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Exercise 1. Fill in the gaps with the words and phrases from the box.
Monarch government legislative political conventions constitutional monarchy Parliament judiciary Prime Minister uncodified
Politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland take place in the framework of a ___________ in which the ______ is head of state and the _______ of the United Kingdom is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the _______. ______ power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of ________, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The _________ is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Constitution of the UK is _______, its sources being ___________ (accepted practices or unwritten rules), laws, statutes and Acts of Parliament.
Exercise 2. Enumerate at least 7 official functions of the Queen.
Exercise 3. Fill in the table about the Parliament, its structure and functions.
| House of Commons | House of Lords | |
| composition (number of members and what the members are called) | (kinds of Lords) | |
| presided over by (position and name currently) | ||
| main functions |
Exercise 4. Comment on each of the stages in the process of law-making.
1. Introduction of the bill
2. First Reading
3. Second Reading
4. Committee Stage
5. Report Stage
6. Third Reading
7. House of Lords
8. Royal Assent
Exercise 5. Decide whether the following statements are true or false?
1. The work of the Parliament is divided into two sessions.
2. The maximum duration of the parliament is 4 years.
3. The House of Lords may not veto money bills.
4. The House of Lords may suspend a bill for 1 year.
5. The Queen may refuse to sign a bill.
6. A bill may be introduced by one MP.
7. Peers receive salary for their work in the House of Lords.
8. The Queen is the head of the Parliament.
9. There is an electronic voting system in the British Parliament.
10. The sitting of the House of Commons are open for the general public.
11. There are special people who control the attendance and voting of party members.
12. A “whip” is a document notifying MPs of the weekly agenda.
13. In some cases an MP can miss a vote if he finds a member of the Opposition who also intends to be absent from the division.
14. The Speaker never votes.
Exercise 6. Match the questions 1-10 with the answers A-J
1. What is the Government?
2. What is the Cabinet?
3. Who chooses the Cabinet?
4. Which positions are included in the Cabinet?
5. When and where does the Cabinet meet?
6. Can Governments include members of more than one party?
7. What are Government Departments?
8. What is the relationship between Parliament and the Government?
9. Who are the Opposition?
10. What role does the Opposition play?
| A The Opposition consists of all those parties which, as a result of the last general election, are not part of the Government. It is made up of the Official Opposition, the Opposition party with the largest number of members, and a number of smaller parties. |
| B The Prime Minister decides which positions will be included in his or her Cabinet. Heads of Government Departments will usually all be Cabinet ministers. A Cabinet must be large enough to include senior ministers whilst small enough to allow for constructive discussion, usually about 20 people. |
| C The Government is like the management of the country. It makes the important decisions, e.g. about foreign policy, education, or health, but many of these decisions have to be approved by Parliament. Over 1,000 people are entitled to sit in the two Houses of Parliament, but only about 100 of these belong to the Government. |
| D Before 1945 there were several Governments whose members were drawn from a variety of different parties. This is known as coalition government. Coalitions have, in the past, usually been formed in times of national crisis, for example during war time, in periods of economic difficulty or if no party has a majority. |
| E The Opposition can challenge the Government, during Question Time, in committee and by debate. In addition the Opposition may oppose the Government’s attempts to make new laws. Senior members of the Opposition are known as the Shadow Cabinet. |
| F Cabinet meetings are usually held on a Thursday morning in the Cabinet room at 10 Downing Street. The Prime Minister can summon the Cabinet to meet at any time and meetings will be more frequent when the political situation requires. |
| G The most senior members of the Government are known as the Cabinet. |
| H Members of both Houses can challenge the Government in committees, in debates and by questioning it about its work. Parliament has to ensure that the Government is working properly and that its decisions are in the public interest. |
| I Most of the ministers of the Cabinet are heads of Government Departments. The work of Government is divided among Departments which each specialise in a particular subject, e.g. defence, education, trade and industry. The number and responsibilities of Government Departments can be changed by the Prime Minister according to the needs of the country. |
| J Members of the Cabinet are chosen by the Prime Minister. The majority of the members of are drawn from the House of Commons. Nevertheless there are always a few members from the House of Lords. |
Exercise 7. Fill in the names of the current members of Her Majesty’s Cabinet and the Leader of her Majesty's opposition.
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
| Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor | |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | |
| Secretary of State for Defense and Secretary of State for Scotland | |
| Leader of her Majesty’s Official Opposition & Leader of the Conservative Party |
Exercise 8. Answer the following questions about the parliamentary elections in the UK.
1. Which electoral system is used?
2. What is a general election?
3. Who can stand as a candidate in a general election?
4. Who is able to vote in parliamentary elections?
5. What is a constituency?
6. How many constituencies are there in the UK?
7. How often are general elections held?
8. What happens during the election campaign?
9. What happens on polling day?
10. What is a by-election?
Exercise 9. Fill in the table with information about major parties in the UK.
| Labour Party | Conservative Party | Liberal Democratic Party | |
| also known as | |||
| symbol and colour | |||
| current leader | |||
| place in the political spectrum (left-right) | |||
| number of MPs currently in Parliament | |||
| views |
Exercise 10. Fill in the information in the diagram and describe the functions of the different types of courts in England and Wales.
Further Reading
1. Britain’s System of Government. – London: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1993. – 36 p.
2. Focus on Britain. – London: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1993. – 40 p.
3. Jones B. Politics UK / B. Jones, D. Kavanagh, P. Norton, M. Moran. – [4-th ed.]. – London: Longman, 2000. – 736 p.
4. Kingdom J. Government and Politics in Britain: an introduction / John Kingdom. – [3-d ed.]. – Cambridge: Polity Press, 2003. – 800 p.
5. McLean I. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics / I McLean, A. McMillan. – [2-d ed. revised]. – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. – 624 p.
6. Parliamentary Elections in Britain. – London: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1993. – 20 p.
7. Sheerin S. Spotlight on Britain [2-d edition] / S. Sheerin, J. Seath, G. White. – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. 140 p.
* Constitutional monarchy is a form of government (Not to be confused with the form of territorial-political organization – unitary state)
* * This is a result of a long process of evolution, during which the monarchy’s absolute power has been progressively reduced. William of Orange became the first King-in-Parliament after the Glorious Revolution as a result of which Parliament became more powerful than the king. Its power over the monarch was written into the Bill of Rights in 1689.
* ** This is enacted under the Act of Settlement (1701). According to it only a Protestant could inherit a crown. The Act of Settlement was very important and it has remained in force ever since. Even today, if a son or a daughter of the monarch becomes a Catholic, he or she cannot inherit the throne.
* *** Signed in 1215 by King John, Magna Carta (or the Great Charter) was a very important symbol of political freedom: the King promised all “freemen” protection from his officers and the right to a fair and legal trial. Hundreds of years later, Magna Carta was used by Parliament to protect itself from a powerful king.
* Hereditary peers are aged 21 years and over. Anyone succeeding to peerage may, within 12 months of succession, disclaim that peerage for his or her lifetime. Disclaimants lose their right to sit in the House but gain the right to vote and stand as candidates at parliamentary elections.
* The official residence of the Prime Minister is at 10 Downing Street, London.
Date: 2014-12-29; view: 2213
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