Exercises

1. Read the text and entitle its parts. Choose the headings from the list

1________________________ 2________________________ 3________________________ 4________________________

A Returns B Voting Qualifications C Two –party system? D Types of election and their scheduling

2. Put up questions to these sentences : a)a general question

b) 2-3 special questions

1) The United Kingdom has five distinct types of elections.

2) General elections do not have fixed dates.

3) General elections must be called within five years of the opening of parliament following the last election.

4) Parliamentary sessions last a maximum of five years.

5) The next election is due on or before 3 June 2010.

6) Anyone who is a citizen of the UK legally resident in the UK, and who is over 18 is eligible to vote.

7) These citizens are not qualified to vote.

8) Voting is not compulsory.

9) The UK effectively has had a two party system.

10) Candidates aim to win particular geographic constituencies in the UK.

11) Each constituency elects one MP by the first past the post system of election.

12) The second largest party forms Her Majesty's Opposition.

3. Give definitions for the following:

mayoral elections

devolved assemblies

early elections

dissolution of Parliament

eligible to vote

electoral register

bankrupt

to be qualified to vote.

the Tories

the Whigs

constituency

4. Check yourself and fill in the gaps without looking into the text. See how much you have coped with.

1) After World War II, the dominant parties have been _________and __________. 2) _______________won 62 of the 646 seats in the House of Commons and some spectators started to regard the Westminster parliament as a ___________________. 3) Traditionally, the UK effectively has had a ______________________, arising from the use of ______________ ______________ for general and local elections. 4) Candidates aim to win particular ___________________in the UK. 5) The party with the most seats, i.e. the most MPs, usually_____________________. 6) Irish and Commonwealth citizens may __________________________in all elections. 7) Those who are currently imprisoned for a criminal offence are not____________________. 8) All voters should be on the ______________

___________9) Parliamentary _______________are ended with the _______________of Parliament. 10) General elections do not have ______________.

Reading For Vocabulary 4.12. Calls for a change of system

Before you read. Think over the following questions:

• Say some words about major changes that have recently taken place in the political life of your native country or the country your studies are connected with. What were the reasons for them? What have they resulted in?

Read the following text.

In the run-up to the next general election much will be debated about specific policies. But some groups and individuals believe that Britain’s entire system of government itself needs to be reformed, as it gives too much power to the government and not enough to the ordinary citizen.

Many of these groups want substantial changes of the system. One of the most influential groups calling for change, Charter 88, has called for a detailed number of reforms. These include a new system for electing MPs and selecting judges, more openness about the way in which government is run, and separate assemblies (or law-making bodies) for Scotland and Wales.

Charter 88 also wants a written constitution. A constitution consists of the laws, principles and rules which govern the way the country is run. It sets out the relationship between the law-makers (Parliament), the executive (the government, which executes the laws agreed in Parliament) and the judiciary (the judges and courts of law). All independent states have constitutions; most of these are written. States which do not have written constitutions include the UK, Israel and New Zealand.

Britain’s “unwritten constitution” has developed over centuries. An important stage in its development was the 1688 constitutional settlement agreed between King William of Orange (1650-1702) and Parliament. This laid the basis of a constitutional monarchy – the sharing of power between king and Parliament. Parliament was made sovereign: the supreme source of law of the country. This system has developed over the last three centuries according to events. The power of the monarchy has gradually diminished, whereas the power of Parliament has grown. In the 19^th century working-class people campaigned vigorously for the right to vote. Women over 30 won the right to vote in 1918.

The development of the party system within British politics has also made government more powerful. In the early 19^th century political parties were looser and individuals more likely to vote on non-party lines. The development of mass parties – such as the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties – led to greater party organisation and discipline. Any government with a strong majority in Parliament is almost certain of passing a law through the House of Commons. In recent years some reformers have argued that such power has allowed governments to introduce genuinely unpopular measures such as what has become known as poll tax.

Several factors have increased the pressure for reform in recent years. Pressure to allow Scotland and Wales to govern themselves – called devolution – grew from the early 1970s and has revived since 1987. Criticism of government secrecy has also grown. In 1984 Sarah Tisdall, a civil servant, was prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act and jailed for revealing details about the arrival of Cruise missiles at a Berkshire air base. In the same year Clive Ponting, a senior civil servant, was prosecuted for disclosing information about the sinking of an Argentinian ship, the General Belgrano, during the Falklands war.

In the last few years, local authorities have lost significant power to central government. In 1986 the Government abolished one tier of metropolitan government including the Greater London Council. Groups such as Charter 88 argue that local authorities need greater power if people are to be properly served.

Two of the three main political parties have supported some of these reforms. In July 1990, the Liberal Democrats published their own written constitution. It contained 79 articles, which included giving more power to local authorities, promoting a Freedom of Information Bill, and turning the House of Lords into an elected Senate. The party also wants a system of proportional representation, which more accurately reflects the popular vote in elections in the number of MPs a party has. The Labour Party has rejected a written constitution but it supports other reforms including a Freedom of Information Act and reform of the House of Lords.

Constitutional reformers believe that they are gaining public support. In a 1991 poll more than half of those questioned said they wanted some significant reforms. These include a Freedom of Information Act, a change in the voting system and fixed-term Parliaments. This would prevent governments from calling elections at a time to their advantage. The survey suggested that nearly three-quarters of the population supports a bill of rights; 77 per cent want a Freedom of Information Act.

But opponents of reform argue that Britain’s system works well as it is. In July this year, John Patten, Minister of State for Home Affairs, said that the Government would resist most calls for reform. He came out strongly against abolition of the House of Lords, a bill of rights and a written constitution. “Written constitutions are meaningless unless they exist within a country which has a political culture that renders them viable”, he said.