Form 11
Hello, my dear pupils.
Today we are going to discuss the political system of Great
Britain and to do some interesting tasks connected with this topic.
First of all let’s remember the English proverb about policy
Honesty is
the best policy.
It will be our motto today. You will be honest and hard-working at
the lesson.
Answer my
questions
- What is the full name of Great
Britain?
- What kind of political system is in the United Kingdom?
- Who is the head of the state?
- Who is the present sovereign?
- When was she crowned?
- What is her residence?
- Laws are made by the queen, are not they?
- What does British Parliament consist of?
- What do you know about the House of Lords?
- What is the function of the House of Commons?
- Who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain?
Read and translate the text
Political System of Great Britain
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. It means that the sovereign
reigns but does not rule.
Britain does not have a written
constitution, but a set of laws.
Parliament is the most important
authority in Britain. Technically Parliament is made up of three parts: the
Monarch, the House of Lords; and the House of Commons. In reality the House of
Commons is the only one of the three which has true power.
The monarch serves formally as head of
state. But the monarch is expected to be politically neutral and should not
make political decisions.
The present sovereign is Queen Elizabeth
II. She was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1953.
The House of Commons consists of Members
of Parliament. There are 650 of them in the House of Commons. They are elected
by secret ballot. General elections are held every five years. The country is
divided into 650 constituencies. All citizens, aged 18 and registered in a
constituency, have the right to vote. But voting is not compulsory in Britain.
Only persons convicted of corrupt and certain mentally ill patients don't take
part in voting.
There are few political parties in
Britain thanks to the British electoral system. The main ones are: the
Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal/Social Democratic
Alliance.
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. His
first job is to choose his Cabinet consisting of the most important ministers
in the Government. The Prime Minister usually takes policy decisions with the
agreement of the Cabinet.
The functions of the House of Commons
are legislation and scrutiny of government activities.
The House of Commons is presided over by
the Speaker. The Speaker is appointed by the Government.
The House of Lords comprises about 1,200
peers. It is presided by the Lord Chancellor. The House of Lords has no real
power. It acts rather as an advisory council.
It's in the House of Commons that new
bills are introduced and debated. 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 a bill goes to the monarch to be signed. Only
then it becomes law.
Parliament is responsible for British
national policy. Local governments are responsible for organizing such services
as education, police and many others.
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Успіхів!
Міцного
здоров’я!
