The UK political system

(UK Politics) Constitutional Monarchy

a country governed by a king or queen who accepts the advice of parliament

(UK Politics) Parliamentary Democracy

a country whose government is controlled by a parliament which has been elected by the people.

(UK Politics) Fusion of powers

The system resembles a balance of powers more than a formal separation of three branches.

Two-party system

UK: the ruling party and the opposite party: Conservative & Labor parties

Collective responsibility

every member of the government, however junior, shares the responsibility for every policy made by the government.

First-past-the-post

• a general election: choose MP.

• the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons at a general election forms the new government and its leader becomes PM.

• If no party wins a majority of the seats, a situation which is known as a "hung Parliament", a minority government or coalition may be formed.

Britain is a ______ monarchy (1 word)

constitutional

Britain is often said to have "unwritten" or "uncodified" constitution (TRUE/FALSE)

True

British political system is characterised by ____ of powers, rather than separation of 3 branches. (1 word)

Fusion

The British Prime Minister is

A. leader of the majority party in House of Commons

In the UK

B. House of Commons is the more powerful house

What is a constitutional monarchy?

A system where the monarch is the ceremonial head of state, but political power is limited by law and held by an elected parliament.

What is a parliamentary democracy

A system where the executive is drawn from the parliament, the Prime Minister leads the majority party, and the government is held accountable to parliament.

What is a representative democracy?

A system where citizens elect representatives who make laws and govern on their behalf.

What does “fusion of powers” refer to?

The merging of executive and legislative branches, where the executive is drawn directly from and accountable to the legislature, as in the UK

Britain is a ______, which means it is governed by a king/queen who accepts the advice of parliament

Constitutional monarchy

What is the most important function of Parliament?

To make laws

One of the main activities of the ______ in the UK is to make new laws

Parliament

Strictly speaking, the Parliament today consists of the Queen, the House of Lords and ______

The House of Commons

In Britain, the official head of state is ______ while the real centre of political life is in The House of Commons

The Queen/ the monarch

What is the oldest institution of government in Britain?

The Monarchy

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the British government?

It offers the Queen high political status and supreme power

The UK has no single written _____

Constitution

MPs who are leading members of the UK governing party form ____

The Cabinet

In UK politics, ______ requires all members of the Government to agree on the same decision and keep their opinions secret

Collective responsibility

What is the relationship between the executive and legislative branches in the UK called?

Fusion of powers

What does fusion of powers mean in the UK?

The executive is drawn directly from and accountable to the legislature

What is the role of the monarch in the UK political system?

The monarch is the ceremonial head of state, while political power is limited by law and held through Parliament.

Who leads the majority party and the government in a parliamentary democracy?

The Prime Minister

How is the British government characterized in terms of state-building?

The process of state-building has been one of evolution rather than revolution, in contrast to France and the US

What is a two-party system?

A system where two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape.

What are the three branches of government in the political systems discussed in the files?

Legislative, Executive, and Judicial

What is the major difference between the UK and US in terms of power structure?

The UK uses fusion of powers, while the US uses separation of powers.

What is the main institutional difference between the UK and US systems?

The UK has a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, while the US has a representative democracy with separation of powers and federalism