[thechat] UK Government ( was: King Preaches Abstinence to Parading Maidens )

seb potter seb at members.evolt.org
Fri Sep 13 10:15:01 CDT 2002


> Uh, besides which the king/queen of England/UK has ABSOLUTELY no power
> regarding the government. While they are considered the head of state, they
> can't issue decrees like in the old days... The UK is a parliamentary form
> of government, the Prime Minister has the power and is answerable to the
> people...

Ron,

Whilst for all practical purposes this is pretty close to the mark,
legally it's not (yet) the case.

The monarch the UK still has considerable power and the ability to
exercise it. The Queen is the head of our armed forces, and the
government serves on her behalf. For any Act of Parliament to be passed,
it must be given Royal Assent, without which it is not binding at all.
Whilst no monarch has practiced such power in a goodly long time, the
power still exists. Although it would appear that the government serves
the whim of the media and the suffrance of all, the government actually
represents the views of the great unwashed to the Queen.

The death sentence technically still exists in the United Kingdom, for
crimes against Lizzie the Second (Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of
God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her
other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender
of the Faith) you could still find yourself strung up by the neck. (High
Treason in time of War.)

Seb.



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