The British Parliament

Topic N1 „The British Parliament“

The British Parliament is the oldest in the world. It originated

in th 12th century as Witenagemot, the body of wise councellers

whom the King needed to consult pursuing his policy. The British

Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of

Commons and the Queen as its head. The House of Commons plays the

major role in law-making. It consists of Members of Parliament

(called MPs for short). Each of them represents an area in

England, Scotland, Wales and IIreland. MPs are elected either at a

general election or at a by-election following the death or

retirement. Parliamentary elections are held every 5 years and it

is the Prime Minister who decides on the exact day of the

election. The minimum voting age is 18. And the voting is taken

by secret ballot. The election campaign lasts about 3 weeks, The

British parliamentary system depends on politicals parties. The

party which wins the majority of seats forms the goverment and

its leader usually becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister

chooses about 20 MPs from his party to become the cabinet of

ministers. Each minister is responsible for a particular area in

the goverment. The second largest party becomes the official

opposition with its own leader and „shadow cabinet“. The leader

of the oopposition is a recognized post in the House of Commons.

The parliament and the monarch have different roles in the

goverment and they only meet together on symbolic occasions, such

as coronation of a new monarch or the opening of the parliament.

In reality, the House of Commons is the one of three which has

true power. The House of Commons is made up of six hundred and

fifty elected members, it is presided over by the speaker, a

member acceptable to the whole house. MPs sit on two sides of the