In the House of Commons the members sit on two sites of the hall.

The members of the House of Commons meet in sessions which begin at the end of October and last for about one hundred and sixty days. The sittings usually begin at 10 o'clock in the morning and end in the late afternoon. All the time the Parliament is in session, a flag can be seen over the building, and when the House of Commons is still sitting after dark, there is a light over the face of Big Ben. The members of the House of Commons sit on two sides of the hall, because they traditionally represent the two major political parties. The prime minister and Cabinet members sit on the front bench on one side of the chamber. The leading members of the largest opposition party sit on the front bench on the other side.

 

20. What does abbreviation "MP" stand for? (Member of Parliament)

The House of Commons consists of 659 elected members called Members of Parliament or MPs. Its main purpose is to make laws. The members of the House of Commons are elected for a period of 5 years. MPs can belong to different political patties, and the government of the country is formed by the party which has the greatest number of members (MPs) elected to Parliament.

 

21. Name two major British political parties. (The Labour Party & the Conservative Party)

The two largest political parties in the United Kingdom are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

The Conservative Party developed from the Tory Party, which began in the late 1600s. The Labour Party began in 1900. Much of its support comes from labour unions, called trade unions. A third party, the Liberal Democrats, was formed in 1988. Other parties in the United Kingdom include nationalist parties in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They favor independence from the United Kingdom.

 

What is the name of Liberal Party? (The Whigs)

The Liberal Party started in the mid-nineteenth century as a successor to the historic Whig party. "Whig" was originally a Scottish term applied to horse thieves. In the late 18^th century the Whig Party represented those who wanted electoral and parliamentary reforms. However the term "Whig" is seldom used today. By 1839 the term Liberal Party was being used and the first Liberal government was formed in 1868. In 1988 the old Liberal P~ and the Social Democratic Party merged into a single party called the Liberal Democrats.

 

What is the name of the Conservative Party? (The Tories)

The Conservative Party dates back to the Tory Party of the late 18^th century. This broadly represented the interests of gentry and merchant classes. The name Conservative was first used in January 1830 - "conservative" because the Party aims to conserve traditional values and practices. The Conservative Party today is the leading right-wing party. The term "Tory" is still used today.

 

Who is the head of the government in the United Kingdom? (Prime Minister)

The prime minister is usually the leader of the political party that has the most seats in the House of Commons. After each general election, the monarch ceremonially appoints the prime minister and asks him or her to form a government. The prime minister then picks a special group of about 20 ministers to make up the Cabinet. The prime minister is the head of the government.

 

Formally the head of Canada is Queen of Great Britain.

The form of the government of the country is constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is queen of Canada. She is the official head of the state. The queen, on the recommendation of Canada's prime minister, appoints a governor general who acts as her representative. However, the governor general performs only certain formal and symbolic tasks. Actually the prime minister directs the government.