书城历史英国历史读本:与《英国语文》同步的经典学生历史读本
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第150章 公元1603~1881年的英格兰(58)

6.The House of Commons,which is elected by the people,possesses the sole right of levying taxes and of voting money for the public service.Commanding all the sources of supply,it can thus effectually control the Sovereign.In 1801there were 658representatives:-45for Scotland,100for Ireland,and 513for England and Wales.The Reform Bills of 1867-8arranged the numbers thus:-England and Wales.....................493Members.

Scotland......................................60Members.

Ireland.........................................105Members.

Total................658Members.

7.The Parliament is dissolved (1)by the will of the Sovereign,acting on the advice of the Ministers for the time being;(2)after seven years of existence.The necessity of voting supplies to carry on the Government secures its meeting annually.

8.No member of Parliament can resign;but a law of Queen Anne provides that a member who takes office under the Crown vacates his seat.It has accordingly come to be the custom for members wishing to resign to apply to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds.This office,accepted one day,is resigned the next;and so the member is free.When a new Parliament meets,the first thing the Commons do is to elect a chairman,who is called the Speaker.

9.The process by which a Bill becomes an Act of Parliament is as follows:-After notice of motion has been duly given,leave is granted to bring in the Bill.It is then read for the first time.Thereafter,a day is fixed for the second reading,before the arrival of which the Bill is printed and circulated.The first debate and voting usually take place on the second reading.The members voteby going into different lobbies;and they are counted by tellers.The House then forms itself into a Committee,to discuss and amend the details of the measure.After a third reading,the Bill is sent up to the Lords.

10.In the Upper House it undergoes a similar process.But if altered there,it is sent back to the Commons,who either agree to the alterations or demand a conference with the Lords.

11.The royal assent is then required,in order that the Bill may become an Act.This is given either personally or by commission.The Sovereign,thoughconstitutionally possessed of a vetoa on every measure passel by the Houses,never exercises the prerogative.The last instance of refusal occurred when Queen Anne,in 1707,declined to sanction a Scottish Militia Bill.

12.The maxim,that “the Sovereign can do no wrong,”implies that he (or she)acts by the advice of Ministers who are responsible to Parliament.When the Ministry is overthrown by a defeat on any important Bill which they have brought in,or by a vote of want of confidence,the Sovereign sends for the principal statesman of opposite politics and intrusts him with the task of forming a new Government.

中文阅读

1.英国政府b的组成结构是君主(国王或王后)、上院和下院。所以,其政治制度既不是纯粹的君主制,或纯粹的贵族世袭制,也不是纯粹的民主制,而是所有这三者的结合体,这一点主要表现在它的权力分配上。

2.君主的职位是世袭的,女性也允许成为君王。对君主权力的确认要靠英国的法律,以及对国会负责的诸大臣们的意见。

3.君主自己就可以宣战或讲和,可以赦免某个宣判有罪的犯人,可以传唤、延期或解散国会,可以铸造钱币,还可以授予勋爵。通过一项法令必须要征得君主的同意。他(或她)必须是英国国教的新教徒,但也必须在苏格兰保留长老会制。

4.上院成员有两类,即上院神职议员和上院世俗议员,具体名额分配如下:

神职议员世俗议员

英国大主教2名英国贵族378名

英国主教24名苏格兰贵族16名爱尔兰贵族28名

5、世俗贵族又分为六等,即王储、公爵、侯爵夫人、伯爵、子爵和男爵。苏格兰贵族议员由当地贵族群体为每届新国会选举产生;爱尔兰贵族议员则可以终生保留职位。大法官坐在上院议长席,担任议长或上院主席角色。除钱币法案之外的所有法案,都要从上院提起。

6.下院议员由人民选举产生。下院拥有课税以及投票决定公共事务拨款的专有权。由于它掌握着所有储备资源,因此它能够有效地控制君主。1801年,下院有658名代表,其中苏格兰45名、爱尔兰100名、英格兰和威尔士513名。鉴于此,1867年至1868年的“改革法案”对名额是这样分配的:

aVeto (Lat.).-“I forbid;”hence,a prohibition.

b 政府组成结构:这里提到的政府的三个组成部分,有时候也叫做“王国三等级”,但这是一个错误。君主并不是一个等级。三个等级是指上院神职议员、上院世俗议员和下院议员。由于这种等级序列的巨大影响,百姓叫做“第四等级”。

英格兰和威尔士493名议员苏格兰60名议员爱尔兰105名议员共计658名议员7、解散议会有两种情况,一种是君主自己的意愿,但一般要根据大臣们当时的建议作出决定;另一种是议会存在七年以后。由于维持政府运转的各项资源必须经投票表决,所以这就确保了议会每年召开。

8.议会的任何成员都不能辞职,但是安妮女王时期的一项法律规定:身为王室成员任议员之职的人,可以将位置腾出来。于是,议员希望能先辞职、然后向财政大臣申请奇尔特恩英皇直属领地的管理职位就成为惯例。而这个管理职位可以今天上任、明天辞去,这样该议员就自由了。当议会开会时,下院要做的第一件事就是选一个主席,叫做议长。

9.提案成为国会的法律要经过如下程序:在适时给出提议通知之后,提案人获准请假递交提案。随后就要第一次宣读提案即一读。此后,用规定的一天时间进行二读,在二读开始之前,要先将提案打印并传送完毕。第一次辩论和投票通常在二读时进行。投票的议员进入不同的休息室,由点票员进行点票。接着,下院要把自己组成为一个委员会,讨论并完善提案中的细节。三读之后,就要将提案提交给上院了。

10.上院也要经历类似的程序。不过,如果提案在上院要修改,就会送回给下院,而下院要么同意上院的修改意见,要么要求和上院协商。

11.随后,议院要征求君主的同意,以便将提案变成法案。君主可以私下批准,也可以通过委员会批准。尽管宪法规定君主对议院通过的每项提案都拥有否决权a,但却从来没有行使过这种至高无上的权力。否决提案的最后一个例子,是安妮女王1707年拒绝批准“苏格兰民兵法”。

12.“君主不能做错事”这句座右铭的意思是:他(或她)要听从对国会负责的那些大臣的建议而不能盲动。当内阁由于议会提交的某项重要提案未能通过而下台,或者经过投票不受信任时,君主会请来持反对政见的主要政治家,并委托其完成组建新内阁的任务。

a 否决权:源于拉丁文“我不同意”,因此表示禁止某事。