INSTITUTIONS- The British political system vs The Italian political system
INSTITUTIONS- The British political system vs The Italian political system
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.
Up until the Second World War, Italy was ruled by kings. But in June 1946, Italians voted to abolish the monarchy in a referendum, and the country became a democratic republic.
Thus, Italy is today a parliamentary, democratic Republic.
The UK has no written constitution: the Constitution is made up of common law (laws established through court judgments) and legislation (laws passed by the legislature, parliamentary conventions: there is no single document that can be classed as the British Constitution.
The Italian Republic, on the contrary, has a written Constitution which is composed of 139 articles and came into force on 1 January 1948.
In the UK the King is the head of the state: he is a hereditary member of the Royal family but he has very few formal powers.
The President of the Italian Republic represents the unity of the nation and has ceremonial duties. He is elected by the two chambers of Parliament in joint session for a period of seven years at the end of which he can be re-elected. He appoints the Prime Minister. He must be a native-born Italian citizen at least 50 years old.
Both, the King and our President, are the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Both English and Italian Parliaments have a Bicameral system.
The English Parliament is divided into the House of Commons with 650 members and the House of Lords with about 800 members.
The Italian Parliament is divided into the Chamber of Deputies with 400 members and the Senate of the Republic with 200 members.
The Italian Chamber of Deputies currently consists of 400 members.
This composition came into effect with the beginning of the 19th Legislature, on October 13, 2022, following the approval of Constitutional Law No. 1/2020 in the 2020 constitutional referendum.
This law reduced the number of deputies from 630 to 400, and the number of senators from 315 to 200.
The reduction in the number of parliamentarians was intended to streamline and improve the efficiency of the legislative assembly. However, it’s important to note that the number of deputies elected abroad remained unchanged at 8, as established by Article 56 of the Italian Constitution.
The main functions of English Parliament are: to pass law, to vote taxation, to discuss important political issues, to control the government.
The House of Lords has a limited power, because its members are not elected by people but they are either hereditary or appointed for life by the sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister (Life Peers). The members are divided into Lords Temporal (Hereditary Peers and Life Peers) and Lords Spiritual (Archbishops and Senior Bishops). They examine and revise bills from the House of Commons. The majority are life peers.There is no upper limit on the total number of members.
As of May 2025, the House of Lords in the United Kingdom comprises approximately 804 members.
691 life peers: appointed for their lifetime by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister or the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
88 hereditary peers: remaining from the 1999 reform, who retain their seats through elections within the House.
25 bishops: senior members of the Church of England, known as the Lords Spiritual.
The House of Lords does not have a fixed upper limit on membership, and its size can fluctuate due to new appointments, retirements, or deaths. Recent discussions have focused on reforming the House, including proposals to eliminate all hereditary peers and introduce a mandatory retirement age for members .
Any British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen who is a UK resident and taxpayer over 21 is eligible to be nominated or can apply to become a member.
The members of the House of Commons are elected by universal adult suffrage. General elections are held every five years. The UK is divided into 650 areas called constituencies. The candidate who gets the most votes in each constituency becomes the MP for that area until the next election.The leader of the party that wins most seats at a general election is invited by the Queen to form the Government.
Most MPs are members of one of the three main political parties in the UK - Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats. Other MPs represent smaller parties or are independent of a political party.
The Government is the center of the executive. The head of the Government is the Prime Minister who is appointed by the King in England.
Keir Starmer is a British politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since July 5, 2024, following a significant Labour Party victory in the general election.
The Cabinet is a coalition government and they meet at 10 Downing Street. Government departments are the main instruments for giving effect to government policy. The principal departments are the Treasury, the Foreign Office and the Home Office.
The Judicial power is exercised by the Law Courts, which are divided into Criminal Courts and Civil Courts.
In Italy, there are three branches of power in Italy: executive, legislative, and juridical.
The legislative is vested in the two houses- the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, which can introduce bills and holds the majority in the Parliament.
The executive power is in the hands of the Council of the Ministers, presided over by the President of the Council - more commonly known as the Prime Minister (officially referred to as President of the Council).
Giorgia Meloni is the Italian politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Italy since October 22, 2022, becoming the first woman to hold the office. She is the leader of the Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia, FdI) party, a right-wing nationalist party she co-founded in 2012 and has led since 2014.
The ministers are responsible for executing laws and other political decisions. This is usually done by presenting bills to parliament, but can also be done by passing decrees - this happens in cases of urgency, or if parliament gives the council the authority to do so.
The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches.It is headed by the High Council of Judiciary.
The Chamber of Deputies is elected by direct and universal suffrage by voters who are 18. All voters who are 25 are eligible to be deputies.
The Senate is elected by direct and universal suffrage by voters who are 18.
All voters who are 40 on the election day are eligible to be senators.
There is a small number of senators for life, appointed "for outstanding merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field" - and there are also the former Presidents of the Republic, who are ex officio life senators.
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The History and Mission of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
is one of the world's most powerful international alliances. It was formed on
April 4, 1949, during a time known as the Cold War. After the
destruction of World War II, many countries in Europe and North America wanted
to ensure that such a devastating war would never happen again. They decided to
sign the North Atlantic Treaty to create a "shield" of protection
across the Atlantic Ocean.
How NATO Works NATO is built on the idea of collective defense.
This means that the member nations agree to help each other if they are ever in
trouble. The most famous part of their agreement is Article 5. It states
that an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all
members. This rule has only been used once in history: after the terrorist
attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. When Article 5 is
triggered, all members must take action to help the country that was attacked.
Membership and Growth When NATO first started, it had only 12 founding
members, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.
Over the years, the alliance has grown significantly. Today, there are 32
member countries. Most are located in Europe, but the U.S. and Canada are
vital members from North America. To join NATO, a country must be located in
Europe, follow democratic values, and be able to contribute to the security of
the alliance.
NATO’s Role Today Even though the Cold War ended decades ago, NATO still
plays a huge role in the world. It is not just about fighting wars; it is also
about preventing them. NATO members meet at their headquarters in Brussels,
Belgium, to discuss global security issues like cyber-attacks, terrorism,
and piracy. They also send experts to help during natural disasters or to train
police and soldiers in other countries.
By standing together, NATO countries show the world
that they are united. This unity makes it much harder for any single country to
start a conflict, helping to keep billions of people safe and free.
Multiple
Choice Questions
1. Why was
NATO originally formed in 1949?
- A) To explore outer space.
- B) To prevent another world war and provide
security.
- C) To create a new type of currency for Europe.
2. How many
countries were "founding members" of NATO?
3. What is
the main requirement for a new country to join NATO today?
- A) It must be located in South America.
- B) It must be a democracy and located in Europe.
- C) It must have the world's largest army.
4. When was
the only time Article 5 was ever used?
- A) During World War II.
- B) After the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
- C) During the construction of the Berlin Wall.
True or False?
- True or False: NATO's headquarters are located in London,
England. _________
- True or False: Article 5 means that if one NATO country is
attacked, the others must help. _________
- True or False: NATO only focuses on military fighting and never
helps with natural disasters. _________
- True or False: There are currently 32 countries in the NATO
alliance. _________
