..Life In the UK.( Chapter 4 ) ตอนที่ 1.
..เป็นการสรุป มาจาก คำแนะนำท้ายบท เพื่อทบทวนความเข้าใจ
.ในเนื้อหาของบท ที่ 4.
HOW THE UNITED KINGDOM IS GOVERNED.
สหราชอาณาจักร มีระบบการปกครองอย่างไร
Check that you understand :
1. The role of the monarchy.
2. How Parliament works, and the difference between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
3. How often general elections are held.
4. Where the official residence of the Prime Minister is.
5. The nature of the UK Constitution.
6. The job of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Cabinet.
7. The difference between ' first past the post ' and proportional representation.
8. The from of electoral systems in the devolved administrations in the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
9. The rights and duties of British citizens, including naturalised citizens.
10. How the judiciary, police and locol authorities work.
11. What non-departmental public bodies are.
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สรุป .....
The British Constitution
สหราชอาณาจักร กับการปกครองแบบ รัฐธรรมนูญ
1. AS a constitutional democracy, the UK is governed by a wide rage of institutions, many of which provide checks on each other's powers.
2. Most of these in stitutions are of long standing: they include the monarchy, Parliament, ( consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords ) the office of Prime Minister, the cabinet, the judiciary, the police, the civil service, and the institutions of local government.
3. More recently, devolved administrations have been set up for Scotland, Waels, and Northern Ireland.
4. Together, these formal in stitutions, laws and conventions from the British Constitution.
5. Some people would argue that the roles of other less formal institutions, such as the media and perssure groups, should also be seen as part of the constitution.
6. The British constitution is not witten down in any single document. The UK has an unwritten constitution. The constitutions of many other countries are written down.
7. This is mainly because the UK has never had a lasting revolution, like America or France, so our most important institutions have been in existence for hundreds of years.
( i ) . Some people believe that there should be a single document.
( ii ) . Other people belive that an unwritten constitution allows more scope for institutions to adapt to meet changing circumstances and public expectations.
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The monarchy.
( ระบอบการปกครอง แบบ ราชาธิปไตย )
การปกครองที่มีกษัตริย์ หรือ ราชินี เป็นประมุข
1. Queen Elizabeth ll is the head of State of the United Kingdom.
2. She is also the monarch or Head of State for many countries in the Commonwealth.
3. The UK , like Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden, has a constitutional monarchy.
4. This means that the king or queen does not rule the country, but appoints the government which the people have chosen in democratic elections.
5. Although the queen or king can advise, warn and encourage the Prime Minister, the decisions on government policies are made by the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
6. The Queen has reigned since her father's death in 1952.
= พระราชินี ขึ้นครองราช ในปี คศ. 1952 หลังจาก พระบิดา (กษัตริย์ จอร์จที่ 6)
สวรรคต
7. Prince Charles, the Prince of Waels, her oldest son, is the heir to the thorne.
= เจ้าฟ้าชายชาร์ลส์ เจ้าชายแห่งเวลส์ เป็นบุตรชาย องค์แรกของพระราชินี และเป็นองค์รัชทายาท ที่จะสืบราชสมบัติ ขึ้นมาเป็นกษัตริย์ องค์ต่อไป
( i ). The Queen has important ceremonial roles such as the opening of the new parliamentary session each year.
( ii ). On this occasion the Queen makes a speech that summarises the government's policies for the year ahead.
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Government. ระบบ การปกครอง
* The sytem of government in the UK is a parliamentry democracy.
( i ). The UK is divided into 646 parliamentary constituencies and at least every five years voters in each constituency elect their Member of Parliament (MP) in a general election.
( ii ). All of the elected MPs form the House of Commons.
( iii ). Most MPs belong to a political party and the party with the largest number of MPs forms the government.
( i ). The law that requires new elections to Parliament to be help at least every 5 years is so fundamental that no government has sought to change it.
( ii ). A Bill to change it is the only one to which the House of Lords must give its consent.
* Some people argue that the power of parliament is lessened because of the obligation on the UK to accept the rules of the European Union and the judgments of the European Court, but it was Parliament itself which created these obligations.
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The House of Commons. สภาล่าง....
1. The House of Commons is the more important of the two chambers in Parliament, and its members are democratically elected.
2. Nowadays the Prime Minister and almost all the members of the Cabinet are members of the House of commons.
3. The members of the House of commons are called ' Members of Parliament ' or MP for short.
4. Each MP represents a parliamentary constituency, or area of the country : there are 646 of these.
5. MPs have a number of different responsibilities.
( i ). They represent everyone in their constituency.
( ii ). They help to create new laws.
( iii ) They scrutinise and comment on what the government is doing.
( iv ). They debate important national issues.
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Elections. กระบวนการเลือกตั้ง
1. There must be a general election to elect MPs at least wvery five years, though they may be held sooner if the Prime Minister so decides.
2. if an MP dies or resigns, theree will be another election, called a by-election, in his or her constituency.
( i ). MPs are elected through a sytem called ' first past the post' .
( ii ). In each constituency, the candidate who gets the most votes is elected.
( iii ). The government is then formed by the party which wins the majority of constituencies.
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The Whips.
การลงมติ ของคณะ รัฐมนตรี ( MP ) ( = 646 คน ที่มาจาก สภาล่าง )
( i ). The Whips are a small group of MPs appointed by their play leaders.
( ii ). They are responsible for discipline in their party and making sure MPs attend the House of Commons to vote.
( iii ). The Chief Whip often attends Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet meettings and arranges the schedule of proceedings in the House of Commons with the Speaker.
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European parliamentary elections.
ยุโรป กับการเลือกตั้ง ตามกฏเกณฑ์ของรัฐสภา
1. Elections for the European Parliament are also held every five years.
2. There are 78 seats for representatives from the UK in the European Parliament.
3. elected members are called Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
4. Elections to the European Parliament use a system of proportional representation, whereby seats are allocated to each party in proportion to the total votes it won.
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The House of Lords .
สภาขุนนาง ( สภาสูง )
1. Members of the House of Lords, known as peers, are not elected and do not represent a constituency.
( i ). The role and membership of the House of Lords have recently undergone big changes.
( ii ). Until1958 all peers were either hereditary, meaning that their titles were inherited, senior judges, or bishops of the Church of England.
( iii ). Since 1958 the Prime Minister has had the power to appoint peers just for their own lifetime.
( iv ). These peers, known as Life Peers, have usually had a distinguished career in politics, business, law or some other profession.
( v ). Life Peers are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, but they include people nominated by the leaders of the other main parties and by an independent Appointments Commission for non-party peers.
2. In the last few years the hereditary peers have lost the automatic right to attend the House of Lords, although they are allowed to elect a few of their number to represent them.
3. While the House of Lords is usually the less important of the two chambers of Parliament, it is more independent of the government.
4. It can suggest amendments or propose new laws, which are then discussed by the House of Commons .
5. The House of Lords can become very important if the majority of its members will not agree to pass a law for which the House of Commons has voted.
6. The House of Commons has powers to overrule the House of Lords, but these are very rarely used.
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The Prime Minister : นายกรัฐมาตรี.
1. The Prime Minister (PM) is the leader of the political party in power.
2. He or she appoints the members of the Cabinet and has control over many important public appointments.
3. The official home of the Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, in central London, near the Houses of Parliament; he or she also has a country house not far from London called Chequers.
4. The Prime Minister can be changed if the MPs in the governing party decide to do so, or if he or she wishes to resign. More usually, the Prime Minister resigns when his or her party is defeated in a general election.
** 10 Downing Street // photo // ภาพบ้านพัก นายกรัฐมนตรี
//images.google.co.uk/images?q=10+Downing+Street+photo&hl=th&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title
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The Cabinet : ที่ปรึกษาคณะรัฐมนตรี
( i ). The Prime Minister appoints about 20 senior MPs to become ministers in charge of departments.
( ii ). These include the Chancellor of the Exchequer, responsible for the economy, the Home Secretary, responsible for law, order and immigration, the Foreign Secretary, and ministers (called Secretaries of State) for education, health and defence
* The Lord Chancellor, who is the minister responsible for legal affairs, is also a member of the Cabinet but sat in the House of Lords rather than the House of Commons. Following legislation passed in 2005, it is now possible for the Lord Chancellor to sit in the Commons.
** These ministers form the Cabinet, a small committee which usually meets weekly and makes important decisions about government policy which often then have to be debated or approved by Parliament.
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The Opposition : พรรค ฝ่ายค้าน
1. The second largest party in the House of Commons is called the Opposition.
2. The Leader of the Opposition is the person who hopes to become Prime Minister if his or her party wins the next general election.
3. The Leader of the Opposition leads his or her party in pointing out the governments failures and weaknesses; one important opportunity to do this is at Prime Ministers Questions which takes place every week while Parliament is sitting.
4. The Leader of the Opposition also appoints senior Opposition MPs to lead the criticism of government ministers, and together they form the Shadow Cabinet.
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The Speaker : ประธานสภาสามัญ
1. Debates in the House of Commons are chaired by the Speaker, the chief officer of the House of Commons.
2. The Speaker is politically neutral.
3. He or she is an MP, elected by fellow MPs to keep order during political debates and to make sure the rules are followed.
4. This includes making sure the Opposition has a guaranteed amount of time to debate issues it chooses.
5. The Speaker also represents Parliament at ceremonial occasions.
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The party system : ระบบพรรคการเมือง
( i ). Under the British system of parliamentary democracy, anyone can stand for election as an MP but they are unlikely to win an election unless they have been nominated to represent one of the major political parties.
( ii ). These are the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, or one of the parties representing Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish interests.
* There are just a few MPs who do not represent any of the main political parties and are called independents.
** The main political parties actively seek members among ordinary voters to join their debates, contribute to their costs, and help at elections for Parliament or for local government.
*** they have branches in most constituencies and they hold policy-making conferences every year.
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Pressure and lobby groups:
( ** จะคล้ายๆ กับ กลุมสมัชชาฯ ,สมาพันธิ์ , หรือสหภาพ ของไทย..ฯ
ที่รวมกลุ่มกัน พลักดัน ให้หน่วยงานของรัฐ ออกกฏหมายข้อบังคับรับรอง..ฯ )
1. Pressure and lobby groups are organisations that try to influence government policy.
2. They play a very important role in politics.
3. There are many pressure groups in the UK.
4. They may represent economic interests (such as the Confederation of British Industry, the Consumers Association, or the trade unions) or views on particular subjects (e.g. Greenpeace or Liberty)
5. The general public is more likely to support pressure groups than join a political party.
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The civil service : ระเบียบการแต่งตั้ง ข้าราชการพลเรือน
1. Civil servants are managers and administrators who carry out government policy.
2.They have to be politically neutral and professional, regardless of which political party is in power.
3. Although civil servants have to follow the policies of the elected government, they can warn ministers if they think a policy is impractical or not in the public interest.
4. Before a general election takes place, top civil servants study the Opposition partys policies closely in case they need to be ready to serve a new government with different aims and policies.
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Devolved administration :
( การโยกย้าย ถ่ายมอบอำนาจ การบริหาร , การปกครอง ของรัฐบาล )
1. In order to give people in Wales and Scotland more control of matters that directly affect them, in 1997 the government began a programme of devolving power from central government -devolution .
2. Since 1999 there has been a Welsh Assembly, a Scottish Parliament and, periodically, a Northern Ireland Assembly.
3. Although policy and laws governing defence, foreign affairs, taxation and social security all remain under central UK government control, many other public services now come under the control of the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland.
4. Both the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly have been set up using forms of proportional representation ( PR ) which ensures that each party gets a number of seats in proportion to the number of votes they receive.
5. Similarly, proportional representation is used in Northern Ireland in order to ensure power sharing between the Unionist majority ( mainly Protestant ) and the substantial ( mainly Catholic ) minority aligned to Irish nationalist parties.
6. A different form of proportional representation is used for elections to the European Parliament.
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The Welsh Assembly Government :
= Welsh Assembly ( เวลส์ แอสเซมบิ ) การประชุมคณะรัฐบาล ของชาวเวลส์ )
1. The National Assembly for Wales, or Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), is situated in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.
2. It has 60 Assembly Members (AMs)
3. Elections are held every four years.
4. Members can speak in either Welsh or English and all its publications are in both languages.
5. The Assembly has the power to make decisions on important matters such as education policy, the environment, health services, transport and local government, and can pass laws for Wales on these matters within a statutory framework set out by the UK Parliament at Westminster.
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The Parliament of Scotland :
รัฐสภา ของสก๊อตแลนด์..
1. A long campaign in Scotland for more independence and democratic control led to the formation in 1999 of the Parliament of Scotland.
2. The Scottish Parliament sits in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.
3. There are 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs),
4. The 129 Members (MSPs), are elected by a form of proportional representation.
5. This has led to the sharing of power in Scotland between the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties.
6. The Scottish Parliament can pass legislation ( laws ) for Scotland on all matters that are not specifically reserved to the UK Parliament.
7. The matters on which the Scottish Parliament can legislate include civil and criminal law, health, education, planning and the raising of additional taxes.
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The Northern Ireland Assembly :
Assembly (แอสเซมบิ ) การประชุมคณะรัฐบาล ของชาวไอซ์แลนด์เหนือ
1. A Northern Ireland Parliament was established in 1922 when Ireland was divided, but it was abolished in 1972 shortly after the Troubles broke out in 1969. ( see chapter 1. )
2. Soon after the end of the Troubles, the Northern Ireland Assembly was established with a power-sharing agreement which distributes ministerial offices among the main parties.
3. The Assembly has 108 elected members known as ( MLAs ) (Members of the Legislative Assembly).
4. Decision-making powers devolved to Northern Ireland include education, agriculture, the environment, health and social services in Northern Ireland.
( i ). The UK government kept the power to suspend the Northern Ireland Assembly if the political leaders no longer agreed to work together or if the Assembly was not working in the interests of the Northern Ireland people .
( ii ). The Assembly has been suspended several times and currently suspended (2006).
( iii ). This means that the elected assembly members do not have power to pass bills or make decisions.
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Tip ... สรุปเพิ่มเติม..
จาก บทที่ 4 .. จะเห็นได้ว่า การเลือกตั้ง ใน UK มี 3 แบบ คือ.. การเลือกตั้งแบบ ...
1.. First past the post : คือ ผู้ที่มีคะแนนสูงสุด จากการเลือกตั้ง คือผู้ชนะ การเลือกตั้ง.
2.. Proportional representation : คือ การเลือกตั้งแบบ แบ่งเขตการเลือกตั้ง ว่าในเขตนั้นๆ มี MP ได้กี่คน.
3 .. By - election : คือ การเลือกตั้งซ่อม ในกรณีที่ MP ลาออก หรือ เสียชีวิต.
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Local government : ( Council office )
การปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่น
1. Towns, cities and rural areas in the UK are governed by democratically elected councils, often called local authorities.
2. Some areas have both district and county councils though most larger towns and cities have a single local authority.
3. Many councils representing towns and cities have a mayor.
4. Some mayors are the ceremonial leader of the council and some the leader of the administration.
5. London has 33 local authorities, with the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London co-ordinating policies across the capital.
( i ). Local authorities are required to provide mandatory services in their area.
( ii ). These services include education, housing, social services, passenger transport, the fire service, rubbish collection, planning, environmental health and libraries.
6. Most of the money for the local authority services comes from the government through taxes.
( i ). Only about 20% is funded locally through council tax a local tax set by councils to help pay for local services.
( ii ). It applies to all domestic properties, including houses, bungalows, flats, maisonettes, mobile homes or houseboats, whether owned or rented.
7. Local elections for councillors are held in May every year.
8. Many candidates stand for council election as members of a political party .
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The judiciary : นิติบัญญัติ ( ศาล )
*
( i ). In the UK the laws made by Parliament are the highest authority.
( ii ). Often important questions arise about how the laws are to be interpreted in particular cases.
( iii ). It is the task of the judges (who are together called the judiciary) to interpret the law, and the government can not interfere with their role.
**
( i ). Often the actions of the government are claimed to be illegal and, if the judges agree, then the government must change its policies or ask Parliament to change the law.
( ii ). More important in recent years, as the judges now have the task of applying the Human Rights Act.
** If they find that a public body is not respecting a persons human rights, they may order them to change its practices and pay compensation.
** If the judges believe that an Act of Parliament is incompatible with the Human Rights Act, they cannot change it themselves but they can ask Parliament to consider doing so.
** Judges cannot, however, decide whether people are guilty or innocent of serious crimes.
** When someone is accused of a serious crime, a jury will decide if he or she is innocent or guilty and, if guilty, the judge will decide on the penalty. For less important crimes, a magistrate will decide on the penalty.
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The police Sevice:
ตำรวจกับการให้บริการแก่คนทั่วไป
1. The police service is organised locally, with one police service for each county or group of counties.
2. The largest force is the Metropolitan Police, which serves London and is based at New Scotland Yard.
3. Northern Ireland as a whole is served by the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI).
4. The police sevice have operational independence , which means that the government instruct them on what to do in any particular case.
5. The powers of the police are limited by the law and their finances are controlled by the government and by police authorities made up of councillors and magistrates.
6. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (or, in Northern Ireland, the Police Ombudsman) investigates serious complaints against the police.
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Non-departmental public bodies ( quangos ) : รัฐวิสาหกิจ
1. Non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos, are independent organisations that carry out functions on behalf of the public which it would be inappropriate to place under the political control of a Cabinet minister.
2. There are many hundreds of these bodies, carrying out a wide variety of public duties.
3. Appointments to these bodies are usually made by ministers, but they must do so in an open and fair way.
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The role of the media : บทบาทของสื่อ
1. Proceedings in Parliament are broadcast on digital television and published in official reports such as Hansard, which is available in large libraries and on the internet: //www.parliament.uk .
2. Most people, however, get information about political issues and events from newspapers (often called the press), television and radio
3. The UK has a free press, meaning that what is written in newspapers is free from government control.
( i ). Newspaper owners and editors hold strong political opinions and run campaigns to try and influence government policy and public opinion.
( ii ). As a result it is sometimes difficult to distinguish fact from opinion in newspaper coverage.
4. By law, radio and television coverage of the political parties at election periods must be balanced and so equal time has to be given to rival viewpoints. But broadcasters are free to interview politicians in a tough and lively way.
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Who can vote? : ใครบ้าง ที่สามารถ ใช้สิทธิ์เลือกตั้งได้
1. The United Kingdom has had a fully democratic system since 1928, when women were allowed to vote at 21, the same age as men.
2. The present voting age of 18 was set in 1969, and (with a few exceptions such as convicted prisoners) all UK-born and naturalised citizens have full civic rights, including the right to vote and do jury service.
3. Citizens of the UK, the Commonwealth and the Irish Republic (if resident in the UK) can vote in all public elections.
4. Citizens of EU states who are resident in the UK can vote in all elections except national parliamentary (general) elections.
* In order to vote in a parliamentary, local or European election, you must have your name on the register of electors, known as the electoral register.
* If you are eligible to vote, you can register by contacting your local council election registration office.
( i ). The electoral register is updated every year in September or October.
( ii ). An electoral registration form is sent to every household and it has to be completed and returned, with the names of everyone who is resident in the household and eligible to vote on 15 October.
* By law, each local authority has to make its electoral register available for anyone to look at, although this now has to be supervised.
* The register is kept at each local electoral registration office (or council office in England and Wales). It is also possible to see the register at some public buildings such as libraries.
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Standing for office :
1. Most citizens of the United Kingdom, the Irish Republic or the Commonwealth aged 18 or over can stand for public office.
2. There are some exceptions and these include members of the armed forces, civil servants and people found guilty of certain criminal offences.
3. Members of the House of Lords may not stand for election to the House of Commons but are eligible for all other public offices.
4. To become a local councillor, a candidate must have a local connection with the area through work, being on the electoral register, or through renting or owning land or property.
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Contacting elected members :
1. All elected members have a duty to serve and represent their constituents.
2. You can get contact details for all your representatives and their parties from your local library
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How to visit Parliament and the Devolved Administrations :
1. The public can listen to debates in the Palace of Westminster from public galleries in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
2. You can write to your MP for tickets or you can queue on the day at the public entrance. Entrance is free.
3. In Northern Ireland, elected members, known as MLAs, meet in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, in Belfast.
4. The Northern Ireland Assembly is presently suspended.
5. In Scotland, the elected members, called MSPs, meet in the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh
6. In Wales, the elected members, known as AMs, meet in the Welsh Assembly in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay
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มีต่อ Chapter 4 / 2.. ( more.. chapter 4 / 2 .. )
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