CHAPITRE 3 :
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

1 - The decline of Monarchy and the rise of Parliament
2 -IJK Parliament: rote, legislation and elections (the House of Commons and the House of Lords)
3 - The Prime Minister and the Cabinet
4 - Political parties
5 - Foreign and defence policy
6 – Conclusion

Britain is a constitutional monarchy: it is ruled by a king or queen who accepts the advice of Parliament. It is also a parliamentary democracy, a country whose government is controlled by a parliament that has been elected by the people. The highest positions in government are taken by elected Members of Parliament, also called MPs. The king or queen now has little real power.

The principles and procedures by which Britain is governed have developed over many centuries. They are not written clown in a single document that can be referred to in a dispute. The British Constitution is made up of statute law (---- laws agreed by Parliament), common law (= judges' decisions made in court and then written clown) and conventions (= rules and practices that people cannot be forced to obey but which are considered necessary for efficient government). The Constitution can be altered by Acts of Parliament, or by general agreement.

Similarly, there is no single document that lists people's rights. Some rights have been formally recognized by Parliament through laws, e.g. the right of a person not to be discriminated against (— treated differently) because of his or her sex. Other rights, such as the right not to be discriminated against on the grounds of religion, are not formally written down. It is generally understood that there rights are part of the Constitution.

A constitutional monarchy is a government by a king or queen within laws which limit his or her power. Britain is governed in this way, with the Queen as head of state and with Parliament and the elected government holding almost all real power. This system began to develop