What is the Queen of England's role in politics?

Question

What is the Queen of England's role in politics?

Answer 1

She is an advisory head of state.

The Queen's job is described at http://www.royal.gov/uk/output/Page4676....

"The Queen is Head of State in the United Kingdom. Her official title in the UK is "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith".

As a constitutional monarch, The Queen does not 'rule' the country, but fulfils important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and the devolved assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Queen is also Fount of Justice, from whom justice in the United Kingdom derives, and has important relationships with the Armed Forces and the established Churches of England and Scotland.

In addition to her role in the United Kingdom, The Queen has a special role to play in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, which are dependent territories of the English Crown.



Read more about The Queen's State roles in the UK and Crown dependencies in this section."

The Queen is suppossed to serve as a unifying force:

"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 formal phrase 'Queen in Parliament' is used to describe the British legislature, which consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. 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 close relationship with the Prime Minister, retaining the right to appoint and meet with him or her on a regular basis.

In addition to playing a specific role in the UK Parliament based in London, The Queen has formal roles with relation to the devolved assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. "

The Queen works with the Prime Minister:

The Queen has a special relationship with the Prime Minister, the senior political figure in the British Government, regardless of their political party.

Although she is a constitutional monarch who remains politically neutral, The Queen retains the ability to give a regular audience to a Prime Minister during his or her term of office, and plays a role in the mechanics of calling a general election.

The Queen gives a weekly audience to the Prime Minister at which she has a right and a duty to express her views on Government matters. If either The Queen or the Prime Minister are not available to meet, then they will speak by telephone.

These meetings, as with all communications between The Queen and her Government, remain strictly confidential. Having expressed her views, The Queen abides by the advice of her ministers.

The Queen also plays a part in the calling of a general election. The Prime Minister of the day may request the Sovereign to grant a dissolution of Parliament at any time.

In normal circumstances, when a single-party government enjoys a majority in the House of Commons, the Sovereign would not refuse, for the government would then resign and the Sovereign would be unable to find an alternative government capable of commanding the confidence of the Commons.

After a general election, the appointment of a Prime Minister is also the prerogative of the Sovereign.

In appointing a Prime Minister, the Sovereign is guided by constitutional conventions. The main requirement is to find someone who can command the confidence of the House of Commons.



This is normally secured by appointing the leader of the party with an overall majority of seats in the Commons, but there could still be exceptional circumstances when The Queen might need to exercise discretion to ensure that her Government is carried on.

When a potential Prime Minister is called to Buckingham Palace, The Queen will ask him or her whether he or she will form a government.

To this question, two responses are realistically possible. The most usual is acceptance.

If the situation is uncertain, as it was with Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1963, a potential Prime Minister can accept an exploratory commission, returning later to report either failure or, as occurred in 1963, success.

After a new Prime Minister has been appointed, the Court Circular will record that "the Prime Minister Kissed Hands on Appointment". This is not literally the case. In fact, the actual kissing of hands will take place later, in Council."

Answer 2

She advises the Prime minister, but has no legitimate role in politics other than to read the Speech from the Throne at the opening of Parliament.  The Speech is a summation of what the government intends to do during the coming session.

Answer 3

The Queen is non-partisan. She is very familiar with the affairs of parliament.

Answer 4

i think she see over everything...

Answer 5

She has to technically give Royal Assent to acts of Parliament but no monarch had refused this since Queen Anne in the early 18th Century.

She technically appoints the Prime Minister (she may choose only in the event of a tie after a General Election).

She has weekly meetings with the Prime Minister whilst Parliment is sitting.