Political division
The British Isles are divided into two independent states: the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (the Irish Republic).
In former times Great Britain was politically divided into three parts: the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Principality of Wales.
Wales was united with England in the first half of the 16th century.
Scotland and England were united into one kingdom under one parliament in 1707.
Ireland was conquered by England in 1171, they were united under one kingdom and one parliament in 1801.
In 1922 Ireland was partitioned into two parts: 1)the Irish Free State, now the Irish Republic, containing 26 Catholic counties of Ireland; 2)Northern Ireland, containing 6 Protestant counties of Ulster, which remained part of the United Kingdom.
The union of England, Scotland and Ireland is symbolised by the British national flag, called the Union Jack (i.e. the Union Flag). It is made up from the flag of the Kingdom of England – white with a red cross, St. George’s Cross, the flag of the Kingdom of Scotland – blue with a diagonal cross, St. Andrew’s Cross, and the flag of the kingdom of Ireland – white with a red diagonal cross, St. Patrick’s Cross.
6.Read the following proverbs and sayings and find their Russian equivalents.
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
In the country of the blind one-eyed man is a king.
Honours change minds.
A nod from a lord is a breakfast for a fool.
Part 2. Legislative power
Parliament is the supreme legislative power and consists of three separate elements: the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Over the centuries the balance between the three parts of Parliament has changed, so that the King’s (or the Queen's) role is now only formal, and the House of Commons has gained supremacy over in the House of Lords.
The House of Commons is the lower house of the parliament. It consists of 650 elected members called members of the parliament, MPs for short. For electoral purposes the country is divided into 650 geographical areas called constituencies. Each MP represents one of these constituencies in the House of Commons. Every British citizen over 18 has the right to vote, except prisoners, lords and mentally ill. Any number of candidates can stand for election in each constituency. The winner is the candidate who gets more votes than any other single candidate. Leaders of the Government and Opposition sit on the left from benches of the Commons, with their supporters (back-benchers) behind them. The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker.
The House of Lords is the upper house of the parliament. It consists of about 1200 members and is probably the only upper house in the democratic world whose members are not elected. About 70% of them are hereditary peers¹, because their fathers were peers before them. The other 30% are "life peers'', whose titles are not passed on to their children. They are officially appointed by the King or Queen on the advice of the Government, for various services of the nation. The House of Lords is presided over by the Lord Chancellor.
The main function of Parliament is making laws. A proposal for a new law is called a bill. Bills may be introduced in either the House of Commons or in the House of Lords by any member. In practice most bills are proposed by the Government. After being discussed and perhaps changed the bill is sent to the other House to go through the same process. When both Houses agree on a text, the bill is sent to the King or Queen for his or her signature - so called "Royal Assent”² - after which it becomes an act of Parliament.
A bill which has been passed by the House of Commons is almost certain to become a law, and about 50 bills become acts each year. The House of Lords can revise bills but it cannot stop them from becoming acts, it can only delay the process (for a maximum of 12 months). The Royal Assent is a formality: no sovereign has refused a bill since 1707. Besides making laws the main functions of Parliament are providing money for the Government through taxation, examining Government policy, administration and spending, and debating political questions.