Parliamentary table, is transferred to special trays under the table.

In Parliament they apply various ways limiting debate on bills in order to ensure the efficiency of the legislative process. These methods are the following:

cessation of debate on a bill at the request of one hundred deputies, which is sent to the Speaker of the House;

discussion of individual articles of the bill, without a detailed discussion of the main text of the bill itself;

time limit for consideration of the issue; after the allotted time, the discussion automatically ends;

method of party discipline; etc.

In English parliamentary practice, the government is collectively responsible to Parliament. The following forms of control are applied:

resolution of censure;

vote of no confidence;

oral and written questions.

Expressing a vote of no confidence in the government entails its resignation or the dissolution of the House of Commons. A vote of no confidence can take place if the government itself raises a question of confidence. In this case, a vote of no confidence can only be linked, i.e. the question of trust is raised only in connection with the passage of a government bill.

One of the forms of control that has developed recently is the work of specialized committees. Since 1979, it has become a practice to invite ministers to testify at their meetings. The most frequently used form of control is questioning the government, and essentially criticizing it. In accordance with the rules of procedure of the chamber, its meetings daily (except Fridays) begin with “question hour”. Every year the government is asked about 40 thousand oral questions. As a rule, each minister speaks before parliament once a month, the prime minister - 2 times a week. There is a list of topics that ministers are not required to answer: defense and security issues, personal information, confidential commercial information.

In 1967, the institution of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman) was established in Great Britain, which, on behalf of deputies, investigates various violations of executive authorities. Consequently, its activities are part of the mechanism of parliamentary control over ministries.

In the UK, the ombudsman is appointed by the government. However, parliament is not completely removed from the procedure for filling this post. The Ombudsman resigns at his own request or upon reaching the age of 65. The Commissioner cannot be a member of Parliament.

The competence of the parliamentary commissioner includes investigating complaints from citizens about the actions of ministries and departments. Each complaint, before being transferred to the commissioner, is received by the deputy of the corresponding district, and the latter decides whether to forward it to the commissioner.

The Commissioner has the right to demand documents from ministries and officials, call witnesses, etc. Investigations, however, can only be carried out if there is no possibility of recourse to a court or administrative tribunal. Based on the results of its investigations, the Ombudsman cannot make any binding decisions (for example, to cancel or change an administrative act). He draws up a report, which is sent to the relevant MP or Parliament. In the latter case, the report is considered by the Parliamentary Commissioner Affairs Committee.

parliament uk board chamber

Conclusion

The UK Parliament includes the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The lower house - the House of Commons - is a national representative body elected for five years. The House of Commons is led by the Chairman of the House - the Speaker. An important structural element of the House of Commons are parliamentary committees.

The main area of ​​activity of the English Parliament is legislation. A legislative initiative can be carried out in any chamber. In practice, bills are considered by the lower house and then transferred to the upper house.

Formally, the monarch (represented by ministers) has legislative initiative. In accordance with the rules of procedure, non-governmental bills are considered only one day a week. As a result, 95% of all laws are adopted at the initiative of the government.

As in other countries, plenary consideration of a bill is called "readings".

Monitoring the activities of the government is also one of the most important activities of parliament according to the principle of responsible government.

In general, the UK can be confidently described as a country with a stable and significant role for Parliament, largely due to the continuity of parliamentary development comparable only to the United States.

List of used literature

Avtonomov A. S. Constitutional (state) law of foreign countries. M.: Prospekt, 2008. P. 560.

Constitutional law of foreign countries / Ed. V. Luchin, G. Vasilevich, A. Prudnikov. M.: Law and Law, 2009. P. 728.

Ilyin Yu. D. State (constitutional) law of foreign countries. M.: Yurkompani, 2010. P. 432.

Mishin A. A. Constitutional (state) law of foreign countries. M.: Justitsinform, 2010. P. 560.

Osavelyuk A. M. Constitutional law of foreign countries. M.: Unity-Dana, 2010. P. 512.

Saidov A.Kh. National parliaments of the world. M.: Wolters Kluwer, 2005. P. 720.

Smolensky M. B., Ivannikov I. A. Constitutional law of foreign countries. M.: AcademTsentr, 2010. P. 336.

Chirkin V. E. Constitutional law of foreign countries. M.: Infra-M, 2010. P. 608.

Chirkin V.E. Parliament in foreign countries. M.: Institute of State and Law, 2006. P. 48.

Yakushev A.V. Constitutional law of foreign countries. A common part. Special part (50 states). M.: A-Prior, 2010. P. 400.

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