The Politics of the United Kingdom

The politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by Her Majesty’s Government, on behalf of the Monarch, as well as by the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales, and the Executive of Northern Ireland. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as well as in the Scottish parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, the highest national court being the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

The UK is a multi-party system and since the 1920s, the two largest political parties have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, before the Labour Party rose in British politics the Liberal Party was the other major political party along with the Conservatives. Though coalition and minority governments have been an occasional feature of parliamentary politics, the first-past-the-post electoral system used for general elections tends to maintain the dominance of these two parties, though each has in the past century relied upon a third party to deliver a working majority in Parliament.

The constitution of the United Kingdom is uncodified, being made up of constitutional conventions, statutes and other elements. This system of government, known as the “Westminster system”, has been adopted by other countries as well, such as Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Kenya, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and countries that made up large and significant parts of the British Empire.

There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom general elections, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections and mayoral elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday. General elections have fixed dates, and must be called within five years of the opening of parliament following the last election. Other elections are held on fixed dates though in the case of the devolved assemblies and parliaments, early elections can occur in certain situations.

The UK is divided into a variety of different types of Local Authorities, with different functions and responsibilities. England has a mix of two-tier and single-tier councils in different parts of the country. In Greater London, a unique two-tier system exists, with power shared between the London borough councils, and the Greater London Authority which is headed by an elected mayor.

Exercise 7.Match each definition with the correct word. Translate the words into Russian and learn them by heart.

Exercise 8. Choose the right answer.

1. What form of government does the United Kingdom have?

a) constitutional monarchy; b) federative republic;

c) hereditary monarchy; d) Queens democracy.

2. How is the executive branch of government called?

a) the Government; b) executive branch of Great Britain;

c) Her Majesty’s Government; d) executive committee.

3. When did the United Kingdom become the multi-party system?

a) in 1920; b) since the 1920s;

c) roughly in the 19^th century; d) since the first decade of the 20^th century.

4. What main parties are there in the UK?

a) the Labour Party and the Liberal Party;

b) the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party;

c) the Social-Democratical Party and the Liberal Party;

d) the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

5. How many types of elections are there in the United Kingdom?

a) There are five types of elections; b) There are three types of elections;

c) There are two types of elections; d) There are four types of elections.

6. What countries adopted the “Westminster system”?

a) New Zealand, the United States, India; b) India, Malaysia, New Zealand;

c) Jamaica, Germany, New Zealand; d) India, Jamaica, New Zealand.

7. What chambers of the Parliament does the United Kingdom have?

a) the House of Commons and the House of Representatives;

b) the House of Commons and the House of Lords;

c the House of Representatives and the House of Lords;

d) the House of Commons and the House of Senate.

8. When are elections held?

a) on Thursday; b) on Monday;

c) on Friday; d) on occasional day.

9. Who is Greater London Authority headed by?

a) an elected senator; b) an elected mayor;

c) a King or a Queen; d) majority.

10. How is the constitution of the United Kingdom codified?

a) in the Constitution; b) in the Bill of Rights;

c) in the Magna Carta; d) it is uncodified.

Exercise 9.Fill in the table. Add two more categories for comparison.

Exercise 10. Fill in the gaps using the words given below, and translate the sentences into Russian.

electoral devolved working unique leading

election functions framework effect exist

1. The law goes into … soon. 2. The … of that house is made of wood. 3. The senator … the duties of office upon a group of aides. 4. The Presidential … is held every four years in Russian Federation. 5. Each person in the world has a … personality. 6. The computer has a number of important … . 7. Poverty and hatred … all over the world. 8. The first-past-the-post … system is used for general elections. 9. The … constitution created a strong presidency in Russia. 10. … political parties in Russia include United Russia, the Communist Party.

Exercise 11.Replace the underlined words with the synonym. More than one answer is possible.

1. Washington vetoed two bills only.

a) lists; b) documents; c) drafts; d) papers.

2. The President is involved in the work of the legislative and executive branches.

a) suggests; b) takes part in; c) looks after; d) makes.

3. Russian law restricts the amount of the candidate’s expenditures for the election campaign.

a) limits; b) confines; c) allows; d) forbids.

4. One of the basic principles of constitutional government is the division of powers.

a) main; b) first; c) major; d) biggest.

5. The House of Commons comprises members from the constituencies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

a) accounts; b) provides; c) chooses; d) includes.

6. The functions of the House of Commons are legislation and scrutiny of government activities.

a) exam; b) examination; c) investigation; d) research.

7. Local governments are responsible for organizing of education, police, etc.

a) accountable; b) liable; c) sovereign; d) markable.

8. At the beginning of the century many countries all over the world were ruled by Britain.

a) controlled; b) dominated; c) built; d) destroyed.

9. By custom, cabinet ministers are selected from among members of the two houses of Parliament.

a) by ceremony; b) occasionally; c) traditionally; d) sometimes.

10. The Kingdom of Great Britain resulted from the political union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland.

a) became; b) came; c) arose; d) started.

Exercise 12.Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right. Make up sentences with the phrases you have got.

Exercise 13.Choose the most suitable word in each sentence.

1.I can’t approve/prove your plan because it is too expensive. 2. The President writes/enforces federal laws and policies. 3. The Court of Appeal overturned/denied the earlier decision. 4. The President is elected/chosen directly by the people. 5. The Supreme/Appeal Court is the higest instance for civil and criminal cases. 6. A candidate for the President of the Russian Federation can be named/nominated by a political party or by the candidate personally. 7. Each institution of state authority/power is only partially responsible for enforcing the Constitution. 8. If the Lords agree to/approve of a Bill, it will be placed before the Queen for signature. 9. Britain does not have a written constitution, but a set of laws/rules. 10. The monarch does not usually make political solutions/decisions.

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1207