Politics
By Jameson
Politics of England
Constitutional Monarcy
In England, the monarch has limited authority and is not able to solely make decisions.
Parliamentary System
England uses a system of democratic government. A prime minister is the head of state and is elected by voting. In the Parliamentary system the head of the state is normally a person different form the head of government.
Unitary State
The unitary system is a sovereign state governed as a single person in which the central government is the supreme authority. The unitary system in England is governed by the Prime Minister of England. The UK is a sovereign state that encompasses England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Parliament
Parliament makes laws, sets taxes, and debates issues. There are two houses, The House of Commons and The House of Lords.
There are 650 members of the House of Commons who are elected by the public. This House proposes new laws, debates policies, and represents the issues and concerns of the people.
The House of Lords is the second House of Parliament. Lords make laws, carefully consider public policies, and hold government to task on all issues.
Heads of State
Current Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak was born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton, England. Sunak is a British politician and became the head of the Conservatives Party and prime minister of the UK in October 2022. As prime minister, Sunak is in charge of the policies of the government. He oversees all government agencies, chooses members of the government, and is the leader of the House of Commons. He also is the leader of Civil Service.
Current King
King Charles III
King Charles III, or Prince Charles at the time, was born on November 1948, in Buckingham Palace. He has been King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since September 8, 2022. King Charles' parents were Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II's real name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926 in London, England. She died in Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland on September 8, 2022. She was the queen of the United Kingdom form February 6, 1952- September 8, 2022. She was queen for 70 years. This is longer than any female monarch in history and the longest of any British monarch.
Current Political Issues
Immigration (many want immigration reduced, because it is impacting jobs and services)
Race relations
Cost of living crisis (inflation is driving up the costs of goods and services)
High energy prices
Worker strikes (insufficient wages)
Brexit
The UK withdrew from the EU (European Union). The EU was created so European countries could follow the same economic rules. This made trade and immigration easier. After a financial crisis in 2008, many countries were in debt and other countries in the EU had to help them out. Since the UK was a wealthy country, they had to help more than others. After the financial crisis, many people in England were unhappy because of the bailout and because of the large numbers of people that were coming to England. The country voted to leave the EU. It was a slim vote. It is not clear what the impact will be in the long-term. Immigration may lessen but it will be harder to trade with members of the EU. This issue divided the country and the political parties.
Political Parties
The Conservative Party is more "right" leaning and has connections to trade unions. This party is against devolution, which is where power is transferred to local governments. This party was in favor of Brexit.
The Labour party is "left" to "centrist" leaning and is the party of the labour or working class. It has socialist and democratic ideals and wants to distribute the wealth of the country. It fights for services to help working class people.