I. Read and translate the texts.
3. The political system of Great Britain
Britain is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch — Queen Elizabeth II - as head of state, she succeeded to the throne in 1952. Britain’s hereditary monarchy is the oldest institution of the government, dating back to at least the 9th century. Although the Queen is officially the head of the state, she has little direct power. The Queen is also head of the Commonwealth, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Crown and she presides over the Church of England. In Great Britain there is no written constitution, only customs and traditions. There are two main political parties in Great Britain - the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.
The political system of Great Britain has three branches: Parliament, which makes laws, the government, which „executes” laws i.e. puts them into effect, and the law courts, which interpret laws
The Government consists of the Cabinet of Ministers, appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister heads the Government, consults and advises the Monarch on government business. He also makes recommendations to the Monarch on many important public appointments
The House of Commons (659 elected Members of Parliament) and the House of Lords (unelected members or peers) with the monarch make up the Parliament. The House of Lords was previously a hereditary, aristocratic chamber. It has no real power and it acts rather as an advisory council. It’s in the House of Commons that new bills are introduced and debated. Parliament is the legislature and the supreme authority. Parliament passes laws, approves taxation and debates the major issues of the day.
The administration of justice in Britain is independent of both the Parliament and the Government. The judiciary determines common law and interprets statute. The highest judicial body in the English judicial system is the House of Lords.
hereditary - спадкоємний
to succeed – успадковувати
the Commonwealth – країни Співдружності
to preside over – головувати
the Labour Party - Лейбористська партія
House of Lords – палата лордів
House of Commons – палата громад
peer – пер, лорд
bill - законопроект
to pass laws – приймати закони
common law – загальне право
statute - закон; законодавчий акт парламенту
The Parliament of the uk
The Parliament is the legislature and the supreme authority. The parliament is bicameral, with an upper house, the House of Lords, and a lower house, the House of Commons. The Queen is the third component of Parliament. They meet together only on the occasions of symbolic significance. The agreement of all three elements is normally required for legislation.
The Parliament in Britain exists since 1265. Having been organized in the reign of king Edward I, it is the oldest Parliament in the world. The main functions of the Parliament are:
to pass laws;
to provide by voting taxation;
to scrutinize government policy and administration;
to debate the major political issues of the day.
The House of Commons, presided over by the Speaker, plays the major role in lawmaking. The House of Commons has 659 elected Members of Parliament, each representing a local constituency. They are known as MPs or Members of Parliament. The Prime Minister, or leader of the Government, is also an MP. Members of the House of Commons are granted a salary for their parliamentary work. The House of Commons is a body chosen by the people at a general election. Parliamentary elections must be held every five years. The election campaign lasts about three weeks.
The House of Lords, presided over by the Lord Chancellor, includes two different types of members: the Lords Spiritual (the senior bishops of the Church of England) and the Lords Temporal (members of the Peerage). The peers are not elected. About 70% of them are “hereditary peers” because they have the right to sit in the Parliament during their lifetime and transmit their right to their eldest sons. The other 30% are “life peers” whose titles are not passed on to their children. They are officially appointed by the Queen, on the advice of the Government, for various services to the nation.