The monarchy’s role in the government has evolved and although “the monarchial shell remains intact, the inner workings have been taken over by party political leaders and civil servants” (politics uk, p319).
Although the Crown did once have the right to absolute rule this was, in practice, given up in the 1689 Bill of Rights. This granted certain rights to Parliament and is one of the reasons the monarchy role in government has diminished over the years.
However, the Queen does still have a role in government and one of her main roles is as Britain’s head of state, although her executive powers are still limited by constitutional rules. As the head of state, the Queen is responsible for representing the whole nation on important public occasions and is also responsible for receiving important visitors from abroad.
This however, is not the only function of the monarch and the Queen does still have certain political functions, which were once royal prerogatives but have now passed to the prime minister through convention. Royal prerogatives were the powers held by the crown that the monarch could exercise without interference from parliament. These powers include the right to summon or dissolve parliament, the right to declare war or make peace, and the right to pardon someone of a criminal offence. These powers are now exercised by the prime minister, but the Queen must still give her consent before the prime minister can carry out any of these duties.
Although the Queen formally has to give her consent, this is now just a formality as the Queen is extremely unlikely to go against the prime minister’s wishes. As an elected leader, the prime minister is the voice of the people, and going against democracy in this way would ruin the Queens role as the symbol of national unity.
Another role that the Queen carries out is the appointment of the new prime minister after a General Election has decided which political party is in government. This role is again more of a formality then a duty, as the Queen is bound by constitution to appoint the person who has the support of a majority in the House of Commons. This way the Queen remains above politics and her role as the symbol of national unity is kept intact. If the Queen were to get involved in politics then her role as the symbol of national unity would be weakened as she would not represent the nation as a whole, but rather the section of people who shared her political views.
The Queen is also the only person who can open the new session of Parliament, which she does so with a speech from the throne. This is now written for her by the Government and outlines her governments ??????????
The monarch must also give her consent before a Bill can be passed to become law, meaning that the Queen (HAS OVERALL RESONSIBILITY OF WHAT CAN AND CANT BECOME LAW, and is an important role. (reword)
The monarchy is also seen by some as being responsible for the continuity of the government, with the Queen having the duty of appointing the person who is to be prime minister. However, the Queen must appoint the person who has the support of a majority in the House of Commons, and therefore, it can be argued that the Queen has no real role to perform, but rather an obligation.
Although the Queen has many important roles in the government, some people still argue that “he main feature of the development of the monarchy in Britain has been the complete loss of any power over the decisions of government” (people and politics in Britain, p160).
Most people tend to argue that “the stability of the British government owes much to the monarchy” ().
According to the law the Queen is head of the executive branch of the government, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, the commander in chief of all the armed forces of the Crown, and the ‘supreme governor’ of the established Church of England.
However, the Queens duties have diminished over the years, and today she is rarely involved in the day-to-day operation of the government, but even then she has to remain impartial and can only act on the advice of her ministers.
“The Queen has the right to rule: the people of Britain are not citizens, but subjects of the monarch” (.
Although the Queen is politically neutral, she has the right to be consulted and to advise and warn ministers. Otherwise, her residual powers, the ‘royal perogative’, are mostly exercised through the government of the day. This royal perogative, is however, subject to much controversy as it enables governments to make major decisions without recourse to parliament.
The Queen does have many significant roles within the British system of government as the entire government is carried on in the Queen’s name, although she only acts on the advice of the prime minister.
The Monarch in Britain has always played a role in government, although this role has been reduced over the years.
