Lecture notes
political system
- Module
- Public Law
- Institution
- University Of Portsmouth (UoP)
class notes on political system
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Public Law- Week 2Who makes up the political system?
- Monarch
- Parliament
- Government
- Civil services
- Judiciary
Monarchy and The Crown
- The monarch = UK head of state
- Still has some legal/ constitutional powers, exercised by/ on advice of elected politicians/
government
- Appointing PM & MPs
- Dissolve parliament
- Give royal assent to legislation
- The monarch used to be the ultimate authority in terms of making laws & enforcing laws
- This is why we refer to ‘The Crown’ and other references to the monarch (HM Government,
Royal Courts of Justice, Royal Prerogative etc.) with regards to the exercise of authority
- What was previously the royal authority is now the government authority
- So ‘the crown’ essentially =’ the government’ it is not the queen
Legislature/ parliament
House of commons
- Made up of ‘commoners’/ elected politicians
- Government forms part of HOC
- Holds debates, scrutinises legislation & government spending, scrutinises government
House of lords
- Made up of appointed (unelected) ‘lords’
- No role of formation of government
- Holds debates, scrutinises legislation & revises legislation/ suggests amendments to the
commons
Executive/ central government
- An ‘executive’ is the body that makes and implements policies across the areas that the
state is responsible for
- i.e. the body that decides how to change/deliver a welfare system, education,
environmental policies, the NHS
- it is also the branch of the system which is accountable for ensuring all these things work
- the executive therefore runs the country: from how well the NHS works, to whether prison
services are effective, to the UK’s relationship with international organisations (WTO/ EU/
Council of Europe)
civil service
- the bureaucratic body that supports the government of the day, essentially running the
country
, - politically impartial, permanent officials (‘civil servants’)
- operational running of government policies i.e. providing welfare benefits, running prisons,
issuing passports/ driving licenses etc.
- policy advisors/ minister support: civil servants research areas of policy ( i.e. environment,
energy, health) and aid ministers in their policy choices and operations
- implementing policy/ projects i.e. when changes are made to the way things work, these
changes are conducted by the Civil Service (for instance: transferring to a universal Credit
system
Judiciary
- purpose is to adjudicate on and resolve legal disputes
- can only interpret in a manner compatible with Parliaments intentions
House of commons: who sits here?
- The House of Commons is made up of 650’ seats’ – basically 650 elected members of
Parliament (MPs)
- Each MP is elected to represent a ‘constituency’ (i.e. a particular part/ piece) of the UK
- S o a general election= voters are choosing who to fill the seats with
There are very few limitations on who can stand as an MP
- Under 18s, non-UK/ Rol or Commonwealth nationals, bankrupt individuals, those who have
been found guilty of an election offence, judges, police officers, members of the armed
forces, members of the House of Lords, civil servants, those who are a member of a
legislature/ parliament elsewhere
The electoral system
- General elections generally happen every 5 years in the UK (Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011)
- General elections dictate who sits in the House of Commons
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