21. Who does the real power in the United Kingdom belong to?

The real power in the country belongs to the British Parliament and to the British Government. Government's

powers include general executive and statutory powers, delegated legislation, and numerous powers of

appointment and patronage.

Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in

the UK and its territories. At its head is the Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II.

As Head of State the Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters, unable to vote

or stand for election.But The Queen does have important ceremonial and formal roles in relation to the

Government of the UK.The Queen's duties include opening each new session of Parliament, dissolving

Parliament before a general election, and approving Orders and Proclamations through the Privy Council.The

Queen also has a special relationship with the Prime Minister, retaining the right to appoint and also meeting

with him or her on a regular basis.

21. Who does the real power in the United Kingdom belong to?

The real power in the UK belongs to the House of Parliament because of many reasons. First of all, it is the

House of Commons that new bills are introduced and debating. If the majority of members are in favour of a

bill, it goes to the House of Lords to be debated, and finally to the monarch to be signed. However, some types

of the bills may be debated only in the House of Commons before they are presented for the Royal Assent

without the debates in the House of Lords. The Lords may not delay a money bill (if the Speaker of the House

of Commons finds it important for the nation) for more than one month. Moreover, the Lords may not delay

most other public bills for more than 2 parliamentary sessions, or the calendar year, so if members of the

House of Parliament find a bill essential, the House of Lords can only delay it but not cancel.

22. What are the largest British political parties?

The UK has a large number of political parties, but the majority of British politics concerns the main three: the

Conservative Party, the Labour Party, and the Liberal Democrats.

The Conservative Party

This party's predecessors can be traced back to the Whig Party of the 18th century, although the Conservative

Party of today was founded out of the Tory Party in 1834. The terms "Conservative" and "Tory" are now used

interchangeably. The Conservative party has been in power for two-thirds of the 20th century, and is the ruling

party in the UK today, in coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

The current Conservative government manifesto emphasizes the redistribution of power to decrease

inequality—taking "power from elites in Whitehall and giving it to the man and woman on the street." Although

it is the most right-wing of the major political parties in the UK, it supports social issues that many might

consider liberal, like civil marriage.

David Cameron, the Party's leader, is the UK's current Prime Minister.

The Labour Party

The Labour Party values social justice, strong communities, fair reward for hard work, decency, and rights

matched by responsibilities. It is the furthest left on the political spectrum of the UK's major parties. The

Labour Party emerged as a parliamentary pressure group made up of trade unionists and socialists in 1900,

with the slogan "a new party for a new century."

Although the Labour Party had several periods of being in government during the 20th century, it wasn't until

the mid 90's that it really established a name for itself, when Tony Blair, the youngest-ever leader of the

Labour Party, established the New Labour movement, and went on to lead the country for ten years.

His policies in Iraq, however, made him increasingly unpopular among voters, and he stepped down in 2007 to

let Gordon Brown lead the Labour Party for its final few years in office.

The Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats, commonly referred to as the Lib Dems, believe in hope for a different future and a

different way of doing things in Britain. They are the smallest of the three major parties in the UK, situated

center-left on the political spectrum, and their current coalition government with the Conservative Party is the

first time they have held office.

The party believes strongly in the importance of civil rights and liberties, electoral reform, and open

government.

The Liberal Democrats came about in 1988 when the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party officially

merged together. The Party struggled initially after its creation, but gained strong support in the last decade

from former Labour and Conservative voters who opposed the war in Iraq. The current leader of the Liberal

Democrats, and Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, is Nick Clegg.

Other Parties

Besides these three, many other parties are also fighting to influence politics. For instance, the Green Party

won a parliamentary seat for the first time in the latest election.