What is it?
Westminster is a parliamentary, democratic system of government that has developed after the Constitution of the United Kingdom.
Where did it originate from?
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It originated from the first Canadian province in 1848 and the six Australian colonies in 1855 and 1890. The Westminster system was developed by the British, and was named after the Westminster Palace in England. Older versions of the Westminster Systems may not even mention a Prime Minister.
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How is it different to other systems of government?
The Westminster System usually has a sovereign, take the Britain for instance, they have Queen Elizabeth as their head of state. Australia has based their political system upon the Westminster System. The Westminster System decides its government by an election through democratically lower houses. The government also needs a consistent amount of supporters to continue their reign. The Prime Minister leads a group of ministers called a ‘Cabinet’ which is higher than the lower house. An opposition is formed by the second largest group in the lower house. Then it is decided. The most number of seats are the higher house and the second amount of seats are the opposition. Australia is a constitutional monarchy meaning that the Governor General acts upon the advice of the Prime Minister. The Head of State has minor power over her kingdom and acts just as a symbol.
What other countries use this system of government?
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This system is used in Britain, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Jamaica, Ireland, India and New Zealand. The system varies between countries, depending on the history and local conditions.
For example, Britain has a second chamber of Parliament known as the House of Lords, they have members who are either hereditary Lords or Lords appointed for life. The Blair Labor Government wanted reforms to the system, so they got rid of further hereditary positions. By comparison, Australia also has a second chamber of Parliament, but it is called the Senate. The Senate has members who represent the States of Commonwealth, to fulfill the concept of federalism. However, New Zealand has an unicameral/single chamber Parliament. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Canberra/ACT also have unicameral Parliaments. All these variations still follow the principles of the Westminster system. Here are links for our youtube clips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svMxNNBNisQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VT-ZHaYTD4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHRSfzSupU4 |
Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_system
http://www.parliament.act.gov.au/learn-about-the-assembly/fact-sheets/westminster-system
http://australianpolitics.com/democracy/key-terms/westminster-system
http://thoughtundermined.com/2013/06/30/the-westminster-system-of-parliamentary-government
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/we/Westminster_system
http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/link-suggestion/wpcd_2008-09_augmented/wp/w/Westminster_system.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_system
http://www.parliament.act.gov.au/learn-about-the-assembly/fact-sheets/westminster-system
http://australianpolitics.com/democracy/key-terms/westminster-system
http://thoughtundermined.com/2013/06/30/the-westminster-system-of-parliamentary-government
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/we/Westminster_system
http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/link-suggestion/wpcd_2008-09_augmented/wp/w/Westminster_system.htm
