Section I
THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF GREAT BRITAIN
Ex. 1 Pronunciation practice. Practice the pronunciation of the following words and word - combinations:
monarchy, sovereign, legislative, executive, judiciary,
to pass laws, to introduce a bill, to approve, to sign, to be in charge,
the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Commonwealth, Home Office.
Text 1
The State Structure of the UK
Pre-reading task:
a) Answer the following questions:
1. Who is the head of state in the UK?
2. Who may be the Prime Minister of the country?
b) Scan the texts and find information to answer the questions on the state structure of the UK.
1.What is the highest lawmaking body of Great Britain?
2. When was the British Parliament founded?
3. How many and what chambers does it consist of?
4. How are new bills introduced?
5. How long and how does every Parliament work?
6. What are the main functions of Parliament?
The UK is a parliamentary monarchy. This means that it has a monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of State. The UK is a monarchy in form, but a parliamentary democracy in substance. The Sovereign is head of state, and as such is head of the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and temporal head of the established Church of England. The Queen of the UK is also the Head of the Commonwealth, and so the Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.
Parliament.
Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the British state and can in theory pass laws relating to any aspect of the political, economic, legal, social, and cultural life of the United Kingdom.
The British Parliament is one of the oldest Parliaments in the world. It has existed since 1265. It consists of two chambers known as the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and the Queen as its head. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament.
In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which is true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated, and if a Bill is passed, it is sent to the House of Lords to be approved, and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only then it becomes an Act of Parliament, a law.
The duration of Parliament is five years. The life of Parliament is divided into sessions. A new session of Parliament opens every year.
The main functions of Parliament are: 1) to make laws regulating the life of the community; 2) to provide money for government, through taxation; 3) to examine government policy, administration and spending; 4) to debate political questions.
Ex. 2 Say whether the following statements are true or false.
1. The real power belongs to the Queen, that’s why the UK is a monarchy.
2. Members of the Government are appointed by the Prime Minister.
3. In the British formulation, the sovereign reigns but doesn't rule.
4. The British Parliament has existed since 1665.
5. Parliament and the Monarch play different roles in the government.
6. New bills are introduced and then signed by the Monarch.
7. The only function of Parliament is to make laws.
Ex. 3 Look through the sentences of the exercise and find the information which was not mentioned in the text.
1. A parliamentary monarchy means that the country has a monarch as its Head of State.
2. A member of Parliament who has sat in the House of Commons for the longest period is called “the Father of the Commons".
3. The duration of the British Parliament is five years.
4. A romantic and rather mysterious person “Black Rod” brings together the Queen, her Prime Minister and ministers, members of the Lords and finally members of the Commons to the ceremony of the Opening of Parliament to listen to the Monarch’s Speech from the Throne.
5. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Speaker.
6. The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker.
7. The Queen and the Royal family exert great influence on the life of the country.
8. The Lord Speaker sits on a special seat called “the Woolsack”, the symbol of welfare of the country.
Text 2
Government of the UK
Pre-reading task:
Read the following text and say who the country is really governed by.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The head of the state is the monarch, who reigns but does not govern. The country is actually ruled by a Cabinet of democratically elected officials called ministers.
The government is chosen from the majority party in the House of Commons. The head of the government is the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the monarch. But by the constitutional convention the monarch must choose the leader of the majority party. The Prime Minister chooses all the other ministers.
About 20 senior ministers form the Cabinet, which meets under the prime minister’s chairmanship. The Cabinet determines government policy as a whole.
Ministers who are in charge of the most important government departments are always included in the Cabinet. These departments include the Treasury, the Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of Health and the Ministry of Defense.
The Cabinet is responsible for the general conduct of government affairs, and it sees that the country’s laws are carried out. The Cabinet is also responsible for presenting proposed new laws and tax measures to Parliament.
Ex. 4 Answer the following questions:
1. Are the members of the government appointed?
2. Who chooses the Prime Minister?
3. Who determines policy?
4. What are the ministers in charge of?
5. What is the Cabinet responsible for?
