Theme 3. British and American political system. Great Britain and the USA: people and society.
The political system of the UK.
A) The organs of government (the legislature, the executive, the judiciary).
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. It is a unitary state.
As a matter of fact there is no constitution in the UK in the sense of the basic law of the country, written in a single document. The UK constitution is formed partly by statutes, and partly by conventions. The organs of government in the United Kingdom are:
1. the legislature which consists of the Queen (the supreme authority of the realm) and Parliament (the main law-making body);
2. the executive branch which consists of a) the Cabinet and other ministers of the Crown, b) government departments, and c) local authorities;
3. the judiciary (law courts) which determines common law and interprets the laws.