Anglais britannique

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2) Appointments and honours

She's a fountain of honour, and she can gives honour to persons. She's the one who appoint ministers, judges, senior churchman, senior officers of the army, and the members of the diplomatic court.

- Queen and judicial system

The monarch is known as the fountain of justice. All criminal prosecution are abroad in the name of the crown. Similarly, only the monarch can give the royal mercy, to show clemency or just to reduce a sentence.

4) Queen and foreign affairs

She can conclude treaties, begins war and concludes peace. She has control over the disposition of the armed forces but together with parliament. Often, she travels abroad to developing diplomatic relationship. The Queen is immune from criminal and civil proceeding, but only the Queen, the members of the royal family aren't. She is neutral and has no voting right. But recently, she pays taxes for personal possessions. She's a strong defender of voluntary work.

The government

A) The government

It's composed of the crown, her majesty's government, the central government department. The government is composed of party of majority in house of common, who is chosen by the prime minister. The prime minister is still member of the government. At the top of the hierarchy are the prime minister, and then 3 levels: the cabinet minister, the non-cabinet ministers and junior’s ministers. The cabinet ministers are secretariat state, the non-cabinet ministers are known as ministers of state (they are "secretaries d'état») and the juniors ministers are known as parliamentary under secret, the assist ministers in their work

B) The cabinet

1) Composition

They are no fixed number of members, but they are between 18 and 22. By convention, it's composed by the law chancellor, the home secretary, the foreign secretary, the chancellor chess, the secretaries of trade and industry, social services, work and Scotland and Wales. The cabinet meet quickly the cabinet comities.

2) Cabinet comities

2 types of cabinet comities: standing comities (regular function) and the havoc comities (rarely summoned). They are minister, civil servants, and experts. Their job is to examine a problem, organise the different department. Their decision has the same state as a cabinet decision. People didn't know who was member of the comities because they were afraid of lobbing.

3) Role and function of cabinet

All executive actions are defined by the cabinet. In the cabinet, the Prime Minister has the power to hire and fire. Is the one who fixes the agenda, and has the last word?

4) The cabinet office

Can meet at any time and place (twice a week normally), it's all the machinery who applied the decision of the cabinet, and they are a communication centre between the different departments. They help the prime minister to fix the agenda, keep minutes and report to the cabinet.

5) Collective and ministerial responsibility

Every minister must accepts the decision of the cabinet, and has to defend this decision, he have a collective responsibility. If he doesn't accept, he has to resign. If the parliament defeats the government, the prime minister has to ask the Queen to dissolve the government or has to resign. If the ministers change, the civil servants don't, so they are anonymous.

6) The shadow cabinet

Up to now, the British system is a two part system. The party obtaining the higher number of votes and the majesty's opposition. The main function of the opposition is to provide objectives criticism. There is a leader of this opposition who is assisted by a shadow cabinet (a government of the opposition, which is in charge to criticize the cabinet). The opposition is in charge to propose an alternative government for the next elections. All parties receive financial support.

- W. Churchill (1951-1955)

- A. Eden (1955-1957)

- H. Macmillen (1957-1993)

- Alec Douglas (1963-1964)

- H. Wilson (1964-1970 et 1974-1976)

- E. Heath (1970-1974)

- J. Callagan (1976-1979)

- M. Thatcher (1979-1990)

- J. Major (1990-1997)

- T. Blair (1997-2007)

- G. Brown (2007-2010)

- D. Cameron (2010- ….)

Lecture 3 : The legislative branch

Both houses seat secretly, their main duties are the same: to pass laws and to provide the financial means of carrying on the work of the government by voting. They have to scrutinise the government policy and administration and to discuss the political issue of the day.

I- The House of Lords

Today it's the house of common have more power than the house of lord. It's a revising chamber which complements the house of common. In 1911, this parliament act shorted the parliament life to 5 years and put an end to the power of the House of Lords. With this act, the House of Lords can't veto legislation. They can delay a bill, but no longer than 2 years. In 1949, there is a parliament act that makes the delay effect for 1 year.

The house of lords is composed by 740 members who are not elected and they don't represent a special area (like a region …). Originally, there were the church men and the people named by the King. The house is divided in two groups, the lords spirituals (26) who are the archbishop (archevêque) (most senior official in the church) there seat in the house of lord until their retire and the lords temporal (716) themselves divided in two groups, the hereditary peers (92) and the life piers, who have been named by the crown (650) and they remains until they dies, but their children will not be piers. In the lord temporal, there is a third category, the low lords, who have the right of seat and vote in the house for their entire life. They constituted the