The state system of Great Britain

The state system of Great Britain - Государственный устрой Великобритании  

 

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy (1). The power of the Queen is limited by the Parliament. It means that the sovereign reigns (2) but does not rule. Britain does not have a written constitution, but a set of laws (3). Parliament is the most important authority in. Britain. It comprises (4) the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarch in her constitutional role. In reality the House of Commons is the only one of the three, which has true power. 
   The Monarch serves formally (5) as head of state. But the Monarch is expected to be politically neutral (6) and should not make political decisions. The present sovereign of Great Britain is Queen Elizabeth II (the second). She was crowned (7) in Westminster Abbey in 1953. 
   The House of Commons has 650 elected Members of Parliament (MPs), each representing a local constituency (8). 
   They are elected by secret ballot. General elections are held every five years. The country is divided into 650 constituencies. All citizens aged 18 have the right to vote (9), but voting is not compulsory in Britain. The candidate polling the largest number (10) of votes in a constituency is elected. The functions of the House of Commons are legislation and scrutiny (11) of government activities. The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker. The Government appoints the Speaker. 
   The House of Lords comprises about 1,200 peers (12). It is presided over by the Lord Chancellor. The House of Lords is made up of hereditary (13) and life peers and peeresses and the two archbishops (14) and 24 most senior bishops of the established Church of England. The House of Lords has no real power. It acts rather as an advisory council (15). 
   There are few political parties in Great Britain thanks to the British electoral system. They are the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democratic Alliance (16). Each political party puts up one candidate for each constituency. The one who wins the most votes is elected MP for that area. The party which wins the most seats in Parliament forms the Government. Its leader becomes the Prime Minister. As head of the Government the Prime Minister appoints ministers, of whom about 20 are in the Cabinet — the senior group which takes major policy decisions (17). Ministers are collectively responsible (18) for government decisions and individually responsible for their own departments. 
   The second largest party forms the official Opposition, with its own leader and 'shadow cabinet' (19). The Opposition has a duty to criticise government policies and to present an alternative programme (20). 
   The new bills are introduced and debated in the House of Commons. If the majority of the members are in favour of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated. The House of Lords has the right to reject a new bill twice. But after two rejections they are obliged to accept it. And finally the bill goes to the Monarch to be signed. Only then it becomes a law. 
   Parliament is responsible for British national policy. Much legislation applies through out Britain. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own legal systems with differences in law and practice. 
 
 

 

 

 

Великобритания - парламентская монархия. Власть королевы ограничивается парламентом, что означает, что монарх царит, и  не руководит. Британия не имеет собственной  конституции, а лишь свод законов. Парламенту предоставлена самая большая  власть. В его состав входят: Палата общин, Палата лордов и монарх, в своей конституционной роли. На самом деле весомую силу имеет лишь Палата общин. 
   Монарх выполняет функцию главы государства формально. Он должен занимать нейтральную политическую позицию и не принимать политических решений. Сегодняшним монархом является Королева Елизавета, что была коронована в Вестминстерском Аббатстве в 1953 году. 
   В состав Палаты общин входит 650 членов парламента, представляющих местные избирательные округа. 
   Они избираются тайным голосованием. Всеобщие выборы проводятся каждые 5 лет в 650-ти избирательных округах, на которые поделена вся страна. Все граждане в возрасте от 18-ти лет имеют право голосовать, хотя это и не обязательно. Избранным считается тот кандидат, набравший наибольшее количество голосов. Функцией Палаты общин является законодательство и внимательное изучение правительственных дел. Палату общин возглавляет председатель, назначаемый правительством. 
   Палата лордов состоит из 1200 пэров. Председательствует здесь лорд-канцлер. Сюда входят наследственные и еще живые пери, два архиепископы и 24 старейших за саном епископы, которые избираются на Английском церковью. На самом деле Палата лордов не владеет полной силой влияния на политику. Она работает в большей мере как консультационный совет. 
   Благодаря британской выборной системе в Великобритании есть такие политические партии: Консервативная, Лейбористская партии и Либерально-демократический союз. Каждая политическая партия предлагает своего кандидата в каждом избирательном округе. Тот, кто наберет больше всего голосов, станет членом парламента от этого округа. Партия, которая набирает больше мест в парламенте, формирует правительство. Ее лидер становится премьер-министром. Как председатель правительства премьер-министр назначает министров, 20 из которых входят в Кабинет министров, который принимает важнейшие политические решения. Министры является коллективно ответственными за решение правительства и индивидуально ответственными за работу в своих министерствах. 
   Вторая крупнейшая партия формирует оппозицию с собственным лидером и "теневым кабинетом". Ее обязанностью является критика правительственной политики и внесение альтернативной программы. 
   Новые законы представляются на рассмотрение в Палату общин и обсуждаются здесь. Если большинство членов пришли к единому мнению относительно данного закона, то он передается в палату лордов для дальнейшего обсуждения. Палата лордов имеет право отменить новый закон дважды и уже после второго отклонения обязана принять его. Наконец закон попадает в руки монарха на подпись. Только теперь можно считать его законом в полной мере.  
   Парламент отвечает за британское национальное Законодательство, которое распространяется на территорию всей Британии. Правда, Англия и Валия, Шотландия и Северная Ирландия имеют собственные законодательные системы с разногласиями в законах и в их практическом применении. 

Vocabulary 
1. monarchy ['mɔnəkɪ] - монархия 
2. sovereign reigns - монарх царит 
3. set of laws - свод законов 
4. comprise [kəm'praɪz] - содержать в себе 
5. serves formally -В формально выступает 
6. neutral ['njuːtr(ə)l] - нейтральный 
7. to be crowned - быть коронованным 
8. a local constituency [kən'stɪtjuən(t)sɪ] - местный избирательный округ 
9. vote - голосовать 
10. polling the largest number - тот, который получил наибольшее количество голосов 
11. scrutiny - внимательное изучение 
12. peer - пэр (почетный титул в Великобритании) 
13. hereditary - потомственный 
14. archbishop - архиепископ 
15. it acts rather as an advisory council - действует более как консультативный совет 
16. alliance - союз 
17. to take decisions - принимать решения 
18. to be (responsible for) - быть ответственным (по) 
19. 'shadow cabinet - "теневой кабинет" 
20. to present an alternative programme - вносить альтернативную программу  

 

What are the Duties of the British Monarch?

 

The British monarchy is one of the older established monarchies in the world, and although it has changed quite a bit in the intervening centuries, the British monarch is still one of the most recognizable world figures. As of 2013, Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State in Great Britain, and the country’s face. She has the authority over the courts, is commander-in-chief of the armed forces and is the head of the Church of England. As a result, Queen Elizabeth appoints ministers, judges, diplomats, bishops, governors and some officers in the armed forces. She is head of the executive branch of government in Great Britain and must officially assent to a Bill from Parliament in order for it to become a law.

King John found his royal powers and prerogatives hobbled in 1215, with the signing of the Magna Carta. The British had never been particularly fond of absolute monarchy, and the lords and nobles of the realm had, quite simply, had all they could take from the British monarch and his decrees. Royal power and royal duties changed and declined over the centuries.

The result today is that, while Queen Elizabeth is sovereign over her nation, the British Parliament holds the real power. The queen can suggest or advise, but the days of her telling Parliament what it will and will not pass are long over. She does open the session of Parliament every year, however, and makes a speech setting forth her government’s objectives for the coming year.

One of the most obvious duties of the British monarch is walkabout. This is the name for the tours, openings, and appearances Queen Elizabeth makes all over her country, and anywhere she visits. The queen often shakes hands with her subjects, accepts bouquets and gifts, and generally presents a public, charitable face, whereby her subjects can see her. Walkabout has greatly increased the popularity of the monarch.

Queen Elizabeth also visits other heads of state and/or government, and is her country’s “public relations” person. Her visits help set the tone for relations between governments. She attends state dinners in her own and other countries, and Buckingham Palace is the site of most state functions.

The British monarch is more of a figurehead these days, but he or she can help nudge the country in various directions and is, therefore, still a major player in Government.

The House of Lords

The House of Lords is made up of people who have inherited family titles and those who have been given titles because of their outstanding work in one field or another. There are 675 members of the Lords.

The main job of the House of Lords is to 'double check' new laws to make sure they are fair and will work.

The House of Commons

The House of Commons has 659 members who have been elected by local residents to represent an area of the country in Parliament. The members are called MPs (Members of Parliament). Each MP represents one of 659 constituencies (areas) in the UK and is a member of a political party, such as New Labour or the Conservative party.

The Commons is the most important place for discussing policies and making laws.

Who is the British Prime Minister?

At present, the Prime Minister is David Cameron, who is the leader of the Conservative Party and Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats is his deputy.

Every week the Prime Minister appears before the House of Commons and must answer questions put to him or her by the members of Parliament.

Responsibilities

The Prime Minister is head of the UK government and is ultimately responsible for the policy and decisions of the government.

As head of the UK government the Prime Minister also:

• oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies
• appoints members of the government
• is the principal government figure in the House of Commons

Administrative Duties

The Speaker is also the head of the House of Commons Administration and is responsible for its overall direction and management.  The Parliament of Canada Act provides that all matters of administrative and financial policy affecting the House are overseen by the Board of Internal Economy, composed of Members and chaired by the Speaker.  The Board approves the House's annual spending estimates which the Speaker then submits to Treasury Board for tabling with the Government's departmental Estimates.  Board of Internal Economy decisions are implemented in the Speaker's name by the Clerk, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of House staff. 

The Speaker's administrative duties also involve the tabling of certain documents and reports, including those of the Board of Internal Economy, by-laws stemming from the provisions of the Parliament of Canada Act and documents submitted by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Auditor General, the Chief Electoral Officer, the Commissioner of Official Languages, the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner.

The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and colloquially referred to as the Tory Party or the Tories, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that espouses the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. As of 2013 it is the largest political party in the United Kingdom, being the largest single party in the House of Commons with 303 MPs, the largest party in local government with 8,628 councillors, and the largest British party in the European Parliament with 25 MEPs. It governs in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, with David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party, as Prime Minister.

The Conservative Party was founded in 1834, and was one of two dominant parties in the 19th century, along with the Liberal Party. It changed its name to the Conservative and Unionist Party in 1912 after merging with the Liberal Unionist Party, although that name is rarely used and it is generally referred to as simply the Conservative Party.

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, and one of the two main British political parties along with the Conservative Party. It has been described as a broad church, containing a diversity of ideological trends from strongly socialist, to more moderately social democratic.^[2] Founded in 1900, the Labour Party overtook the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s and formed minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929–1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after which it formed a majority government under Clement Attlee. Labour was also in government from 1964 to 1970 under Harold Wilson and from 1974 to 1979, first under Wilson and then James Callaghan.

The Labour Party was last in national government between 1997 and 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, beginning with a landslide majority of 179, reduced to 167 in 2001 and 66 in 2005. Having won 258 seats in the 2010 general election, the party currently forms the Official Opposition in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Labour has a minority government in the Welsh Assembly, is the main opposition party in the Scottish Parliament and has 13 MEPs in the European Parliament, sitting in the Socialists and Democrats group. The Labour Party is a full member of the Party of European Socialists and Progressive Alliance, and continues to hold observer status in the Socialist International. The current leader of the party is Ed Miliband MP. 

General Elections

A UK Parliament has a maximum duration of five years. At the end of the five year or before, a general election must take place so new members of parliament can be elected by the people.

What is a General Election?

The election of all Members of Parliament (MPs) for each constituency (local area) is called a General Election. In the UK we vote for the best candidate in our local area to represent us in the House of Commons.

The UK system is not like the US system where you vote for the President/Vice-President, then your local representatives separately.  In the UK, the winning candidate becomes MP and takes a seat in the House of Commons.  The party with the majority of seats in the Commons gets to form the government.  That party’s leader becomes Prime Minister.

In the UK we have the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We can only vote for a MP to represent us in the House of Commons. The Lords are appointed or inherited.

How often do General Elections take place?

General elections have to take place at least every five years and are called by the Prime Minister (the leader of the Government).

Who can become a MP?

People are nominated as candidates to become MPs. Any one over the age of 21 can be a candidate.