Key points to memorize for Life in the UK test chapter 4

The British Constitution

  • As a constitutional democracy, the UK is governed by a wide range of institutions.
  • The monarchy. Like Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, UK has a constitutional democracy, meaning the King or Queen does not rule the country, but appoints the government the people have chosen in democratic elections.
  • The King or Queen can advise the Prime Minister, but the Prime Minister still has the final decision.
  • The King or Queen has several important roles, such as the opening session of the Parliament every year.
  • The UK is divided into 646 parliamentary constituencies.
  • MPs have different responsibilities. They represent their constituency, scrutinize decisions made by the government and debate whether it is beneficial or not.
  • Every five years, the voting public elects a new Member of Parliament (MP). MPs form the House of Commons. Should an MP die or resign, they will have to elect another MP through a by-election, in his or her constituency. MPs are elected through a system called “first-past-the-post”.
  • The Whips are a small group of MPs responsible for the discipline of the other MPs. The Chief Whip attends Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet meetings to arrange the schedule of proceedings with the Speaker.
  • Elections in the European Parliament are also held every five years. There are 78 seats for the representatives from the UK. Elected members are called Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
  • The House of Lords, known as peers, are not elected and (the position) can only be passed by “inheriting” it. In 1958, the Prime Minister has the power to appoint members of the House of Lords, known as Life Peers. It is the less important of the two chambers of the Parliament, but is independent.
  • The Prime Minister is the head of the Parliamentary government. He / she appoints the members of the Cabinet. Elected PMs reside at 10 Downing St.
  • The Prime Minister can be changed, if he decides to resign, the MPs in the governing party to do so, or if the Prime Minister’s party loses in the general election.
  • The Cabinet directly works under the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister appoints 20 senior MPs for these posts, including Home Secretary (in charge of law and order), Foreign Secretary (immigration), and ministers or Secretaries of State (for education and health), and the Lord Chancellor (for legal affairs).
  • The Opposition, as the name implies, opposes and points out the weaknesses and faults of the decisions of the government.
  • The Speaker is elected by his fellow MPs, and is expected to be always politically neutral. He / she must keep debates orderly and sometimes represents Parliament at some occasions.
  • The party system is a group of MPs with shared interests. Examples are the Labor Party, Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, or one of the parties representing Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish interests.
  • Independents are MPs who do not wish to join a political party.
  • Lobby groups are organized to try to influence government policy. They represent the public and share with other MPs the public’s point-of-view.
  • Civil servants are managers and administrators who carry out government policy, and are expected to be politically neutral, but they can point out faults should they find it wrong or not sharing the sentiments of the general public.
  • Devolved administration. In order to give people of Wales and Scotland more control of matters that affect them, they have devolved administration powers and made Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament, and Northern Ireland Assembly.
  • The Welsh Assembly Government. Situated on Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It has 60 Assembly Members and elections are held for 4 years.
  • The Parliament of Scotland. There are 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), elected by a form of proportional representation.
  • The Northern Ireland Assembly. Established in 1922 and abolished in 1972. The Assembly has 108 elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The Assembly has been suspended by 2006, and was restored on May 2007.
  • The local government. The towns, cities, and rural areas in the UK are governed by the local authorities.
  • Local authorities have a “council tax”, which funds local authority services.
  • Local elections are held every year every May.
  • The judiciary, or the judges, are the interpreters of the law. They can not decide if a convicted is guilty or innocent, as the juries decide it for them.
  • The police are organized locally. The largest force is the Metropolitan Police and is based on the New Scotland Yard. Northern Ireland is served by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. They have “operational independence”, meaning they cannot be interfered by the government.
  • Quangos are non-departmental bodies that carry out functions on behalf of the public.
  • Media people in UK are free from political persecution. This is called “free press”.
  • To be able to vote, one must be at least 18 years of age, and a resident of the UK.
  • To be able to run in government offices, they must be at least 18, hasn’t been convicted, must have a local connection on the area they’re planning to run for a post, being on the electoral register, and must have owned / rented a property.

The Commonwealth

  • The Commonwealth is an association of countries, most of which were part of the British Empire.
  • The King or Queen is the head of the Commonwealth. It currently has 53 member states.
  • The aim of the Commonwealth is to promote democracy, good government, and eradicate poverty.

The European Union

  • The European Union (EU), originally called the European Economic Community (EEC), was set up by six Western European countries.
  • One of the main reasons why this was founded because they think that this would resolve tensions between the European countries, therefore, lessening the chances of another war.
  • One of the main aims of the EU is for the member states to function as a single market. One is to adopt Euro as their main currency, but UK has yet to adopt it.
  • The Council of the European Union, also called, Council of Ministers, is effectively the governing body of the EU.

The Council of Europe

  • It was created in 1949 and the UK was one of its founding members.
  • Unlike the latter two, it has no power, but draws conventions and charters which focus on human rights, democracy, education, the environment, health and culture.
  • Members are bound by the European Convention of Human Rights.

The United Nations

  • The United Nations was set after the World War II and aims to prevent war and promote international peace and security.
  • Currently, there are 190 members.
  • There are 15 members of the UN Security Council, which recommends action if there is a threat to international peace.
  • The UK is one of the five permanent members.
  • Three very important agreements were produced by the UN. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.