英概电子教案2

青青 岛岛 滨滨 海海 学学 院院 教教 师师 教教 案案 1 课 题 Chapter 3 Politics and Society Chapter4 Government 需 2 课时 教 学 目 的 要 求 The students are expected to get a general idea about the political system of the UK ant its government 教学重点British political system and its government 教案编写日期 教学难点 Explanations of the legislature the executive and the judiciary of the British government 8 月 16 日 教 学 内 容 与 教 学 过 程提示与补充 I Revision Something about the land and people of the UK II New Lesson 1 A presentation on the main learning target in this period 1 Political Parties 2 Welfare 3 the division of powers of the British Government a the legislature b the executive c and the judiciary 2 The main contents in details A Chapter 3 Politics and Society Words Study Political parties 政党 two way system 两党制 party politics 党派政治 welfare state 福利国家 Social Security 社会保障 the National Health Program 国民保健计划 the Housing Program 住房制度 privatization 私 有化 opposition party 在野党 no confidence motion 不信任案 grassroots organization 基层组织 Trades Union Congress 工会大会 brain drain 人才流失 pro Americanism 亲美政策 1 Political Parties Political parties originated in the late 17th century The group which believed in a strong parliament and was associated with the Protestant reformers was known as the Whig Party while those who supported the king and the Church of England were known as the Conservative Party 1 The Conservative Party The political proposition of the Conservative Party private enterprises and free competition Margaret Thatcher known as the Iron Lady advocated free enterprise and 青青 岛岛 滨滨 海海 学学 院院 教教 师师 教教 案案 5 private ownership Under her leadership more than 2 3 of the state owned enterprises were sold to private people and the number of private share holders tripled during her administration She also adopted anti union policies and her government passed laws to reduce the negotiating power of the trade union and make the union responsible for economic losses caused by strikes In foreign policy Thatcher supported strong ties with the United States and kept distance from the European Union The Results of decentralization The privatization of industries and market economy did not solve the economic problems Unemployment rate kept very high in the early 1980s As a result Thatcher had to resign her job as the Prime Minister in 1990 The reasons for the decline of the Conservative Firstly the Conservative Party does not have grassroots organizations as the Labor Party does Secondly electoral defeat is something too bitter for them to swallow So many of them have chosen to leave politics and turn to business or other fields 2 The Labor Party The labor party has traditionally drawn support from the trade unions It has embraced socialist ideas supported government control of important industries and advocated more equal distribution of the wealth The major components of the party were trade unions but it also included members of the socialist Fabian Gordon Brown is Prime Minister 2 Welfare The welfare programs in the United Kingdom started after World War II when the Labor government promised to make the United Kingdom a place fit for heroes The key elements of the welfare state include Social Security the National Health Service the Housing Program education and personal service 1 Thee Social Security The social security system was establishes in 1948 on the basis of compulsory insurance All citizens with a job are required to contribute a certain amount of their income to the national insurance system their employers supplement a good part of the cost and the state meets the balance of the total cost In return for their contribution citizens are entitled to a retirement pension at the age of 65 for men and 60 for women 2 The National Health Service It provides free medical care to every man woman and child who need it About 2 500 hospitals provide medical care and treatment to patients completely free of charge The cost of the National Health Service is shared by the central and local governments 3 Housing Program Housing program is another part of the welfare state The local 青青 岛岛 滨滨 海海 学学 院院 教教 师师 教教 案案 1 governments build many houses known as Council Houses and rent them to low income families at a very low rent The local governments also provide help toward housing cost to those with low income Chapter 4 Government 1 Words Study Constitutional monarchy 君主立宪制 Parliament 议会 the House of Lords 上议院 the House of Commons 下议院 the Prime Minister 首相 The Cabinet 内阁 the judiciary 司法部 the Lord Chancellor 大法官 上院议长 the Privy Council 枢密院 devolution 权力下放 parliamentary democracy 议会民主制国家 parliamentary act 议会法案 High Court of Judiciary 高等法院 2 A Brief Introduction to the Government of the UK Britain is at the same time a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy It is a constitutional monarchy because it has a reigning monarch as its formal and permanent Head of State whose function is regulated by the constitution But at the same time it is a democracy because it has a Prime Minister as Head of Government who derives his position as leader of the political party that holds the majority of seats in the elective Parliament The British government is characterized by a division of powers among the legislature the executive and the judiciary 3 The Legislative Parliament Parliament is the law making body of the United Kingdom Its main functions are to make laws for the United Kingdom to provide money for the government by raising tax and to approve government budget to protect the rights of individuals to scrutinize government policy to examine European Union proposal before they become law and to hear appeals in the House of Lords Parliament comprises the monarch often referred to as the Crown the House of Lords and the House of Commons 1 The House of Lords Referred to as the Upper House consists of two groups of members a religious group and a secular group The religious group is called Lords Spiritual which includes two archbishops and senior bishops The secular group is known as Lords Temporal which includes hereditary peers Life Peers who are granted noble titles by the king or queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Law Lords who are Judges of Britain s High Court Members of the House of Lords are not elected They are appointed and they serve for life except the Law Lords who leave the House of Lords when they retire from their job On March 1 2004 there were 666 members in the House of Lords 青青 岛岛 滨滨 海海 学学 院院 教教 师师 教教 案案 1 2 The House of Commons The House of Commons is composed of 659 elected members who are called MPs for short The seats are distributed according to population 529 for England 40 for Wales 72 for Scotland and 18 for Northern Ireland The House of Commons is the more important part of the Parliament It is the main parliamentary arena for political battles The most important function of the House of Commons is to make laws known as Act of Parliament 4 The Executive Government The British government comprises the monarch the Parliament and the executive branch led by the Prime Minister The Cabinet is at the center of the British political system It is the supreme decision making body in British government Cabinet members are chosen by the Prime Minister from members of his own political party in Parliament Presently there are 22 members in Gordon Brown s Cabinet The functions of the Cabinet discuss important issues of the day with the Prime Minister initiates polices proposes all important bills in Parliament and coordinates the work of different government departments 5 The Judiciary The judiciary branch of the British government is rather complicated in that England Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own legal systems with considerable differences in law organization and practice The legal system of England and Wales consists of the common law the equity law parliament acts and European Community legislation 1 Common Law Common law also known as precedents It serves as the basis of legal practice except when it is superseded by legislation 2 The Equity Law The equity law is made up of a body of historic rules made by the Lord Chancellor and the Court of Chancery when people appeal directly to the monarch because they were denied relief