Britain’s System of Government

1. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, which means that the powers of the

monarch are limited by the country's constitution.

2. The British constitution, unlike that of most other countries, is an unwritten constitution, not being contained in any single legal document. It is formed partly by statute law(Acts of Parliament)and important documents (such as Magna Carta),partly by common law(a series of laws dating back to the Middle Ages), and partly by customs and conventions and can be altered by a simple Act of Parliament like any other law. The constitution thus is constantly changing in response to the interpretation of laws in the courts and the introduction of new Acts of Parliament and adapts readily to changing political conditions and ideas.

3. Under the British Constitution power is divided among three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. Although the Queen is officially head of all three branches, she has little direct power.

4. The legislative branch in Britain is represented by Parliament, the most important democratic institution in the United Kingdom. It comprises the House of Lords (the upper chamber), the House of Commons (the lower chamber) and the Monarch as its head. The British Parliament is the oldest parliament in the world. Its main function is to make laws.

5. The House of Commons plays the major part in the law-making process. It consists of 659 members of Parliament (MPs). They are directly elected by the voters in each of Britain’s 659 parliamentary constituencies. Members of the House of Commons are elected either at a general election held every five years, or at a by-election which is held when a vacancy occurs in the House as a result of the death of an MP or as a result of elevation of a member to the House of Lords. The House of Commons is directly responsible to the electorate. This House is presided over by the Speaker, an impartial member accepted in the whole House.

6. The House of Lords, the upper house of the United Kingdom Parliament, is traditionally made up of hereditary Peers, who inherit their titles from their fathers, Life Peers and Peeresses, who cannot pass on their titles, the Law Lords appointed to undertake the judicial duties of the House, and the Lords Spiritual (archbishops and bishops of the Church of England). Members of the House of Lords are not elected. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. Today only 92 representatives of hereditary nobility remained, and about one-third of the Lords are company directors, bankers, newspaper proprietors and other businessmen.

7. The executive branch is headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Queen. Traditionally, the Prime Minister is the leader of the political party who has won the elections and has the majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is advised by a Cabinet of about twenty other ministers. They are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is responsible for all government decisions and for the conduct of national affairs. Government departments controlled by the Cabinet are run by civil servants, who are permanent officials. The main function of the executive branch of the government is to administer the laws and actually rule the country.

8. The judicial branch interprets the laws. The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court of Judicature, which consists of two divisions: the High Court of Justice, which deals with civil cases, and the Court of Appeal, which hears criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Lord Chancellor is the head of the judiciary except in Scotland. He is responsible for administration of all courts, judicial appointments and appointment of magistrates. The English judicial system is independent of the executive, it contains many rules which protect the individuals against arbitrary actions of the police and the government.

1. What is the structure of British Constitution?

2. How many members are there in the House of Commons? How are they elected?

3. What is the main function of Parliament?

4. What is the Cabinet?

II. Translate in writing pharagraphs 2, 5.

III. Use the proper form of the verbs in the Active Voice. Translate the sentences.

1. Members of every community (make) laws for themselves in self-protection,

2. Every country (try) to provide laws which (help) its people to live safely and comfortably.

3. No country (be) successful in producing laws which (be) entirely satisfactory.

4. The Attorney General and the Solicitor General (be) the government’s principle advisers on English Law, and (represent) the Crown in appropriate domestic and international cases.

5. The government and Parliament encourage and in future (encourage) the development of crime prevention scheme.

6. IN 1301, after defeating the native Prince of Wales, King Edward I of England (name) his son “Prince of Wales”. Since then the eldest son of the King or Queen of England traditionally (have) this title.

7. In 1707 Scotland and England (become) a united part, but the Scots (keep) their own legal system, religion and administrative system and still (keep) them now.

IV. Use the proper form of the verbs in the Passive Voice.

1. British Parliament (address) as the central law-making authority since the Act of Settlement 1700.

2. Criticism of the monarchy usually (direct) to its financial burden to the nation.

3. A bill must (pass) in the House of Commons, (adopt) in the House of Lords, and (give) royal assent by the sovereign.

4. Since 1949 the delaying power of the House of Lords (use) to obtain the amendments.

5. After the Government (defeat), Parliament (dissolve) and the data for new elections (fix).

6. By this time tommorow, the announcement (make).

7. The results in each constituency (announce) as soon as the votes (count).

V. Paraphrase the sentences starting with the given words.

1. The Government sponsors most public bills that become laws.

Most public bills …

2. The Prime Minister dismissed 3 members of government last year.

Three members of government …

3. The House of Lords have adopted the bill.

The bill …

4. The Sovereign grants membership of the Privy Council to eminent people of Britain.

Eminent people of Britain …

5. They are discussing new amendments to the Constitution now.

New amendments …

VI. Use the most suitable modal verb: can, must, may, be to, have to, should.

1. The Prime Minister ________ form a government.

2. Decisions made by the Cabinet ________ be unanimous.

3. A candidate of the party ________ to put down a deposit of 500 pounds and collect the signatures from residents in the constituency where he ________ stand.

4. MPs ________ to help people and try to make sure their rights under the law are not violated.

5. MPs ________ to deal with in the day-to-day business of constituency life.

6. A money Bill _______ be passed by the Lords without amendments within a month of being presented in the House.

VII. Complete the sentences applying the rules of sequence of tenses.

1. I asked my sister if she (go) to the concert the next day and if she (return) home by the time I (arrive).

2. I (take) a quick look at the picture and (be) certain tha I (see) the man before.

3. I was sure I (recognize) the man when I (meet) him again.

4. My father declared that he (want) to go on holiday to the Lake District.

5. He said he (leave) in two days and (spend) there not less than two weeks.

6. We knew that it (be) the first time that he (decide) to go there along.

VIII. Write down the following sentences in the Indirect Speech.

1. "I have been in London for a month but so far I haven't had time to visit the Tower", said Rupert.

2. "Whose car did you borrow last night?" I said to him.

3. "Wear a wig if you don't want to be recognized", I advised him.

4. “From one of the windows of my flat I can see the Eiffel Tower", he said.

5. "Have you done this sort of work before?" said his new employer.

6. "Don't use bent coins in a slot machine", I warned him.

TEST III

Task 1. Read the text and answer in writing the questions that follow. Translate your answers into Russian.

British Constitution

In England there is no one document or fundamental body of law that can be described as a ‘constitution’. The absence of any such document or of distinction between public and private law has led the suggestion (perhaps first made by Alexis de Tocqueville) that there is no constitution in England. Unlike the US constitution the English constitution is not a systematic written statement of law and has no existence apart from the ordinary law; it is indeed part of that very law. The magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the Habeas Corpus Act, the Bill of Rights, and the Act of Settlement are the leading enactments; but they are in no sense a constitutional code; and, without a host of judicial decisions, other statutes of much less importance, and a mass of custom and convention, these statutes would be unworkable.

The sources of English constitutional law are statutes, judicial precedent, textbooks, law books, the writings of historians and political theorists, the biographies and autobiographies of statesmen, the columns of every serious newspaper, the minutiae of every type of government record and publication. This is what is meant by saying the English constitution is ‘unwritten’: it is not formally enacted; its rules have to be sought out in a dozen fields, not in any one code.

Similarly, it is flexible, and here the contrast is with a rigid constitution. There are no special safeguards for constitutional rules. Constitutional law can be changed, amended, or abolished just like any rule of private law. So the English constitution may be altered and in the past it has been altered, through a slow addition to custom, by an act of Parliament, or by judicial interpretation. There is no field in which Parliament is forbidden to legislate.

1. What is the structure of the British constitution?
2. Why is the British constitution considered to be flexible?
3. What are the sources of English constitutional law?
4. What is the difference between the British and American Constitutions?

Task 2. Use the proper form of the verb in the Active Voice. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. Our Republic (establish) friendly relations with many countries already.
2. I wonder if he (succeed) in his exams which he (take) in a month.
3. The accident (happen) yesterday.
4. Cultural relations between Belarus and other countries (develop) now and (develop) in the future.
5. The President of the Republic of Belarus (be) the Head of the state since 1994.
6. Read this article about the American constitution while I (do) the translation.

Task 3. Use the proper form of the verb in the Passive Voice. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. His leg (hurt) in an accident last month.
2. The Tower of London (use) as a prison centuries ago, and now it (use) as a museum.
3. The case (discuss) for a long time already.
4. A lot of enterprises (reconstruct) in our Republic now.
5. A bill must (pass) in the house of Commons, (adopt) in the House of Lords, and (give) royal assent by the sovereign.
6. His guilt (establish) by the police lately.

Task 4. Paraphrase the sentences starting with the given word. Translate these new sentences.

1. The Prime Minister forms the government.

The government …..

1. The Lords passed a money bill yesterday.

A money bill …..

3. The police have already arrested the criminal.

The criminal …..

4. Pine forests, numerous beautiful lakes cover the territory of Belarus.

The territory of Belarus …..

1. The jury is discussing the case now.

The case …..

1. The sovereign grants membership of the privy Council to eminent people of Britain.

Eminent people of Britain …..

Task 5. Put questions to the following statements starting them with the words in brackets. Mind the word order of interrogative sentences.

1. The British government includes about 20 the most important ministers. (how many?)
2. The Council of the Republic is the chamber of territorial representation. (what?)
3. The judge has passed the sentence already. (who?)
4. The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus is a collective body. (what kind?)
5. A bill becomes an Act of Parliament after the Queen signs it. (when?)
6. In the USA the laws are made in Congress. (where?)

Task 6. Use the most suitable modal verb (must, can, may, should, have to, be able to) to complete the sentences and then translate them.

1. One ….. obey the law.
2. Don’t worry. You ….. use my phone to call the police.
3. The teacher says I ….. complete my project by Monday.
4. I think you ….. apologize.
5. I am sure he ….. enter Law College. He is a very hard-working boy.
6. The Committee ….. continue the discussion of the bill.

Task 7. Complete the sentences applying the rule of sequence of tenses.

1. I knew that she (be worried0 by the letter she (receive) on Monday.
2. The judge said that the witness (be given) a chance to explain the details of the case.
3. They announced that the Parliament (adopt) a new Bill already.
4. I was sure I (recognize) the woman when I (meet) her again.
5. The speaker stressed that the political situation in the country greatly (influence) the decision of the committee.

Task 8. Render the following passage into English.

В Великобритании не существует единого документа, который был бы официально признан конституцией страны. Однако существует неписанная конституция, состоящая из трех категорий: норм статутного права, норм прецедентного права, норм, представляющие собой прецедентные обычаи. Все эти категории составляют так называемую Британскую конституцию.