The elections must be every 5 years (shorter periods are also possible). All persons over 18 years may vote in parliamentary elections, provided they are British citizens and are registered in the register of electors. The candidates in these elections must be 21 or over. The voting system is called first past the post system. The political parties in Britain are the Liberal-Democratic party (centre), the Labour party (left wing), and the Conservative party (right wing). The party, which wins a sufficient[1] number of seats, forms the Government. The leader of this party is appointed Prime Minister by the Queen. Twenty of the party’s leading members are chosen by the Prime Minister and they form the Cabinet. They take decision on major policies. The second party in the elections is the official opposition. It forms a Shadow cabinet.
The Prime Minister is the most important person of the executive. He lived at 10 Downing Street but in 1994 this habit was changed by Tony Blair and the PM now lives at 11 Downing Street. 10 Downing Street is a flat for Chancellor of the Exchequer who is responsible for money and financial matters.
The official surname of the Royal family is Windsor. Their ancestors were of German origin. Unfortunately many scandals have had a decreasing effect of their popularity. All the Queen’s children were divorced or separated. We can all remember the problems and scandals created by the separation of Charles and Diana.
Political parties
The Conservative party developed[2] from the group known as Tories and its members are still called Tories in newspapers. They are a right-wing party. They want minimal government interference[3] in economy, they like to reduce income tax[4]. Their priorities are the defense, and internal law and order. It is a party of the rich and privileged. They have started the education reform in 1779. Their leader has a free hand in directing the policies. The two best-known leaders are Margaret Thatcher and John Major. The party is financed by business people and entrepreneurs.
The Labour party was formed in the 20th century, their first government was in 1923. In the political spectrum, it is on the left side of the center. Its members want equality[5] for weaker people, they want full social services without any increases of income taxes. Since 1979 they have formed the opposition to the Conservatives. The party’s voters are from working class and middle class. It is financed from trade unions. The party’s leader has substantial power, as Tony Blair, the current Prime Minister, has proven.
The Liberal Democratic party was formed in the 1980’s from the Whigs (liberals) and Social Democrats. It is in the center of the political spectrum or slightly left-wing. This party is in favor of the EU projects and it puts emphasis[6] on the environment. It wants a reform of the electoral system and greater power to local governments. Its voters are from all classes with a majority of voters from the middle class. The party is financed by private donations. Its current leader is Paddy Ashdown.
[1] ) dostatečný
[2] ) vyvíjet se, vyvolat
[3] ) zásah, zasahovat
[4] daň z příjmu
[5] ) rovnost
[6] ) důraz, zvýraznění
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