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ТЕМА 3. Государственное устройство стран изучаемого языка: ВеликобританияUnit 3
State System of Great Britain
The official name of Great Britain is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK for short). The UK is a unitary state, which consists of four main parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. The Crown (the Monarch) is the formal head of the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. All acts of state are done in the name of the Crown. But the Monarch does not act independently. He may exercise the powers only on the advice of his ministers who are responsible politically to Parliament. The Monarch personifies the state. The Monarch reigns but does not rule. Although the Monarch is deprived of actual power, he has retained many important though formal functions. He summons and dissolves Parliament, gives approval to bills, which have passed all their stages in the UK Parliament; he appoints government ministers, judges, officers in the armed forces, diplomats, and ambassadors. The Monarch appoints the Prime Minister to form a government. As the head of state the Monarch has, in international affairs, the power to declare war and make peace, recognize foreign states and conclude treaties. The supreme legislative authority in Great Britain is the UK Parliament, which resides in the Palace of Westminster. Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. All Parliament’s power is concentrated in the lower house – the House of Commons – which is elected by the adult population of the country every five years. The House of Commons consists of 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) – one member from every constituency of the country. Nearly all MPs represent political parties. The Chief Officer of the House of Commons is the Speaker. He is elected by the House. The House of Lords is composed of about 800 members. Members of the House of Lords are not elected and do not represent constituencies. Many of them are not members of a political party. The main functions of Parliament are to make new laws, to control the Government policy, to set taxes and to debate the most important issues of the day. The principal duty of Parliament is legislation, making laws. His Majesty's Government, commonly known as the Government of the United Kingdom, is the highest executive body in the UK. The head of the Government is the Prime Minister. He/she is the leader of the party that has the majority in the House of Commons and is appointed to the office directly by the Crown. The Prime Minister consults and advises the Monarch on government business, coordinates the activities and supervises the work of the various government departments and is the principal spokesman for the government in the House of Commons. In fact, he is a virtual ruler of the country. The highest judicial body in Great Britain is the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. It consists of twelve justices. There are two main political parties in Great Britain: the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. .
A
Exercise 1.Find the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations: Конституционная монархия, осуществлять полномочия по совету министров, быть лишенным фактической власти, сохранить много важных функций, созывать и распускать парламент, одобрять законопроекты, избираться взрослым населением, члены политической партии, представлять избирательные округа, обсуждать наиболее важные вопросы, главная обязанность, назначаться на должность непосредственно монархом, контролировать работу различных министерств, главный представитель от лица правительства, фактический руководитель страны.
Exercise 2. Match English and Russian equivalents:
Exercise 3. Fill in the table: Functions of the Monarch
Exercise 4. Fill in the gaps:
Exercise 5. Complete the sentences: 1) The official name of Great Britain is … . 2) The form of government in Great Britain is … . 3) The head of state in the UK is … . 4) The Monarch may exercise his powers only on the advice of … . 5) The Monarch has many formal functions: … . 6) The highest legislative body in the UK is … . 7) The highest executive body in Great Britain is … . 8) The Prime Minister is the leader of … . 9) The highest judicial body is ... . 10) The main political parties in Great Britain are … Exercise 6. Agree or disagree: 1) The UK is a unitary state, which consists of two main parts: Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 2) The UK is an absolute monarchy. 3) The Monarch doesn’t act independently. 4) The supreme legislative authority in Great Britain is the UK Parliament, which consists of the House of Representatives and the House of Lords. 5) All Parliament’s power is concentrated in the House of Commons. 6) The head of His Majesty's Government is the Speaker. 7) The Prime Minister is appointed to his/her office by the Monarch. 8) The main functions of the Prime Minister are to make new laws, to control the Government policy, to set taxes and to debate the most important issues of the day. 9) The judicial power in the UK is headed by the Supreme Court. 10) The UK has a two-party political system. 7. Answer the questions: 1) What is the form of government in the UK? 2) What is the form of state structure? 3) What are the functions of the head of state in internal and international affairs? 4) What branches of power are there in the UK? 5) What is the structure of the highest legislative body? 6) What house of the UK Parliament is more powerful? 7) What is official name of the highest executive body of Great Britain? 8) How is the Prime Minister of the UK appointed? 9) What is the highest judicial body? 10) What are the main political parties in the UK? B
Exercise 1. Read the following verb forms. Write out the forms of the Past Indefinite Tense (Passive Voice): Stay, was changed, have been changed, were made, is being made, are based, were based, amended, had been amended, are injured, didn’t return, wasn’t repaid, will have been repaid, created, will be created, are becoming. Exercise 2. Use the verbs in brackets in the Past Indefinite Tense (Active Voice). Translate the sentences into Russian: The country (to violate) the international agreement in 1955. 2) The system of law in Great Britain (to appear) in the medieval centuries. 3) The Parliament (to adopt) a new election law in December. 4) This judge (to work) at this court a year ago. 5) The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (to introduce) some major changes to the British constitution. 6) Yesterday I (to translate) two articles on criminal law. Exercise 3. Use the verbs in brackets in the Past Indefinite Tense (Passive Voice). Translate the sentences into Russian: The law of the US originally (to derive) from the common law of the UK. 2) The law in Scotland (to influence) by Roman law. 3) The bill (to approve) by a large majority of the present. 4) The law (to pass) yesterday. 5) His proposal (to approve) by all members of the Council. 6) The country (to divide) into several circuits. 7) In other countries, particularly in the United States, law (to teach) at law schools.
Exercise 4. Use the verbs in brackets in the Past Indefinite Tense (Active or Passive Voice). Translate the sentences into Russian: In the middle of the last century the House of Commons (to be) a centre of real political power. 2) Last week the judge (to decide) law questions. 3) The verdict (to give) by the jury and the sentence (to pass) by the judge. 4) His appeal (to reject) by the higher court last week. 5) She (to represent) by her lawyer at the trial. 6) The Court of Appeal (to hear) 10 appeals yesterday. 7) Different kinds of offences (to reflect) in crime statistics.
C
Exercise 1. 1) Read and translate the text. Add new information about the functions of the British monarch to the table from ex. 3 in part B.
The Role of the Monarch
The monarch of the UK has functions both as head of state and as head of the nation. The monarch is also head of the Commonwealth[1] and head of state in 14 countries beyond the UK. Head of state. The King reigns, but he does not rule. Ruling is done by his government, and as head of state in the UK the King is constitutionally obliged to follow the government’s advice. His main functions as head of state are to appoint the Prime Minister, and all the other ministers; to open new sessions of parliament; and to give royal assent to bills passed by parliament, signifying that they have become law. The King also has a weekly audience with the Prime Minister, and receives daily boxes of state papers for his signature, and for information. He also has regular meetings with senior officials of all kinds. Head of the nation. To the public the King is more visible in his wider role as head of the nation. In this representative role the Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity. This role has been fulfilled through speeches such as the King's annual broadcast on Christmas day; and through visits to the armed forces, schools, hospitals, charities and local organisations. The King and other members of the royal family are patrons of over 1,000 charities and organisations in the UK and the Commonwealth. Head of the Commonwealth and the Realms[2]. The King is also head of state of 14 other countries around the world, known as the realms: they include Australia, Canada, Jamaica and New Zealand. And the King is Head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 states, mainly former British colonies and dependencies. 2) Retell the text. Tell about the role of the British monarch as: head of state; head of the nation; head of the Commonwealth and the Realms.
[1] the Commonwealth of Nations – Содружество наций
[2] A realm [relm] – владение
Exercise 2.
1) Read and translate the text. Prove that: a) The UK Parliament consists of three elements. b) The UK Parliament is the supreme legal authority in Great Britain. c) The UK Parliament has many functions, besides legislation. d) The House of Common is a publicly elected chamber of the UK Parliament. e) The House of Lords is not elected. f) The House of Commons is more powerful than the House of Lords.
UK Parliament
Formally, the UK Parliament is made up of three central elements: the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarchy. Parliamentary sovereignty is a principle of the UK constitution. It makes Parliament the supreme legal authority in the UK, which can create or end any law. The main functions of the UK Parliament are to: check and challenge the work of the Government (scrutiny); make and change laws (legislation); debate the important issues of the day (debating); check and approve Government spending (budget/taxes). The House of Commons. The UK public elects 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons. Members of the House of Commons must be 18 years of age or older. The House of Commons is the first chamber of Parliament and is also called the Lower House. The leader of the largest party in the Commons is traditionally asked by the Monarch to be Prime Minister and to form the Government. Most ministers are chosen from amongst the governing party’s MPs within the House of Commons. The work of the House of Commons is overseen by the Speaker, who is elected from among the members of the House of Commons at the first meeting following a general election. He chairs the sittings and keeps order in the House. The Speaker is the Commons’ official representative to the monarch. The House of Commons is the effective legislative authority in Great Britain. It alone has the right to impose taxes and to vote money to, or withhold it from, the various public departments and services. Although it is technically the lower house, the House of Commons is predominant over the House of Lords, and the name “Parliament” is often used to refer to the House of Commons alone. The House of Lords is the second, or the upper, chamber of the UK Parliament. Currently, there are about 800 members in the House of Lords who can take part in the work of the House of Lords. The majority are life peers[1]. Many members of the House of Lords have a political background, some don't. They represent a wide range of professions. Members of the House of Lords are appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Lord Speaker chairs daily business in the House of Lords chamber and is an ambassador for the work of the House. He is elected by Lords members. The powers of the modern House of Lords are extremely limited. Its most useful function is the revision of bills that the House of Commons has not formulated in detail. 2) Compare the houses of the UK Parliament and the chambers of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. What is similar and what is different? 3) Retell the text, using the statements from ex. 1) as a plan.
[1] A life peer is a British peer (пэр) who has the title “Lord” or “Lady” for life but cannot pass it on to another person after death.
Exercise 3.
1) Read and translate the text and answer the questions: a) What elements does His Majesty's Government consist of? b) What are their responsibilities?
His Majesty's Government[1]
His Majesty's Government is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom. His Majesty's Government is led by the Prime Minister who selects all the other ministers. The Prime Minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet. The Cabinet and junior ministers are supported by teams of non-political civil servants that work in government departments. His Majesty's Government can be abbreviated to HM Government and is commonly referred to in the United Kingdom and abroad as the British Government or UK Government. The Prime Minister. The Prime Minister leads the government with the support of the Cabinet and ministers and is ultimately responsible for all policy and decisions. The Prime Minister also: oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies; appoints members of the government; is the principal government figure in the House of Commons. The Cabinet. The Cabinet is made up of the senior members of government (there are 117 total ministers, 22 of them are members of the Cabinet). Every week during Parliament, members of the Cabinet meet to discuss the most important issues for the government. Ministers. Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister from the members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. They are responsible for the actions, successes and failures of their government departments. Government departments and agencies. Departments and their agencies are responsible for putting government policy into practice. Some departments, like the Ministry of Defence, cover the whole UK. Others don’t (e.g. the Department for Work and Pensions doesn't cover Northern Ireland). This is because some aspects of government are devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Civil Service. The Civil Service does the practical and administrative work of government. It is co-ordinated and managed by the Prime Minister. 2) Retell the text.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/how-government-works
D
State System of Great Britain
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