UNIT 1 THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

What is the Government? The Government is the management of the country. The Government makes the important decisions, e. g. about foreign policy, education, or health. If Parliament thinks that a particular Government policy is against the public interest, then it can force the Government to change its mind. But all these decisions have to be approved by Parliament.

State Organs of the United Kingdom include the monarchy, the legislative, executive and judicial organs of Government.

• The monarchy is the most ancient institution in the United Kingdom, with a continuous history stretching back over a thousand years. The monarchy is hereditary. Queen Elizabeth II, who succeeded to the throne in 1952, is the head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Crown and the temporal head of the established Church in England. Her Majesty's Government governs in the name of the Queen who must act on the advice of her ministers.

• Parliament is the legislative organ of the United Kingdom.

What do we mean by Parliament? The Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the Queen (hereditary monarch), the House of Lords (almost 1300 unelected members or peers) and the House of Commons (659 elected Members of Parliament). All three combine to carry out the work of Parliament.

The House of Lords is still a hereditary body. It consists of the Lords Temporal and the Lords Spiritual. The House of Lords is presided over by the Lord Chancellor who is the chairman of the House.

The House of Commons is an elected and representative body. Members are paid a salary and an allowance. The Speaker of the House of Commons is elected by the members of the House immediately after each new Parliament is formed.

The Government consists of approximately 100 members of the political party, which has the majority of seats in the House of Commons.

What does Parliament do? Making laws (legislations).

The Queen, Lords and Commons all have to agree to any new law which is passed.

Examining the work of government. Both the Lords and the Commons examine the work of the Government on behalf of the public. They do this by asking the Government questions, by debate and through committees of inquiry.

Controlling finance. Only the House of Commons can give permission for the Government to collect taxes. The House of Commons decides what taxes shall be collected and how the money shall be spent.

Protecting the individual. Members of Parliament (Members of the House of Commons) protect the rights of the individual. Each member of Parliament represents the people of a certain area. Britain is divided into 659 of these areas, known as constituencies.

Hearing appeals. The House of Lords is a Court of Justice, the highest Court of Appeal in Britain.

• Executive. The Government consists of the ministers appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Prime minister is appointed directly by the Crown and is the leader of the political party which has a majority of seats in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is the head of the Government, he is always a Member of the House of Commons. He consults and advises the Monarch on government business, supervises and co-ordinates the work of the various ministers and departments in the House of Commons. He also makes recommendations to the Monarch on many important public appointments.

The most senior members of the Government are known as the Cabinet. The Cabinet is the nucleus of the Government. All major decisions of the Government are made by the Cabinet, and therefore it is the Cabinet which forms Government policy.

Who chooses the cabinet? Members of the Cabinet are chosen by the Prime Minister. The majority of the members of Mr Blair's Cabinet are drawn from the House of Commons. Nevertheless there Re always a few members from the House of Lords. All the members of Mr Blair's Cabinet belong to the Labour Party. The Labour Party gained the right to form a Government by winning the general election in May 1997. Mr Blair, the leader of the Labour Party, became Prime Minister. He selected a team of Ministers to serve in his Government. A Cabinet must be large enough to include senior ministers. There is no limit on the size of the Cabinet but the number of salaried Secretaries of state is limited to 21. Cabinet meetings are usually held on a Thursday morning in the Cabinet room at 10 Downing Street.

What happens when there is a change in government?

During the last 27 years there have been eight general elections. Four of these resulted in a change of Government.

1970 Conservatives took over from Labour.

1974 Labour took over from Conservatives.

1979 Conservatives took over from Labour.

1997 Labour took over from Conservatives.

On each of these occasions the ministers in each Department changed. Ministers of the winning party took over from those of the loosing party. The two main parties have very different ideas - for example, about education, housing and industry.

Departments and ministers are run by civil servants, who are permanent officials. Even if the Government changes after an election, the same civil servants are employed.

The United Kingdom has no Ministry of Justice. Responsibility for the administration of the judicial system in England and Wales is divided between the courts themselves, the Lord Chancellor, and the Home Secretary. The Lord Chancellor is responsible for the composition of the courts, civil law, parts of criminal procedure and law reform in general; the Home Secretary is responsible for the prevention of criminal offences, trial and treatment of offenders and for the prison service.

The System of Government

Sovereign

The Queen is head of the Government

She makes laws with Parliament

and she is head of the courts

Government Parliament

Cabinet House of Lords House of Commons

Chairman: Chairman: Chairman:

Prime Minister Lord Chancellor Speaker

Ministers Lords MPs (659 MPs)

Treasury

Foreign Office Law Lords Temporal

Home Office (20 lords)

etc. Spiritual

(24 bishops)

WORDS AND PHRASES

Government - уряд

Parliament - парламент

Legislative – законодавчий орган

Executive – виконавча влада

Judicial - судовий

Hereditary - спадкоємний

to succeed - успадковувати

to preside - голосувати

Lord Chancellor – Лорд-канцлер (глава судового відомства та верховний суддя Англії, глава Палати лордів)

the House of Commons – Палата общин (громад)

the House of Lords - Палата лордів

peer – пер, лорд

legislation - законодавство

tax - подaтoк

to protect - зaхиcтити

right - пpaвo

constituency – вибоpчий окрyг

appeal - aпeляційнa cкaргa

the Labour Party - Лейбopиcтcькa пaртія

general election - зaгaльні вибopи

civil servant - цивільний cлyжбoвeць

court - cуд

civil law - цивільнe пpaвo

Home Secretary - мініcтp внyтpішніx cпpaв

prevention - зaпoбігaння, пoпeрeджeння

criminal offences - кaрні злoчини

trial – судовий розгляд, судовий прoцeс

treatment - пoвoджeння (із цивільнцями)

offender - цивільнeць

prison - тюpмa, в’язниця

Treasury - кaзнa

Foreign office - Mініcтeрcтвo зaкоpдoнних cпрaв

Home office - Mініcтeрcтвo внyтрішніх cпрaв

spiritual - духоовний

bishop - єпископ

temporal - cвітcькі (члeни Палати лордів)

EXERCISES

Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks:

1. All the heads of ministries (departments) are included into ... .

2. The Cabinet is headed by the ... .

3. The Prime Minister chooses the ... .

4. Mr Blair is the ... of the United Kingdom.

5. The majority of the members of Mr Blair's Cabinet are members of the ... .

6. Mr Blair's Cabinet belongs to the ... Party.

7. The Cabinet meets at 10 ... Street.

8. During the last 27 years there have been eight general ... .

9. Ministers rely on ... servants for advice and information.

10. The Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the ... (hereditary monarch), the House of ... and the House of ... .

11. Only the House of Commons can give permission for the Government to collect ... .

12. Members of Parliament protect the ... of the individual.

13. The House of... is a Court of justice.

Exercise 2 Read the following sentences and decide if they are true or false:

1. The Government is the body which decides the laws of the country and decides about the way the country should be governed.

2. The Government is the Ministers chosen from the Party (or parties) which has the largest number of MPs in the House of Commons after a general election.

3. The Prime Minister is the leader of the governing party.

4. The Queen chooses the Cabinet.

5. The Cabinet are the senior members of the Government chosen

by the Prime Minister.

6. The House of Lords is the elected Chamber in Parliament.

7. The House of Commons is the unelected Chamber in Parliament.

8. Mr Blair's Cabinet belongs to the Conservative Party.

9. Britain is divided into 659 areas, called constituencies, and one MP is elected to represent each constituency.

10. The House of Lords is the highest Court of Appeal in Britain.

Exercise 3 Find words and expressions in the text which mean:

1. body of persons governing a State;

2. choosing or selection (of candidates for an office, etc.) by vote;

3. the inhabitants of an electoral district;

4. laws enacted by lawmaking body;

5. a person with the right to sit in the House of Lords;

6. a charge by the government on the income of an individual,

corporation, or on the value of an estate or gift or property.

Exercise 4 Answer the following questions:

1. What is the Government?

2. Who are the Cabinet?

3. Who chooses the Government?

Exercise 5 Read the text. Give Ukrainian equivalents for the words in bold type.

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

This is the House of Commons, where Members of Parliament take their seats on the green leather benches according to their party and position. From this we get the terms 'front benches', 'back benches' and 'cross benches'.

The two sides, Government and Opposition, sit facing one another. If, for example, you sit in the Public Gallery of the House of Commons, you would see the Government sitting to the left of the table. The Opposition parties would be seated on the right. Government ministers sit on the front bench on the Government side of the Chamber. They are therefore known as Government front-benches. Those MPs who belong to the same party as the Government but who do not hold a Government post are known as Government back benches. The Official Opposition is divided in the same way. The Opposition consists of all those parties which, as a result of the last general election, are not part of the Government. It is made up of the Official Opposition, the largest Opposition party, and a number of smaller parties. The Labour Party has the largest number of MPs in the House of Commons, having won the most seats in the general election of 1997. The party winning most seats in a general election will form a government and the party leader becomes Prime Minister. As the Conservatives won the general elections of 1979, 1983 and 1992, we had a Conservative Government for eighteen years, with the party leader, firstly Mrs Thatcher, and from November 1990 Mr Major, as Prime Minister. There were Labour Governments from 1964- 1970, 1974- 1979 and since their election victory in 1997 Mr Blair has chosen a team of ministers to help him, drawn from members of his own party in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Together they make up the Government.

Exercise 6 Complete the following text with the words and expressions from the box.

THE WORK OF AN MP

Debates midnight morning

Weekends news MP

Housing Government constituents

Elect mail House of Commons

Constituencies abroad letters

Speaker Sitting

The country is divided into 659 voting areas or constituencies which each elect one MP to serve in the House of Commons. MPs have to represent all of their constituents, regardless of whether they voted for them. In addition MPs have a duty to their political party, to themselves and their own beliefs and to the nation as a whole. Once or twice a week people in a constituency have the chance to meet their MP when they can talk about their problems, large or small. People may come to their MP with housing or money problems or perhaps someone has a relative in hospital and finds it difficult to get there on public transport. An MP spends time at weekends, and during holidays, meeting people in local factories, clubs, schools, etc.

The working hours of the House of Commons are very unusual. Most MPs start their day early in the morning and may not get home until midnight or later.

It is important for MPs to keep up with the news - so the first thing they do in the morning is to look at the newspapers to know what has been happening overnight both in this country and abroad. MPs often do this over breakfast.

The first thing an MP does after arriving at the House of Commons is to collect his mail. MPs receive huge amounts of mail every day; so reading and answering letters takes a large amount of time.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, many MPs will be sitting on Committees.

At 2.30 p.m. each day, the MP walks in procession to the Chamber of the House of Commons to begin the day's Sitting. The first hour of the afternoon from 2.30 to 3.30 p.m. is Question Time at which most MPs like to be present because they have a chance to ask the Government about what it is doing or not doing and why. They especially like to be present on Tuesdays and Thursdays for Questions to the Prime Minister. From tea-time until about 10.00 p.m. there are debates in the Chamber in which MPs may try to speak, especially if the subjects are of interest to their constituents.

Sometimes an MP finally gets to bed when it is nearly time to begin the next day's work.

Answer the following questions:

1. Who does an MP represent?

2. How many MPs are there in the House of Commons?

3. What does the job of an MP consist of?

4. What is the equivalent of MPs in Ukraine? What does their work involve?

Exercise 7

THE CROWN

At the head of the United Kingdom is the King, or, as at present the Queen. But her power is very symbolic. Everything is done in Queen's name. But her power is not absolute; it is limited in many various ways. It is said that the Queen reigns but does not rule. She personally does not decide what action the state shall take. The hereditary principle still operates and the Crown is passed on to the sovereign's eldest son (or daughter if there are no sons).

The Queen has a central role in state affairs, not only through her ceremonial functions, such as opening Parliament, but also because she meets the Prime Minister every week and receives copies of all Cabinet papers.

Functions of the Queen:

- opening and closing Parliament;

- approving the appointment of the Prime Minister;

- giving her Royal Assent to bills;

- giving honours such as peerages, knighthoods and medals;

- Head of the Commonwealth;

- Head of the Church of England;

- Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

Exercise 8 Explain the meaning of the following words and expressions:

1. the head of the state;

2. to reign and to rule;

3. the hereditary principle;

4. the Crown;

5. to approve the appointment of smb.

Exercise 9 Work in pairs.

a) Imagine that you are a journalist from Ukraine asking a British student about his feelings for the British monarchy. Discuss the following points:

- functions of the Sovereign;

- powers of the Queen in Government;

- the hereditary principle in the UK.

b) Find four arguments for and against monarchy. In the discussion, use the following forms of agreement and disagreement:

- I quite agree with you.

- You are right.

- Certainly.

- That's right.

- I disagree with you.

- I am afraid you are mistaken.

- Nonsense.

- Nothing of the kind.

Exercise 10 Study the following words and phrases, relating to 0K institutions:

Cabinet, MP, Lord Chancellor, constituency, Prime Minister, peer, Parliament.

Do similar institutions, etc. exist in your system, with comparable characteristics and functions?

Exercise 11 Prepare to describe the system of government in Ukraine.

Use the elements of the UK system of government as a guide and make brief notes if you like. Include the following points:

The Head of State: appointment, functions and powers, relationship with other state organs.

Legislature: composition, functions and powers, relationship with other state organs.

The Executive: composition, functions and powers, relationship with other state organs.

It is interesting to know

Who's who. There are five levels of hereditary peer that make up the aristocracy in Britain. Each has its own special ceremonial costume, and a specially decorated crown, which peers are entitled to wear on special occasions, such as a coronation or at the official opening of Parliament.

Duke. This is the highest rank in the peerage as well as the rarest title. In this century, the title has only been given to members of the Royal Family The wife of a duke is a duchess.

Marquess. The first marquess in England was created by Richard II in 1385. Ten marquesses have been created this century. The wife of a marquess is a marchioness.

Earl. This is one of the oldest titles and comes from the ancient word for chief Two prominent prime ministers have been given the title this century. The wife of an earl is a countess.

Viscount. The first viscount was created in 1440, but the title has never been widely used. The wife of a viscount is a viscountess.

Baron. This is the lowest rank in the peerage and the most common title. All non-hereditary peers created today have the title baron or baroness.

Learn these words:

duke - гeрцoг

duchess - гeрцoгиня

marquess = marquis - маpкіз

marchioness - маpкізa

earl - граф

countess - графиня

viscount - вікoнт

viscountess - вікoнтeсa

THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUKE OF CORNWALL

The Prince of Wales is the title which is given to the king's (queen's) eldest son when he becomes 18. The origin of this title goes back to the time of Edward I. When Edward I destroyed Welsh independence in the war of 1282 - 1283, he created an unwritten law making the eldest son of an English king the Prince of Wales. The king's son inherits title of Prince of Wales at a special ceremony and automatically is pronounced king when the old king dies. Hence we have the saying «The king is dead, long live the king!»

Since 1337 the king's eldest son has been born the Duke of Cornwall. Cornwall was a Celtic territory created by Edward III who gave his eldest son the Black Prince that title.

Thus the eldest King's son has been born the Duke of Cornwall and at the age of 18 receives the title of Prince of Wales, a Regent is appointed to rule the country until the Duke reaches the age of 18.

The tradition still lives though it is not quite popular in Wales.

EVERYDAY BRITISH THINGS

You often hear the things below mentioned in Britain. Do you know what they are? Match them with their explanations (right).

1. The Independent - a. the financial centre of London

2. 10 Downing Street - b. the primary parliamentary chamber

3. Mr Blair - c. a national daily newspaper

4. The House of Commons - d. the Prime Minister's residence in London

5. Coronation Street - e. the Clock Tower in London

6. The City - f. the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

7. MP - g. a Member of the House of Commons

8. bobby - h. a British policeman

9. Big Ben - i. British most popular television programme, a

long running drama about he lives of neighbours

in a town in northern England

UNIT 2 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

What is the general election? A general election is when the electors in the country cast their vote for the candidate from the political party of their choice to be the Member of Parliament for the constituency. The political party, which wins the most seats in the House of Commons forms the Government. This is different from a by-election, which occurs when a Member dies, retires or is disqualified, and voting takes place only in the constituency without a Member, not throughout the country.

Fair and free elections are an essential part of democracy, allowing the majority of citizens to determine how they want the country to be governed.

The results of the last general election in the United Kingdom were:

1 May 1997

Labour (including Speaker) - 419

Conservative - 165

Liberal Democrats - 46

Ulster Unionist Party - 10