British Monarchy Essay

325 Words2 Pages
The British Monarchy 10.01.2011 I. The Structure a. Constitutional Monarchy: The British Monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, which means that they are governed by a monarch who accepts the advice of a parliament. b. Constitution: A formal document which could be called the constitution doesn’t exist but there are three distinctive features that may be called the basis of the political system: statue law, common law and conventions. c. The Parliament: It is divided into two houses. The House of Lords with 1000 non-elected members and the House of Commons with 650 Members of Parliament (MP’s), representing the 650 constituencies, in which the UK is divided. d. Prime Minister (PM): This position is in direct contrast to that of the monarch. The PM doesn’t appear to have much power but in reality has a very great deal in comparison to the monarch. e. The Monarchy: On the paper, the monarch is the head of state with an absolute command, but in reality he assumes and implement the Prime Minister’s advices. II. Pros and Cons for and against the monarchy a. Pros * Good ambassador to represent the country * Excellent tourist attraction * Keepers of the country’s history and traditions * The royal family doesn’t represent any political party b. Cons * Impinges against paragraph 1, Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. * Old-fashioned domination picture * Costs for head of state are unjustifiable: estimated 220 Mio € (officially 50 Mio €) costs in Germany are about 30 Mio € * Concept of monarchy is undemocratic * Concept of monarchy is not egalitarian * Royal families have become national embarrassments * Monarchs no longer have divine rights to
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