The system of government in great britain

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The constitution has three branches: Parliament, which makes laws, the government, which puts laws into effect and the law courts, which interpret laws. In law, the Head of the State is the Queen. In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. (Today the Prime Minister is Gordon Brown).

The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Members of the House of Commons are elected by the voters of 650 constituencies. They are known as MPs, or Members of Parliament. They have been paid salaries since 1911. The Prime Minister, the leader of the Government, is also an MP. The Prime Minister is advised by a Cabinet of about twenty other ministers. The House of Lords consists of the Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual. The Lords Spiritual are Archbishops of York and Canterbury. The Lords Temporal consist of hereditary peers, life peers and the Lords of Appeal.

The British government is elected for up to five years. The Prime Minister chooses the date of the next general elections. He does not have to wait until the end of five years. A time is chosen which will give as much advantage as possible to the political party in power. Voting takes place on Polling Day (usually a Thursday).

There are three main parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties. There are other political parties within the UK e.g. the Green party, the Scottish Nationalist party, which wants independence for Scotland within the European Community.

THE COURT SYSTEM OF ENGLAND AND WALES

The most common type of law court in England and Wales is the magistrates’ court. More serious criminal cases go to the Crown Court. Civil cases (e.g., divorce or bankruptcy cases) are dealt with in County courts.

Appeals are heard by higher courts. For example, appeals from magistrates' courts are heard in the Crown Court. The highest court of appeal in England and Wales is the House of Lords. Scotland has its own High Court in Edinburgh. Certain cases may be referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

The legal system also includes juvenile courts (which deal with offenders under seventeen) and coroners’ courts (which investigate violent, sudden or unnatural deaths). There are administrative tribunals which make quick, cheap and fair decisions with much less formality. Tribunals deal with professional standards, disputes between individuals, and disputes between individuals and Government departments (for example, over taxation).

In Britain, the vast majority of judges (i.e., the people who decide what should be done with who commit crimes) are unpaid. They are called "Magistrates", a"Justices of the Peace" (JPs). They are ordinary citizens selected not because they have any legal training but because they have "sound common sense" and understand their fellow human beings. They give up time voluntarily.

A small proportion of judges are notMagistrates. They are called "High Court Judges" and they deal with the most serious crimes. High Court Judges, unlike Magistrates, are paid salaries by the State and have considerable legal training.

Magistrates are selected by special committees in every town anddistrict. Nobody, not even the Magistrates themselves, knows who is on the special committee in their area. The committee tries to draw Magistrates from as wide a variety of professions and social classes as possible.

BRITISH POLICE

Sometimes the British police officer is called the «bobby» after Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the police force. The police in Britain are organized very differently from many other countries. Britain has no national police force, although police policy is governed by the central Government’s Home Office. There is a separate police force for each 52 areas into which the country is divided.

Policemen are to be seen in towns and cities keeping law and order, walking in the streets or driving in cars. In most countries police carry guns. The British police generally do not carry firearms except in Northern Ireland. Only a few policemen are regularly armed: those who guard politicians and diplomats or who patrol airports.

The duties of the police are varied, e.g. assisting at accidents, safeguarding public order, dealing with lost property, apprehending criminals and would-be criminals.

All members of the police must have a certain academic qualifications and undergo a period of intensive training. Like the army, there are a number of ranks, e.g. Chief Constable, Assistant Chief Constable, Chief Superintendent, Chief Inspector, Inspector, Sergeant, and Constable. Women make up about ten per cent of the police force.

Each police force has its own Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Members of CIDs are detectives. They do not wear uniforms.

Traffic wardens wear uniforms and make sure that drivers obey the parking regulations. The function of police in Britain is to apprehend criminals and would-be criminals.