British political system

Britain is a constitutional monarchy. That means it is a country governed by a king or queen who accepts the advice of a parliament. It is also a parliamentary democracy. That is, it is a country whose government is controlled by a parliament which has been elected by the people. In other words, the basic system is not so different from anywhere else in Europe. The highest positions in the government are filled by members of the directly elected parliament. In Britain, as in many European countries, the official head of state, whether a monarch (as in Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark) or a president (as in Germany, Greece and Italy) has little real power.

However, there are features of the British system of government which make it different from that in other countries and which are not 'modern' at all. The most notable of these is the question of the constitution. Britain is almost alone among modern states in that it does not have 'a constitution' at all. Of course, there are rules, regulations, principles and procedures for the running of the country - all the things that political scientists and legal experts study and which are known collectively as 'the constitution'. But there is no single written document which can be appealed to as the highest law of the land and the final arbiter in any matter of dispute. Nobody can refer to 'article 6' or 'the first amendment' or anything like that, because nothing like that exists.

The activities of Parliament in Britain are more or less the same as those of the Parliament in any western democracy. It makes new laws, gives authority for the government to raise and spend money, keeps a close eye on government activities and discusses those activities.

The British Parliament works in a large building called the Palace of Westminster (popularly known as 'the Houses of Parliament'). This contains offices, committee rooms, restaurants, bars, libraries and even some places of residence. It also contains two larger rooms. One of these is where the House of Lords meets, the other is where the House of Commons meets. The British Parliament is divided into two 'houses', and its members belong to one or other of them, although only members of the Commons are normally known as MPs (Members of Parliament). The Commons is by far the more important of the two houses.

A unique feature of the British parliamentary system is its hereditary element. Unlike MPs, members of the House of Lords (known as 'peers') are not elected. They are members as of right. In the case of two-thirds of them, this 'right' is the result of their being the holder of an inherited aristocratic title. The House of Lords is therefore a relic of earlier, undemocratic times. The fact that it still exists is perhaps typically British. It has been allowed to survive but it has had to change, losing most of its power and altering its composition in the process.

The House of Lords (like the monarchy) has little, if any, real power any more. All proposals must have the agreement of the Lords before they can become law. But the power of the Lords to refuse a proposal for a law which has been agreed by the Commons is now limited. After a period which can be as short as six months the proposal becomes law anyway, whether or not the Lords agree.

The position of British Prime Minister (PM) is in direct contrast to that of the monarch. Although the Queen appears to have a great deal of power, in reality she has very little. The PM, on the other hand, appears not to have much power but in reality has a very great deal indeed. The Queen is, in practice, obliged to give the job of Prime Minister to the person who can command a majority in the House of Commons. This normally means the leader of the party with the largest number of MPs.

There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.

I. Read and transcribe the names of the following cities:

Belfast, Cardiff, London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle.

II. Fill in the table with the following words related to geography, industry and political life:

chamber, channel, coal, island, kingdom, majority, ocean, manufacture, power, sea, river, party, capital, monarchy, queen, lake, policy, shipbuilding, mountain, continent, parliament, factory, government, minister, statesman, republic.

III. Say the following in one word using the essential vocabulary of the text:

1) a wife of a king or a woman monarch;

2) salt water that covers more than two thirds of earth surface;

3) the total of people in a country, region, city etc;

4) more than a half;

5) to send goods to another country;

6) to be situated;

7) a country headed by a king or queen;

8) black mineral used as fuel;

9) a land surrounded by water.

IV. Read the text ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’. Find the English equivalents for the following Russian sentences.

1. Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии расположено на Британских островах.

2. Соединенное Королевство – высокоразвитая индустриальная держава.

3. Соединенное Королевство включает четыре страны: Англию, Шотландию, Уэльс и Северную Ирландию.

4. Северная Ирландия занимает северо-восточную часть острова Ирландия.

5. Климат не одинаков во всех частях Англии.

6. Хотя кажется, что королева обладает большой властью, в действительности она имеет очень мало власти.

7. Британский парламент работает в большом здании, которое называется Вестминстерский дворец (общеизвестен как здание парламента).

8. Британский парламент разделен на две палаты, и его члены принадлежат к одной или другой из них, хотя только членов палаты общин называют членами парламента.

V. Fill in the blanks with the suitable words.

1. The Severn is the …… river, while the Thames is the …… one.

2. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by …… and ……, the eastern coast is washed by ……

3. The north of Scotland is …… and is called the ……, while the south, which has beautiful …… and …… is called the ……

4. The climate of Great Britain is ……

5. The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: …………

6. England is the …… part of Great Britain.

7. Sheffield is the city of ……

8. Glasgow is known the world over for its ……

9. Great Britain is a country governed by a …… or ……. who accepts the advice of a ……

10. The British Parliament is divided into two …

VI. Read the text ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ and ask your fellow students:

1. where the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated;

2. what the area of the UK is;

3. what the population of the UK is;

4. who conquered Britain;

5. what countries the UK is made up of;

6. what capitals of these countries are;

7. what the climate of Great Britain is;

8. what influences the climate of Great Britain;

9. what the surface of the British Isles is;

10. if the UK is a highly developed industrial country;

11. what means that Britain is a constitutional monarchy;

12. if Great Britain has a constitution;

13. what activities of Parliament in the UK are;

14. what chambers the British Parliament consists of;

15. what chamber is more important;

16. what the main parties in Great Britain are.

VII. Disagree with the statements. Avoid simple negation.

Model: - The British Prime Minister lives in Buckingham Palace.

- No, I don’t think that’s correct. The Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street. Buckingham Palace is the residence of the Queen.

1. The members of the House of Lords are elected by the people.

2. Leeds is the capital of Britain.

3. The population of Great Britain is about 8 million.

4. Manchester is the sea port in Scotland.

5. The English channel separates the British Isles from Scandinavia.

6. The main items of British exports are oranges, bananas and wheat.

7. Britain imports coal, steel and aircraft.

8. Britain is a parliamentary republic.

VIII. Read the following selections and speak about the main cities in Britain.