Q: The Monarchy and the British Prime Minister. Compare their power, role and value.

· The power

Stereotypes: The Queen has almost absolute power. She can appoint or dismiss the PM and ministerial
positions. They are ‘servants of the Crown’. She can also summon or dissolve the Parliament before a
general election. She is the embodiment of the law in the courts. A bill cannot be passed without the
royal assent of the Queen. Finally, Queen Elizabeth is above the law. She can do anything.

Truth: The Queen has to choose the one who has the support of the majority of MPs in the House of
Commons; usually it’s the leader of the strongest party in the House of Commons. The PM also appoints
other ministers. He or she also has the right to dissolve the Parliament, and the Monarch cannot refuse.
Besides, the Queen does not bother to give the royal assent although she can do so (since 1708).
Somebody else sign it for her. She also makes a written speech in the opening of Parliament each year.
In fact, the Queen has no power at all. She cannot stop the government going ahead with any of its
policies.

· The role: The Monarch is the personal embodiment of the government of the country. Because the
separation between the symbol of the government and the actual government, changing the
government does not threaten the stability of the country as a whole. Secondly, she could act as a final
check on a government that was becoming dictatorial. She can refuse to give the royal assent for the bill
as well as dismiss the PM. Thirdly, she has a ceremonial role. She performs the ceremonial duties of the
country.

The PM has a very important role to the country. He or she is actually the head of the country. The PM
appoints other ministers by making ‘cabinet reshuffle’. He is also the public image of the country. Finally,
he is the one to decide government policies because he or she has time to do so. Other ministers are
busy taking care of their government departments.

· The value: The Monarch has an economical role to the country. By organizing ceremonies, she can
make money for the country because ceremonies such as the state opening of Parliament, the Queen’s
official birthday or royal weddings will attract the tourists to come and see. She and the royal family are
also sources of news on the newspapers.