1. Introduction
   1. no constitution
   2. Magna Carta
      1. 1215
      2. rights and liberties to nobelmen
   3. democracy
      1. the system in which all adult citizens choose those who will represent them
   4. political franchise
      1. the right to vote
   5. secret ballot
      1. 1872
   6. women - right to vote
      1. 1918
      2. over 30 years old
2. Monarchy
   1. Spain, Sweden, Norway, Belgium
   2. constitutional monarchy
      1. monarch - head of state
   3. tasks
      1. Royal Assent
         1. official approval and promulgation (ogłoszenie) of bills passed by Parliament
         2. monarch never refuses
      2. State Opening of Parliament
         1. autumn
         2. "Speech from the throne"
            1. plans of the government for the coming year
            2. prepared by PM and his/her people
      3. regular meeting with PM
   4. Civil List
      1. paying expenses of Royal Family
3. Political parties
   1. Conservative Party
      1. Tories
      2. centre-right party
      3. David Cameron
      4. Margaret Thatcher
         1. 1980s
         2. lead the UK out of the recession and unemployment resorting to the free market principles
         3. =Leszek Balcerowicz
   2. Labour Party
      1. centre-left party
      2. Tony Blair
      3. now= opposition
   3. Liberal-democratic party
      1. has never rules country
      2. now= coalition with Conservative Party
      3. necessity of constitutional and electoral reform
      4. Nick Clegg
   4. 2 national parties
      1. Scottish National Party
      2. Plaid Cymru
         1. the Party of Wales
   5. British National Party
      1. GB is losing its independence
      2. 2 seats in European Parliament
      3. last 28 years:no seats in British P.
4. General Elections
   1. every 5 years
   2. PM-date
   3. always on Thursday
   4. canvassing
      1. talking to people in the street/visiting in houses
   5. majority vote
      1. The whole country is divided into constituencies and in each constituency the candidate who has received the biggest number of votes is chosen. Votes for other candidates are not counted once again and seats in Parliament are not distributed according to the proportional number of votes each party has got, like they do in proportional voting system.
   6. first-past-the-post
      1. a candidate must receive the biggest number of votes in his/her constituency to win
   7. advantage
      1. system eliminates weak parties
      2. stability of British P.
         1. usually no coalition
   8. Charter 88
      1. group demands the change of voting system and a written constitution of the UK.
5. The Government and the Civil Service
   1. Government serves country by Civil Service
   2. Civil Servants
      1. state officials
      2. obliged to serve under every government
      3. must remain apolitical
      4. ministers cannot dissmiss them
      5. stability
6. Parliament
   1. bicameral (dwuizbowy)
      1. House of Commons
         1. 650
      2. House of Lords
         1. c. 700
         2. chosen by PM
         3. appointed by the Monarch
         4. legislative power
   2. sit against each other
   3. central place
      1. Speaker
         1. preside over the sessions
         2. neutral
         3. resigns from party
         4. chosen from MPs
7. The legal system and legal profession in the UK
   1. two systems
      1. English law for England and Wales
      2. Scottish legal system
   2. based on common law or precedents
   3. work on their cases and issue their verdicts on the basis of previous verdicts of the British courts
   4. two types of courts
      1. magistrate courts
         1. minor offences
         2. Justice of The Peace
            1. person who issues the verdict
         3. Justice's Clerk
            1. lawyer, advises Justice of the Peace
      2. crown courts
         1. judge, jury of 12 ppl
         2. verdict: agreement 10 of jury
      3. Crown of Appeal
         1. House of Lords
      4. no supreme court
   5. two types of lawyers
      1. solicitors
         1. legal matters
      2. barristers
         1. present cases in court
            1. some: Queen's Counsel
            2. QC before name
8. Devolution
   1. 1990
      1. Scotland, Wales and N.Ireland
      2. autonomy, self government
      3. own political institutions