Дополнительные материалы к уроку английского языка "Политическая система Великобритании"
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку (10 класс) на тему

Дополнительные материалы к уроку по теме

«Политическая система Соединенного королевства»

Every nation has the government that it deserves!

J.D.Maistre

- The best government is that which governs most!

J.O.Sillvans

-The whole art of government consists in being honest!

T.Jefferson

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Power in GB is divided among three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. Officially the head of the state is the king or queen. The power of the monarch is not absolute but constitutional.

 The monarch, be it king or queen, is the head of the executive body, an integral part of the legislature, the head of the judicial body, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the crown, the head of the Established Church of England and the head of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Great Britain is a monarchy, but the powers of the Queen are limited by the Parliament. Everything in the country officially is done in the name of the Queen, but in reality, the Prime Minister is responsible for the policy conducted by the Parliament.

 The legislative branch is represented by Parliament, which consists of two chambers, or houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament in Britain has existed since 1265.

Parliament in Britain has existed since 1265. Peers sit in the House of Lords; in the House of Commons representatives of the people of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland take their seats. The two leading parties in Great Britain are the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.

The executive branch is headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the king (queen). According to tradition, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party that has won the elections and has the majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister appoints the ministers to compose the government. After that the newly appointed ministers are presented to the monarch for the formal approval. The most important ministers of the government (about twenty) form the Cabinet. Members of the Cabinet make joint decisions or advise the Prime Minister. The main function of the executive branch of the government is to administer the laws (to see to it that the laws are carried out, actually to rule the country). So, the most important part of a Prime Minister’s job is Cabinet- making. The Prime Minister has considerable individual power to introduce and control policies and to change the Cabinet by appointing new ministers. The Prime Minister lives and works in the official residence, № 10 Downing Street, London. This is a large house in a small street, where many of the departments have their offices, a very short distance from the Houses of Parliament.

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 and the Court of Appeal. It is often said that English law is superior to the law of most other countries. Indeed, the English judicial system contains many rules which protect the individual against arbitrary action by the police and the government.

The Monarch

The Queen has a certain 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 Sovereign are as follows:

- opening and closing Parliament;

- approving of the appointment of the Prime Ministers;

- giving her Royal Assent to bills;

- giving honoures such as peerages, knighthoods and medals;

- Head of the Commonwealth;

- Head of the Church of England;

- Commander-in-Chief of the armed Forces.

The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely, however. Theoretically every act of government is done in the Queen’s name – every letter sent out by a government department is marked “On Her Majesty’s Service” – and she appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. In reality, everything is done on the advice of the elected Government, and the Monarch takes no part in the decision-making process. Many members of the Royal Family undertake official duties in Britain and abroad. Their various responsibilities reflect tradition, there own personal intersts and Britain’s former imperial status.

On the one hand the Queen is certainly one of the richest women in the world, while on the other her power is limited by the fact that so many of her expenses are paid for by government money.

The House of Commons is made up of 635 elected members, known as Members of Parliament (MPs). The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker, a member acceptable to the whole House. MPs sit on to sides of the hall, one side for the governing party and the other for the opposition. The first two rows of seats are occupied by the leading members of both parties (called ‘front-benchers’), the back benches belong to the rank-and-file MPs (‘back-benchers’). Each session of the House of Commons lasts for 160-175 days. Parliament has intervals during its works. Although there is some space given to other than government proposals, the lion’s share of parliamentary time is taken by the party in power. A proposed law, a bill, has to go through three stages in order to become an Act of Parliament. These are called readings. If the majority of MPs still vote for the bill, it is sent to the House of Lords for discussion. When the Lords agree, the bill is taken to the Queen for Royal assent.

The House of Lords. The other House of Parliament is the House of Lords. The House of Lords has more than 1,000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. This House consists of those lords who sit by right of inheritance and those men and women who have been given life peerages which end with the life of their possessors. Members of this Upper House are not elected. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor and he sits on a special seat called the Woolsack. The members of the House of Lords debate a bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons. Changes may be recommended, and agreement between the two Houses is reached by negotiation. The Lords’ main power consists of being able to delay non-financial bills for a period of a year, but they can also introduce certain types of bill.

The main functions of British Parliament today are as follows:

- to pass laws

- to vote on financial bills so that the government could carry on his work

- to discuss the government’s administrative policies- foreign affairs, the state of agriculture, educational problems, etc.

- to debate important political issues of the day.