Great britain (legal and political system)
Read the extracts below and put them in correct order.
ELECTION FEVER
_______The British Head of State is not a president; it is a king or queen who has little real power. One of the few important functions left to the Head of State is to make sure that the Head of Government, the Prime Minister, calls a general election within five years.
_______In Britain for many years the contest has been between the Conservative Party on the right, and the Labour on the left. But there are now other major political parties in the centre: the Social Democrats and the Liberals. And of course, the centre parties hope to
attract more votes from both conservatives and socialists.
_______The PM listens to the advice of the cabinet ministers, and chooses a time when opinion is favourable. At last the date of the general election is announced and the voters, who must be over the age of 18, make choice. And as soon as it is all over, the politicians start talking about when the next election will be.
_______Most British politicians spend a great deal of time discussing when the next general election will be. In the House of Commons, they talk about it all the time. Members of Parliament know that if they don’t get enough votes they could be looking for a new job.
Describe the political system of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
a) the Monarch;
b) Legislature;
c) the Executive.
Ex. 8. Match a word with a proper definition.
| 1. constitution | a) established socially accepted practice; |
| 2. monarch | b) the main law-making body, made up of the Queen, the lords and the elected representatives of the people; |
| 3. custom | c) a change, made in or suggested for a rule, law, statement; |
| 4. authority | d) a fact to be considered when making a decision; |
| 5. parliament | e) the most important ministers of the government, who meet as a group to make decisions or to advise the head of the government; |
| 6. sessions | f) the power or right to control and command; |
| 7. prorogation | g) to establish; |
| 8. amendments | h) the people who rule; |
| 9. consideration | i) the body of laws and principles according to which a country is governed; |
| 10. the Cabinet | j) to put off until later; |
| 11. government | k) a ruler of a state who has a right by birth to the office or title, and doesn’t have to be elected; |
| 12. the Prime Minister | l) a body of people of high rank in politics and public life who may advise the king or queen on certain State affairs; |
| 13. constitute | m) a formal meeting of a law-making body or court; |
| 14. delay | n) to bring to an end a regular set of meetings until the members return on a stated day to continue unfinished business; |
| 15. the Privy Council | o) first in rank or importance; chief; |
Ex. 9. Complete the passage below by choosing the best word from the box for each blank space.
| Law | practice | Act of Parlament |
| Convention | provision | Legal enactment |
| rule | bill | Statute law |
| legislation |
English Laws
A proposal of law, or 1) ________ only becomes a/an 2) ______ called a/an 3) ________ when all its 4) ________ have been approved by the Queen in Parliament. Many 5) _________ of English constitutional 6) _______ do not derive (come) from 7) __________ or common law, but are political; 8) ________ called 9) _________ which have the force of law.
Ex. 10. In the sentences below, fill each blank space with a suitable word from the word family given in capitals on the right.
1. The constitution is changing to the __________ of laws in the courts and the ___________ of new Acts of Parlament. (Interpre, Introduce)
2. The government is responsible for ___________ laws into effect and directing ____________ policy. (Put, Nation)
3. Bill’s __________ in printed form is announced in the chamber. (Publicate)
4. The Prime Minister is responsible for Cabinet agendas and the control of Cabinet__________. (Proceed)
5. Nearly all British citizens over the age of 18 are members of the ______ (Elect).
6. In the British constitutions the Queen in Parliament is the legislative ___________ (Sovereign)
7. Many British ________ are in favour of changing the ________ (Vote, Elect).
8. For the purpose of tax, a person is ______ in the UK if s/he stays there for more than six months of the year. (Reside)
9. Parliament _____ the ____ of the special Commission. (Approve, Recommend)
10. Direct ________ to the European Parliament are held every five years. (Elect)
Ex. 11. Choose the correct alternative and complete each of the sentences below.
1. The ___________ met urgently at 10 Downing Street to decide government policy on the new economic crisis.
| a) civil service | b) Privy Council | c) Cabinet | d) ministries |
2. The exact effect of legislation is influenced by judicial _________ .
| a) interpretation | b) custom | c) sovereignty | d) codification |
3. Parliament is a ____________ body.
| a) legislation | b) legislature | c) legislative | d) legislate |
4. _____________, codes and delegated legislation are all sources of written law.
| a) Law reports | b) statutes | c) Rules of law | d) Court cases |
5. The Minister presented the new Housing ____________ to the House of Commons for reading and debate
| a) Act | b) Code | c) Law | d) Bill |
6. The government lost the confidence of the House of Commons, Parliament was dissolved and a/an ___ was called.
| a) general Election | b) electoral roll | c) by-election | d) election campaign |
7. In general, a Bill becomes an Act of Parliament when it has received the ________ of both Houses of Parliament and the sovereign.
| a) consent | b) ratification | c) enactment | d) assent |
Discussion
Grammar Practice
GREAT BRITAIN (LEGAL AND POLITICAL SYSTEM)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the only European state without a formally written constitution. Of course, this does not mean that a constitution does not exist. The British constitution is a mixture of legal provisions, conventions and acceptance of the constitutional principles.
The essence of the British constitution is based on two basic principles: the rule of law, and the sovereignty of Parliament. The rule of law protects citizens from the state and forces Parliament to put into law the powers it transfers to the government. Laws can be rejected, repealed or passed by a simple majority. Since there is no written constitution, there is no need for special majorities to enact changes to the constitution.
The English legal system simplifies the flexible way in which the British constitution develops. It is based on common law. The main feature of common law is its foundation on case law, that is, precedents set by previous cases, which can be used to settle new disputes, and developed further according to new legislation. Legal decisions are always based on firm cases and not a general rule. A code of law like the one in Ukraine does not exist. This means that a great deal of flexibility exists in interpreting the law.
Due to the legal and constitutional traditions in Great Britain the modification of laws and institutions to meet new challenges has been possible without major external changes. The widespread idea that Great Britain is a nation that holds on tight to its historical traditions
is based on this outer impression of formal continuity. The role of the monarch and the role of Parliament have changed dramatically over the past four centuries despite this continuity.
In addition to the rule of law, sovereignty of Parliament forms the second pillar of the British constitution. While Parliament is responsible for passing laws and is solely responsible for controlling legislation, it is not bound to a written constitution and therefore cannot be overruled. It is Parliament and not the people that is responsible for the constitution*.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. The head of state is the reigning monarch. Executive power, however, is wielded by a prime minister, who is head of government, and a committee of ministers called the cabinet. The prime minister is usually the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons. By custom, cabinet ministers are selected from among the members of the two houses of Parliament. The King or Queen is responsible for appointing Bishops to the Church of England, the Chief Justice and the highest-ranking members of the armed forces, who all swear allegiance to the Crown. The monarch performs a representative, ceremonial and integrating role. The present Queen, Elizabeth II, has been on the Throne since 1952 and (and the Royal Family) represents the UK at home and abroad, as well as being the head of the Anglican Church. The Queen carries out and legitimizes acts of state such as the annual opening of Parliament during which the Queen reads out a speech drawn up by the Prime Minister, which marks out the government’s intended legislative program for the coming Parliament (Queen’s Speech). The monarch’s neutral position makes him/her a generally accepted figure of national integration even in times of war and crisis.
The UK Parliament is one of the oldest representative assemblies in the world. From the 14th century, parliamentary government in the United Kingdom has been based on a two-chamber system. The House of Lords (the upper house) and the House of Commons (the lower house) sit separately and are constituted on entirely different principles. The relationship between the two Houses is governed largely by convention but is in part defined by the Parliament Acts. The legislative process involves both Houses of Parliament and the Monarch.
The House of Commons is traditionally regarded as the lower house, but it is the main parliamentary arena for political battle. A Government can only remain in office for as long as it has the support of a majority in the House of Commons. As with the House of Lords, the House of Commons debates new primary legislation as a part of the process of making an Act of Parliament, but the Commons has primacy over the non-elected House of Lords. «Money Bills», concerned solely with taxation and public expenditure, are always introduced in the Commons and must be passed by the Lords promptly and without amendment. When the two houses disagree on a non-money bill, the Parliament Acts can be called upon to ensure that the will of the elected chamber prevails.
The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK. Houses of Parliament. Members of the House of Lords (known as «peers») consist of Lords Spiritual (senior bishops) and Lords Temporal (lay peers). Law Lords (senior judges) also sit as Lords Temporal. Members of the House of Lords are not elected. Originally, they were drawn from the various groups of senior and influential nobility in Britain, who advised the Monarch throughout the country’s early history. Following the House of Lords Act 1999 there are only 92 peers who sit by virtue of hereditary peerage. The majority of members are now life peers and the Government has been consulting on proposals for further reform of the Lords.
The House of Lords considers legislation, debates issues of importance and provides a forum for government ministers to be questioned. The Committees of the House consider a wide range of issues and produce reports on them. The House of Lords is also the highest court in the United Kingdom.
The most important political role in the British democratic system is reserved for the Prime Minister. British prime ministers are powerful. This is because they have great power and appoint, for instance from among, around 100 senior and junior ministerial posts to members of the ruling party across government. The Prime Minster’s power is based on the parliamentary loyalty of his/her party
