Unit 1. BRITISH PARLIAMENT TODAY:

MPs AND LODS AS THEY ARE

The UK Parliament

Parliament is 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 House of Lords and the House of Commons sit separately and are constituted on entirely different principles. The legislative process involves both Houses of Parliament and the Monarch.

The main functions of Parliament are:

• to make laws regulating the life of the community;

• to provide, by voting for taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government;

• to protect the public and safeguard the rights of individuals;

• to scrutinize government policy and administration, including proposals for expenditure;

• to debate the major issues of the day;

• to examine European proposals before they become law.

Parliament has a maximum duration of five years. Each term is divided into sessions, which usually last for one year – normally ending in October or November when Parliament is ‘prorogued’ followed shortly by the State Opening of Parliament.

The State Opening of Parliament marks the start of the new parliamentary session. It is the main ceremonial event of the parliamentary year, attraction large crowds, both in person and watching on television. The Queen delivers her speech from the Throne in the House of Lords. The speech is given in the presence of members of both Houses. Although the speech is made by the Queen, the content of the speech is entirely drawn up by the Government and approved by the Cabinet. It contains an outline of the Government’s policies and proposed legislative programme for the new parliamentary session. Following the State Opening, the government’s programme is debated by both houses.

TASK 1. Find in the text the words and expressions which mean the following:

• to include

• the upper House

• to be based on principles

• law-making process

• the term of service

• to discontinue a session of the British Parliament

• to protect the rights

• to examine in much detail

• spending

• to write a speech

• to pronounce a speech

• a plan / brief review of the Government’s policies

Speak on the functions of the UK Parliament using the expressions above.

The House of Commons

It is truly a debating chamber, where every Member

is free to express his or her own view on a matter, and

where opposing arguments can be expressed

frankly and passionately. We value the vigorous

nature of debate in the House of Commons – it is a

reflection and a reminder of our nation’s

democratic principles.

The Speaker of the House of Commons

The House of Commons is the centre of parliamentary power. It is directly responsible to the electorate, and from the 20^th century the House of Lords has recognized the supremacy of the elected chamber.

The House of Commons is traditionally regarded as the lower house, but it is the main parliamentary arena for political battle. A Government can only remain in office for as long as it has the support of a majority in the House of Commons.

New legislation usually starts in this House which has primacy over the non-elected House of Lords. ‘Money bills’, concerned solely with taxation and public expenditure, are always introduced in the Commons and must be passed by the Lords promptly and without amendment. When the two houses disagree on a non-money bill, the elected chamber prevails.

A Member of Parliament (MP) is elected by a particular area or constituency in Britain to represent them in the House of Commons. At present there are 646 Members of Parliament in the House.

MPs have many duties that involve them in different activities. A lot of MPs’ work has nothing to do with voting in Parliament. There are hundreds of things MPs have to deal with in the day-to-day business of constituency life, such as housing or health care. MPs are there to help people and to try to make sure their rights under the law are not violated. Some MPs hold an advice bureau in their constituencies, where people can go for help and recommendation. Anyone who feels that he has been unfairly treated by the central government can complain to their local MP who will do his best to see that the problem is solved.

Members of Parliament have been paid salaries since 1911. The rate has lately been nearly twice the average industrial worker’s wages. The allowances for travel, living in London, and paying part0time secretaries and research assistants are being gradually increased. Still many MPs insist that they need to have outside earnings, through journalism, work in the law courts or business, to enable them to live up to the standard they expect.

The presiding officer in the House of Commons is the Speaker, an MP who has been elected to act as chairman during debates. He is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He acts as the House’s representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. Even after retirement a former Speaker shall not take part in political issues.

TASK2. Find in the text above the English equivalents for the following key words and expressions:

1. поправка (к законопроекту)

2. выборная палата

3. избиратели

4. избирательный округ

5. общественное здравоохранение

6. жилищное строительство

7. финансовые законопроекты

8. председатель, председательствующее лицо

9. законные права

10. поддержка большинства

11. налогообложение

12. быть беспристрастным

13. вносить законопроект

14. принять законопроект

15. защищать интересы меньшинства

16. оставаться у власти

17. принимать участие в политических процессах/заниматься политикой (2)

18. нарушать права

TASK 3. Use the key expressions from the text to answer the following questions:

1. Why is the House of Commons called “the elected chamber’?

2. In what way is the government dependent on the lower chamber?

3. What are the legislative powers of the Commons?

4. how are MPs elected?

5. How are MPs’ duties divided between their constituency and their work in the House?

6. What expenses incurred by MPs are covered by their salaries? Why are MPs dissatisfied with their remuneration?

7. What are the Speaker’s duties?

8. Why should a Speaker be above party politics?

9. Which of the two Houses of Parliament has more power?

TASK 4. Read the text below and draw up a diagram illustrating the location of the members of the House of Commons. Be ready to comment on your drawing.

The Interior of the House of Commons

Members of Parliament hold most of their debates in the House of Commons Chamber. The Speaker, who acts as a chairman of the debate, sits on a raised chair at on end of the Chamber. In front of him on his right sit the MPs of the biggest party, which forms the government, and facing them sit the MPs of the party which opposes them, the Opposition. The leader of the government, the Prime Minister, sits on the government front bench, next to his or her ministers. Government ministers and those speaking for the official Opposition are often called frontbenchers. The most important government ministers form the Cabinet. Its major members are the Foreign Secretary (the minister responsible for relations with other countries), the Home Secretary (the one responsible for law and security) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the minister who deals with financial matters and prepares the annual budget speech on the economic state of the country).

Opposite this group sits the Leader of the Opposition (the main person in the largest party opposing the government) and the Shadow Cabinet which is made up of front bench MPs from the official opposition party. The Opposition party appoints an MP to ‘shadow’ each of the members of the Cabinet. In this way the opposition can make sure that it looks at every part of the Government and can question them thoroughly. It also means that the Opposition has MPs ready to take on the job of the Cabinet if they win at the next General Election.

MPs without special positions in their parties sit behind their leaders at the back. They are called backbenchers.

The House of Commons Chamber is really quite small. Although there are 646 MPs, there are only seats for 427, so sometimes, when very important matters are being discussed, Members will be squeezed onto the benchers and some will sit on the steps. The benches and carpets are green – the colour traditionally associated with the House of Commons.

As there is not enough time for everything to be debated in the House of Commons Chamber, some debates take place in parallel in the Westminster Hall Chamber, located just off Westminster Hall. The House of Commons committees meet in smaller rooms upstairs in the Palace of Westminster or in Portcullis House which is a modern building next door to the Palace.

TASK 5. Translate the following terms into Russian:

• the Speaker

• the Prime Minister

• the Cabinet

• the Chancellor of the Exchequer

• the Foreign Secretary

• the Home Secretary

• the Opposition

• the Leader of the Opposition

• the Shadow Cabinet

• frontbenchers

• backbenchers

Speak on the role of these officers and bodies in the House of Commons.

TASK 6. Mark the statements TRUE or FALSE according to the information in the texts above. Where you have marked a statement as false, offer a correction.

1. The exclusive job Parliament does is to check that the Government is running the country properly.

2. The House of Commons is the non-elected part of the United Kingdom’s two-chamber Parliament.

3. The House of Commons consists of 646 Members known as MPs each of whom is elected by local residents to represent an area of the country in Parliament.

4. Parliament approves Acts of Parliament before they come into force as bills.

5. MPs debate important issues of the day such as public services, terrorism and relations with other countries.

6. MPs work either in their constituency or in the Houses of Parliament in London.

7. It is an MP’s job to represent the members of his/her political party in their constituency.

8. An MP will often be able to advise on how to address a particular issue and may write to the relevant authority or Minister.

9. MPs can raise local or personal issues in a variety of ways in the House of Commons; they can ask Government Ministers questions, speak about issues in the House and consider and propose new laws.

10. In the House of Commons Members of Parliament take their seats on the green leather benchers irrespective of their party and position.

11. The political party with the majority of MPs in the House of Commons is the Opposition, led by the Prime Minister.

12. The Opposition questions the Government about its actions and policies to check that the country is being properly managed, opposes new laws with which it disagrees and promotes its own policies as an alternative.

TASK 7. Read the text about the House of Lords and draw up a diagram illustrating the composition of the House of Lords. Be ready to comment on your drawing.

The House of Lords

The House of Lords is the non-elected chamber of the UK Parliament. It has existed as a separate chamber of Parliament since the 14^th century and is part of the oldest parliamentary democracy in the world.

The House of Lords consists of Lords Spiritual (senior bishops) and Lords Temporal (lay peers). The latter include Life Peers appointed for life by the Queen for various services to the nation (their children cannot inherit the peerage), Hereditary Peers who inherit their titles and Law Lords (senior judges).

The Life Peerages Act 1958 was a significant reform that affected the House of Lords. The Act allowed both men and, for the first time, women to sit and vote in the House of Lords for their lifetime only. The Life Peerages Act altered the composition of the House of Lords because it introduced more people from different professions. Before this Act the House of Lords had been made up exclusively of Hereditary Peers, who were usually men from a narrow section of the population.

The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the right of most of the 750 hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords: presently there are only 92 peers who sit by virtue of hereditary peerage. However hereditary peers keep their titles and will continue to pass them on to their heirs. The majority of members are now Life Peers and the Government has been consulting on proposals for further reform of the Lords. In May 2003 there were 689 peers in total.

The speakership of the House of Lords has traditionally been performed by the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor’s powers as Speaker are very limited compared with those of the Speaker of the House of Commons. Lord’s business is expected to be conducted in an orderly and polite fashion without the need for an active Speaker. The Lord Chancellor sits on a special seat called “the Woolsack”. He does not give the floor to members and has no powers to call the House to order. Before the reforms announced on the 12^th June 2003, the Lord Chancellor was simultaneously a Cabinet minister with departmental responsibilities, the Speaker of the House of Lords and the Head of the Judiciary in England and Wales. The Labour government intend to separate these powers and to abolish the office of Lord Chancellor.

Other office holders in the House of Lords include government ministers and whips, the Leader and Chief Whip of the main opposition party, and two Chairmen of Committees. The Leader of the House occupies a special position in the House of Lords: as well as leading the party in government he has a responsibility to the House as a whole. It is to him, and not the Lord Chancellor, that members have turned for advice and leadership on points of order and procedure. These office holders and officers, together with the Law Lords, receive salaries. All other members of the House of Lords are unpaid.

A major task of the House of Lords is to examine and pass legislation. In general, its functions are similar to those of the House of Commons. There are two important exceptions: members of the Lords do not represent constituencies, and are not involved in matters of taxation and finance. Although the House plays a key role in revising legislation sent from the Commons, it also initiates legislation, and so shares the burden of the legislation load.

Another important function is to act as a check on government by scrutinizing its activities. The House does this by asking questions, debating policy, and through its Select Committees, taking evidence from Ministers and others. The House still has an important judicial role as the highest Court of Appeal in the land.

Members of the House, collectively, have an enormous breadth of expertise and, individually, are characterized by independence of thought. They complement the work of the elected House of Commons, which reflects political and constituency interests and which, unlike the Lords, must spend a substantial amount of time on functional and public expenditure issues.

TASK 8. Translate the following terms into Russian:

• Lords Spiritual

• Lords Temporal / lay peers

• Life peers

• Hereditary Peers

• Law Lords

• Lord Chancellor

• the Head of the judiciary

• Chief Whip

TASK 9. Find in the text above the English equivalents for the following words and expressions:

1. должностное лицо

2. расходы

3. наследник

4. передавать титул по наследству

5. призывать к порядку

6. упразднить пост

7. предоставлять слово

8. занимать особую должность

9. по праву наследования (титула)

TASK 10. Study the following meanings of the word LEGISLATION:

1. The process of enacting a law in written form by a branch of government constituted to perform this process.

2. The law so enacted.

3. The whole body of enacted laws.

Match the English expressions with their Russian equivalents:

1) draft legislation	a) внести законопроект
2) proposed legislation	b) выступить с законодательной инициативой
3) to adopt / pass legislation	c) законопроект
4) to examine legislation	d) обнародовать законопроект
5) to frame legislation	e) пересматривать законопроект
6) to initiate legislation	f) предложенный законопроект
7) to introduce legislation	g) принять законодательство
8) to promulgate legislation	h) разрабатывать законопроект
9) to revise legislation	i) рассматривать законопроект

TASK 11. Speak on the following topics, using the vocabulary and the facts from the text and provide more information on the subject with the help of additional sources.

• The composition of the House of Lords

• The role and the functions of the Lord Chancellor

• The Lords’ role in law-making process

TASK 12. Comment on the role of each of the following officials in Parliamentary procedure. Use these titles to complete the text below:

Bishops; Hereditary Peers; Life Peers; the Queen; the Lord Chancellor; Crossbenchers; the Prime Minister

The Members of the House of Lords consist of Hereditary Peers, Life Peers and _________. The public does not elect Members of the Lords - ________ _________ inherit their titles and _______ _______ ________ are appointed by __________ on the advice of _________ _________ to serve for their life; the title is not transferable. Until 1999 the House included over 700 hereditary peers who had inherited their titles. The House of Lords Act 1999 ended their membership except for 92 of them.

The Lords use their specialist knowledge in examining legislation, questioning Government ministers – at question time and in debates – and in the work of committees. Members are not paid, receiving only reimbursement of expenses, but even so over half the members are present on an average sitting day.

The role of the House of Lords Speaker - ___________ _________ - is almost entirely ceremonial. In June 2003 the Government announced a proposal to abolish the Lord Chancellor’s role, and the House has appointed a committee to consider how its Speaker should be chosen in future.

Like in the House of Commons, most members of the House of Lords belong to political parties. But there are also well over 150 “__________” who belong to no political party. No party has a majority in the House of Lords and the Government has no control over the time of the House.

TASK 13. Render the following text into English:

Говоря о структуре верхней палаты Британского парламента – Палате Лордов, до недавнего времени можно было констатировать, что Палата состоит из потомственных аристократов и представителей Британского истеблишмента, которые получили свой титул (барона, виконта, графа, маркиза и даже герцога) из рук Ее Величества Королевы по согласованию с действующим правительством за особые заслуги перед нацией.

Сегодня, в отличие от Палаты Общин, члены верхней палаты парламента не избираются. Потомственные лорды (пэры) наследуют свой титул от целого поколения предков и передают его далее. Те же, кто получил пэрство по королевскому указу («пожизненные пэры»), правом передачи титула по наследству не обладают. Численность членов Палаты Лордов на протяжении времени менялась в пределах 650 – 1000 человек. Однако активное участие в работе Палаты принимают около 250 ее членов. На протяжении многих веков Верхнюю Палату возглавлял лорд Канцлер, также исполняя роль спикера.

В основе деятельности Палаты лордов – дебаты по законопроектам, принятым Палатой Общин. Процедура прохождения законопроектов аналогична той, которая используется и в нижней палате парламента. Лорды имеют право отложить на некоторое время тот или иной закон, однако правом вето они не обладают. Право законодательной инициативы Палаты Лордов весьма ограничено.

CREATIVE WRITING Using the information from the Unit, explain why the House of Commons is more important in the work of Parliament than the House of Lords.

UNIT 2. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM – A MASSIVE “SHAKE-UP”

Parliamentary Reform in Brief

Discussions on parliamentary reform started in the second half of the 19^th century and continue to this day. For many years there has been a debate on the following issues:

• should the House of Lords be reformed,

• should the Lord Chancellor be simultaneously a Cabinet minister, the Speaker of the House of Lords and the Head of the Judiciary in England and Wales,

• should there be any changes in the House of Commons.

It seems that at the turn of the 20^th-21^st centuries this debate has reached its climax, triggering drastic reforms in Parliament.

One of the most important reforms carried out by the present government concerns the unelected house of Lords. While the members of the House of Commons are elected, members of the House of Lords until November 1999 sat in Parliament because they had either received or inherited a title. The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the entitlement of most of the hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. In November 1999 the House of Commons agreed the Weatherhill Amendment, allowing only 92 hereditary peers to remain in a Transitional House of Lords until the next stage of reform is implemented.

The Parliamentary report A House for the Future was published in January 2000. Its many recommendations include the setting up of a new, mainly nominated, partly elected chamber of around 550 members.

There is one more aspect of the work of the House which the present government plans to reform. At present, the Law Lords act as the highest court in the land. Critics say it is very odd for the Law Lords to both help make the laws when legislation is passed and then independently judge how they are applied. Now the government wants that system to end and to be replaced by a separate supreme court.

The Lords reform proposals published at the end of 2001 suggested:

• getting rid of the last of the hereditary members of the House of Lords,

• separating the chamber completely from the peerage, which would remain purely as a formal honour,

• reshuffling of Lords membership.

Thus the main idea of the Lords reform is that hereditary memberships in the House should be abolished. Eventually, all voting members will be life peers. So, within a few years, members of the House of Lords will be people honoured for their service rather than those who have inherited titles. The job of the House of Lords will remain principally to consider and revise legislation, to scrutinize the executive and to debate and report on public issues.

The Labour government also intends to scrap some powers of the Lord Chancellor and ultimately to abolish his office.

The House of Commons is to undergo considerable changes as well. The Commons Modernisation Committee unveiled its latest plans for bringing Parliament into the 21t century. The Commons reform is aimed at boosting public confidence that Parliament is relevant to their lives. The proposals also include measures to help MPs to keep the government in check and to produce better laws. These are the plans to make government more accountable to Parliament. According to the Commons Modernisation Committee, they are not trying to make Parliament more ‘friendly’ for MPs, but rather voter-friendly.

Public confidence in democracy depends on whether the people respect parliament and believe it scrutinizes government effectively.

TASK 1. Find in the text above the English equivalents for the following key words and expressions:

1. право заседать и голосовать

2. кадровая перестановка в составе палаты лордов

3. одобрить поправку

4. укреплять доверие общества

5. проводить в жизнь реформы

6. наследовать титул

7. выносить независимое суждение

8. держать правительство под контролем

9. преобразовать палату лордов

10. представлять отчет по вопросам государственной важности

11. пересматривать, изменять законы

12. критически изучать деятельность исполнительной ветви власти

13. подвергнуться значительным изменениям

14. обнародовать планы

15. положить начало кардинальным реформам

TASK 2. Use the key expressions from the text to answer the questions:

1. What are the main issues of parliamentary reform in Britain?

2. Which document removed the entitlement of most of the hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords?

3. How many hereditary peers remain in the Transitional House of Lords?

4. What recommendations did the Parliamentary report A House for the Future contain?

5. What is the main controversy over the issue of Law Lords?

6. What reform proposals were published in 2001?

7. What is the main idea of the Lords reform?

8. How will the post of the Lord Chancellor be modified?

9. What changes will the House of Commons undergo?

TASK 3. Study the following newspaper article that reflects opposing views on the reforms in the House of Lords. Write down in English a list of arguments for and against the reforms.

Реформы палаты лордов: за и против

Британское правительство подтвердило свое желание реформировать палату лордов: часть членов палаты будет назначаться, а другая – избираться. По мнению правительства, на переход к новой системе может уйти до 10 лет.

Однако у новых планов появилось уже немало критиков. Противники предлагаемых реформ говорят, что проект, согласно которому большая часть членов палаты будет назначаться, говорит о желании правительства контролировать верхнюю палату британского парламента.

Правительственный проект предлагает выбирать оставшихся членов палаты лордов из кандидатов, не связанных ни с какими политическими партиями, причем выбор будут осуществлять специально назначенные члены независимой комиссии.

Новые члены палаты не будут получать титул пэра, как это было ранее. Таким образом, больше не будет существовать связи между местом в парламенте и получением титула. Планируется ввести обязательную квоту для женщин, членов палаты лордов, а также представить в ней различные регионы Великобритании и этнические меньшинства. Сторонники реформы утверждают, что изменения будут означать усиление роли палаты общин, в то время как у верхней палаты останется только право отложить принятие законов, а не накладывать на них вето.

Критики предложений правительства, среди которых есть и представители правящей лейбористской партии, считают, что реформы не вполне соответствуют требованиям демократии. Существует даже мнение, что предложения правительства отбрасывают палату лордов в 14 век. Лидер консерваторов в палате лордов назвал проект жалким и не отвечающим требованиям современности.

В целом, процесс превращения палаты лордов в подлинно представительный орган забуксовал – до сих пор идут споры, и характерно, что среди голосовавших против предложений правительства – четыре члена самого кабинета, 21 чиновник в ранге замминистра и 179 депутатов правящей партии.

Так что вопрос о реформировании палаты лордов остается открытым. Эта реформа – самая затянувшаяся из серии конституционных реформ, объявленных в свое время «новыми лейбористами».

TASK 4. Render the article into English:

«Народные» Лорды?

Кампания по изменению облика палаты лордов, одного из символов английских классовых традиций, натолкнулась на критику со стороны тех, кто считает, что игра не стоит свеч. Правительство хотело ввести в верхнюю палату парламента побольше выходцев из народа, чтобы добавить новых идей в работу высшего законодательного органа страны. Однако с самого начала возникли проблемы, когда специальная комиссия стала рассматривать кандидатуры трех тысяч человек, выдвинутые народом. Большинство из них – жители Лондона или преуспевающего юга Англии, все кандидаты – старше 60 лет, и все они – весьма состоятельные люди. Впрочем, то же самое можно сказать почти о всех других членах палаты лордов. После тщательного отбора специальная комиссия, которая утверждала, что не отдаст предпочтения ни одной политической партии, отобрала 15 кандидатов в лорды. Примечательно, что среди них не было ни одного парикмахера или водителя автобуса. В палату лордов попали менеджеры крупных компаний, бывший шеф лондонской полиции, ветеран британской дипломатии и несколько видных ученых. Лишь один из них моложе 50, а самому старшему – 74 года.

Однако в отличие от тех, кто уже давно заседает в верхней палате парламента, происхождение «народных» лордов все-таки иное. У них совершенно разное прошлое, но их объединяет то, что в своей карьере каждый из них добился немалых успехов.

Можно не сомневаться, что новоявленные пэры смогут оживить дебаты. Но это мало утешает тех, кто рассчитывал на появление так называемых «народных» лордов. «Просто смешно называть этих людей народными лордами; они могут быть кем угодно, только не пэрами, выбранными народом. Да, это одаренные люди, но они нисколько не представляют все слои британского общества», - говорит Гордон Прентис, депутат парламента от лейбористов.

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