Westminster System

17 Pages 4133 Words

A brief history of the Westminster system
Page index

Introduction
Beginnings
Parliament
Cabinet
Courts


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Introduction
Britain's Westminster system of government evolved over centuries. It is the historical artefact of the Parliament's many victories over successive Sovereigns for the right to make laws; to administer them; and to have them independently interpreted. The Westminster system of responsible government and a professional independent judiciary (as it was in the late 1800's) was the most influential factor in the development of Australia's system of government.

This page provides an overview of some of the more significant events which shaped the evolution of the Westminster system of government in the United Kingdom. It begins with an outline of governmental practices in Anglo-Saxon times and immediately following the Norman conquest.

Beginnings
In the earliest periods of recorded English history, the three (legislative, executive, and judicial) functions of government rested with the King and his Council of immediate advisers. The King was the supreme Legislator, though always with the consent and counsel of the "wise". Similarly, the King was the supreme Executive: the leader of the host in arms, the guardian of the "King's Peace". Finally, the King was the supreme Judge. With the counsel and consent of his advisers, the King made the laws; the King administered the laws; and the King interpreted these laws.

What was true for the King in the twelfth century was also true for his representatives: judges, shire-reeves (or sheriffs), justices of the peace, and so on. Marriott (1938:45) notes that county-magistrates had to, for example, try offenders against the law, relieve the poor, and set on work the lusty unemployed. The functions of judges was as much financial (tax collecting) as judicial. Judges were both ma...