Issues: Politics and Social Responsibility |
What is Government and Politics? |
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Politics is about how society should be governed or organized. In the UK there are basically two types of government:- Local Government and National Government. |
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| National Government is led by the Prime Minister and the cabinet. It is based in the House of Commons in London . The National Government is responsible for social security (benefits, income support etc), the health service (hospitals etc), education, defence (the army etc), law and order (the police force, making laws etc), housing, transport etc. The National Government raises the money it needs for hospitals, schools, roads, the armed forces etc by charging taxes. |  |
The Palace at Westminster Photograph by BigFoto |
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Local Government is the local council. The National Government allocates the Local Government a certain amount of money to spend and the Local Government has to decide how to spend the money given to them. The Local Government is responsible for refuse (rubbish) disposal, administering education, the police force, the fire brigade etc on behalf of the National Government. There are layers of Government within Local Government - the County Council, the District Council and then the Parish Council. There are also elected Regional Assemblies in Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland , each with its own First Minister. |
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Ways of Electing Governments | |