Political Systems

1
Political Systems

• USA, UK, Australia

2
Constitutions

• A constitution is the system of rules about how a
  country is governed
• Americas constitution was written in 1787
• Australias constitution was written in 1901

3
British Constitution

• The constitution is not a single document
• laws (passed by parliament)
• Common Law
• conventions (unwritten rules)

4
Questions

• What is a constitution?
• structure of government?
• criminal laws?
• a single document?
• What form does Chinas constitution have?

5
Changing the Constitution

• America three quarters of states
• Australia public vote
• Britain no different to changing any other law

6
Branches of Government

• Legislative (legislate make law)
• two houses of parliament
• Executive (execute do something)
• government departments, army
• Judiciary (judge make a court decision)
• courts and judges

7
Legislative (all three countries)

• Two houses lower, upper
• New laws need a majority vote in both houses
• Laws may be first introduced in either house (but
  usually the lower house)

8
Lower House

• (House of Commons, House of Representatives)
• Regions (with approximately equal populations)
  each elect one member

9
Senate

• Original reason small American states were
  worried that the big states would have all the
  power
• America each state elects 2 members
• Australia each state elects 7 memberss

10
House of Lords

• nobles with inherited titles
• nobles with non-inherited titles (appointed by
  the Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister)
• No elections
• Over 1000 Lords, but only about 250 attend
  regularly

11
Executive

• In Britain and Australia, the party with the most
  seats in the lower house becomes the government
• Party leader becomes Prime Minister
• Some members of parliament become ministers
  (control certain departments)
• Queen has almost no real power (mainly symbolic)

12
Executive

• In America, the Executive is separate from the
  Legislative
• the people elect the president
• the president appoints people to certain
  positions (heads of departments, etc)
• Presidential election every 4 years

13
Questions

• Does China have a legislative, executive, and
  judiciary?
• Compare Chinas system to America and Britain
• what is similar?
• what is different?

14
Checks and Balances

• Creators of the American Constitution worried
  that one person (such as the President) might
  become too powerful
• They divided up the power
• They provided ways for one part of the government
  to stop another parts activities checks and
  balances

15
Checks and Balances

• The legislative (Congress) makes laws, but
• the president must approve
• the Supreme Court can decide the new law is
  unconstitutional
• The president can sign treaties, but
• the Senate must approve

16
Checks and Balances

• Balance power between state and federal
  governments
• Separate the branches (legislature, executive,
  judiciary)
• Two houses of parliament
• Britain legislative is the most powerful
• executive is chosen from members

17
Checks and Balances

• New laws need the presidents approval
• But laws with a 2/3 majority in both houses of
  the legislative do not
• The Supreme Court can decide that a law is
  unconstitutional
• Treaties made by the president need the Senates
  approval
• The legislative can impeach (sack) the president
  or a Supreme Court judge

18
Two Party System

• (America, Britain, Australia)
• Two major parties (plus smaller parties)
• Therefore two choices for government/President/Pri
  me Minister
• Not imagined by the creators of the American
  Constitution