Text 2 the state system of the united kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the few developed countries of the world where a constitutional monarchy has survived with its ages-old customs, traditions and ceremonies. The British Constitution, unlike that of most other countries, is not complied in any single document.

The United Kingdom is governed by Her Majesty’s Government in the name of the Queen. Although the Queen is deprived of actual power, she has retained many important, though formal, functions. These include summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament; giving royal assent to the bills passed by the Parliament; appointing very important office holders, including ministers, judges, diplomats, bishops. She appoints the Prime Minister (usually the leader of the political party which commands a majority in the House of Commons) to form a government of State.

Under the British Constitution the Government functions through the following bodies:

• the Legislature which makes laws;

• the Executive which puts laws into effect and plans policy;

• the Judiciary which decides on cases that arise out of law.

The legislative branch is Parliament where laws are passed. The Parliament consists of two chambers: House of Lords and House of Commons. The MPs (the members of the House of Commons) are elected for a five year term at General Elections by a majority electoral system.

The executive branch which plans prospective laws and formulates policy is the cabinet of the Government. The Prime Minister is an active member of the legislative yet he is also the leading member of the executive.

The judiciary is independent, its adjudications are not the subject of ministers’ direction or control. The Courts of the United Kingdom are the Queen’s Courts, since the Crown is the historical source of all judicial power.

(British Studies. D. Kozikis, G. Medvedev, N. Demchenko Минск. Лексис2004)

Text 3 the usa political system

The United States is an indirect democracy – that is, the people rule through representatives they elect.

The United States has a federalist system. This means that there are individual states, each with its own government, and there is a federal, or national, government. The Constitution gives certain powers to the federal government, others to the state governments, and yet other powers to both.

Within the national government, power is divided among three branches: the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

The legislative branch consists of Congress, which has two parts – the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress’s main function is to make laws. There are 100 senators (two from each state) and 435 representatives (the number from each state depends on the size of the state’s population).

The President is the head of the executive branch and the country. The executive branch administers the law. In addition to the President, the Vice-President, and their staffs, the executive branch consists of departments and agencies. There are now 14 departments, each with different responsibilities. The President appoints the department heads known as Secretaries, who together make up the President’s Cabinet.

The judicial branch interprets the laws and makes sure that new laws are in keeping with the Constitution. There are several levels of federal courts. The Supreme Court is the most important. It has nine members, who are appointed for life.

(Spotlight on the USA. Randee Falk. Oxford University Press. 1993)

Task 2. Read the list of different functions of the branches of power.

1. Sort out the functions into four categories as belonging to the

• head of state

• legislative branch

• executive branch

• judicial branch

1. introduce a bill	8. determines if a law violates the Constitution
2. is an integral part of the legislature	9. elaborates the basic guidelines of the domestic and foreign policy
3. approves laws	10. is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces
4. implements laws	11. adopts laws
5. watches the laws observe	12. levies taxes
6. gives consent for the appointment of the top officials	13. appoints top officials
7. is the head of the executive branch	14. has the right of veto

b) Go back to the texts 1, 2, 3 and see if you can find any other function to add to the list.

SPEAKING

Task 1. You went to a summer language school. You took part on the discussion about the effectiveness of different political structures. Act on behalf of the Belarusian / Britain / American part. Describe the political system of the country you represent.

Task 2. Work in pairs. Compare the state structures of the Republic of Belarus, The UK and the USA according to the following outline:

• the type of the statehood;

• the head of the state and his / her powers;

• the organization and main functions of the main branches of power;

  • legislative

  • executive

  • judicial

LISTENING 2

THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBY GROUPS

Have you heard such term as ‘lobby ’? Do you know what it means?

Task 1 You will hear a discussion about the idea of lobbying and its role in modern democratic societies.

a) Listen to the recording, but first listen to the words and phrases that are used in the text:

• supranational – наднациональный

• since the dawn of time – вечно; извечно

• to preserve the status quo – поддерживать статус-кво

• an ancestor – прародитель; предок

• infinitely wise – умудренный; благоразумный

• love them or loathe them – любить или ненавидеть

• a key player – ключевой игрок

• an adviser – советник; консультант

2. Choose the most appropriate answer according to what you will hear.

1. How important are lobby groups?

1. They are important only to politicians.

2. They are relatively important.

3. They attract the attention of a lot of people.

2. In an ideal world…

1. politicians wouldn’t need advice.

2. lobby groups would have joint charge of the country.

3. wouldn’t need politicians.

3. Individuals in a modern society…

1. would like to be left alone.

2. like to see society changing for the better.

3. wish to live as their parents did.

4. The author’s view…

1. seems rather in favour of the lobby groups.

2. is balanced.

3. is generally against the lobby groups.

5. Which sentence best describes the author’s views?

1. Lobby groups are clearly either good for society or bad.

2. The influence of lobby groups is not as transparent as it’s sometimes suggested.

3. Lobby groups act for the benefit of the majority of society.

READING 2

Read the text below.

Task 1. Find the answers to the following questions;

1. What is the dictionary definition of the term ‘democracy’?

2. What is the difference between the direct and representative democracies?

3. Why are the ideas of democracy and freedom used interchangeably?

4. What does each group of freedom (political, social, economic) implement?