Task 2. Complete the diagram showing the progress of a Bill through Parliament (assuming it starts in the House of Commons).

 

………………………………	………………………………	crown
……………………………. formal no debate   ……………………………. general debate on the policy of the Bill     ……………………………. one of the following: standing committee (normal practice) select committee (rare) committee of the whole House (for constitutional Bills)   …………………………… amendments are reported then confirmed or revised     ……………………………. the amended Bill is briefly debated       consideration of Lords’amendments	1 ST READING 2 ND READING COMMITTEE STAGE 3 RD READING	1 Money Bills do not require adoption by the House of Lords. 2 If the Bill has been altered by the Lords it returns to the Commons for Reconsideration in its amended form. However, the Lords can only delay a Bill and cannot stop it from becoming law (see The Parliament Act).     …………………………..

Task 3. On the basis of the material above present the law-making process in the Russian Federation. Describe the procedure of passing the law in Russia. Make up a diagram reflecting the law-making machine

 

Task 4. Read and translate the text into Russian in writing

The Queen’s Role in the Modern State

The Queen is a constitutional monarch: in other words, she is bound by rules and conventions and cannot rule in an arbitrary way.

Limits began to be placed on the powers of the monarch as far back as 1215 when the barons forced King John to recognise in Magna Carta that they had certain rights. The constitutional monarchy we know today developed in the 18th and 19th centuries as day-to-day power came to be exercised by Ministers in Cabinet, deriving their authority from a steadily widening electorate.

The essence of the monarchy today is that the Queen is politically impartial. On almost all matters she acts on the advice of the government of the day. The tasks of making laws, administering justice, and governing and defending the country are carried out by others in The Queen's name. The Monarch thus symbolises the permanence and stability of the nation, which transcends the ebb and flow of party politics.

Queen in Parliament

This is the formal title of the British legislature, which consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Commons, a majority of whom normally support the government of the day, has the dominant political power.

As constitutional monarch, the Sovereign is required, on the advice of Ministers, to assent to all Bills. The Royal Assent (that is, consenting to a measure becoming law) has not been refused since 1707. The role of the Sovereign in the enactment of legislation is today purely formal, although The Queen has the right to be consulted, to encourage and to warn.

The Queen in Parliament is most clearly demonstrated in the State Opening of Parliament, when The Queen opens Parliament in person, and addresses both Houses in The Queen's Speech. This speech, drafted by the Government and not by The Queen, outlines the Government's policy for the coming session of Parliament and indicates forthcoming legislation. Each session therefore, begins with The Queen's Speech, and the Houses cannot start their public business until the Speech has been read.

Queen and Prime Minister

The Queen retains certain residual powers, notably to appoint a Prime Minister, and to decide whether or not to grant a dissolution of Parliament. The Prime Minister is normally the leader of the party which has a majority in Parliament, but there still could be exceptional circumstances when The Queen might need to exercise the discretion she still retains to ensure that her Government is carried on.

These days, however, The Queen's influence is mainly informal. She has a right and a duty to express her views on government matters to the Prime Minister at their weekly audiences, but these meetings - and all communications between the Monarch and her Government - remain strictly confidential. Having expressed her views, The Queen abides by the advice of her Ministers.

Queen and Privy Council

The Privy Council is the oldest form of legislative assembly still functioning; its origins date from the Norman Kings' Court, which met in private. Until the 17th century, the king and his Council were the Government, with Parliament's role limited to voting funds. Today, the Privy Council has limited, formal executive functions which retain some significance.

On the advice of the Privy Council, The Queen formally approves a large number of Orders in Council (which, by Acts of Parliament, enact subordinate legislation ranging from constitutions of dependent territories to international pollution). The Queen also approves Proclamations (formal notices which cover areas such as the dissolution of Parliament, coinage and dates of certain Bank Holidays). The Privy Council also has certain judicial functions.

There are 400 Privy Councillors, consisting of all members of the Cabinet, a number of middle-ranking government ministers, leaders of the opposition parties in both Houses of Parliament, senior judges and some appointments from the Commonwealth.

Queen and the law/judiciary Sovereign as 'Fount of Justice'

The rendering of justice is one of the oldest of royal functions. From late Anglo-Saxon times, the concept of the Sovereign as the 'Fount of Justice' grew in importance as it helped to ensure that a single system of justice prevailed over competing local, civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions. [...]

This accumulated legislative power placed responsibilities on the king as a dispenser of justice to ensure order and punish crime. From William the Conqueror (reigned 1066-87) onwards, royal justice was more effectively enforced by the king's appointment of local sheriffs, travelling justices and other officials to administer justice in the Sovereign's name throughout the kingdom. A chronicler of 1179 wrote of Henry II (reigned 1154-89): 'he appointed wise men from his kingdom and later sent them through the regions of the kingdom assigned to them to execute justice among the people... This he did in order that the coming of public officials of authority throughout his shires might strike terror into the hearts of wrongdoers.'

The royal courts were therefore at the centre of the administration of justice in both civil and criminal cases, and Sovereigns themselves took an active part in their own courts, with the king sometimes presiding over the proceedings. By the fifteenth century, the central courts had settled at Westminster, and the Courts of Justice remained housed at Westminster Hall (built in 1097 and renovated in 1394) until 1882.

However, there were limits to royal enforcement of justice or 'the king's peace'. These limits included the geographical distance of the more remote shires (particularly on the troubled borders of the Welsh Marches and Scotland), the independent jurisdiction of 'palatine counties' (where royal powers were granted in franchise to an individual), ecclesiastical jurisdictions and, above all, the Sovereign's reliance on local barons and gentry to uphold the law in the regions - which was liable to break down in times of civil war.

Moreover, as Parliament's legislative role grew and day-to-day power came to be exercised by Ministers in Cabinet, so the Sovereign's role in actually administering justice declined. The Bill of Rights (1689) [...] confirmed the fundamental constitutional principle that the Sovereign no longer had any right to administer justice. The Sovereign's responsibilities regarding the judiciary also waned - under the Act of Settlement (1701), judges were to hold office during good behaviour rather than by the Sovereign's will. (Judges can be removed by the Sovereign on the advice of Ministers, either following an address presented by both Houses of Parliament or without an address in cases of official misconduct or conviction of a serious offence.) The Act therefore established judicial independence. [...]

 

Task 5. Draw the mind map of the text

Mindmapping (составление ментальных карт или карт памяти) – это удобная и эффективная техника визуализации мышления при помощи графических схем. Автором методики является психолог Тони Бьюзен. Она отражает все стороны мыслительного процесса и позволяет выделить все главные аспекты проблемы, пробелы в понимании вопроса, ассоциативные связи.

Лист бумаги предпочтительно располагать горизонтально, что позволит расширять и модернизировать рисунок-конспект. В центре листа располагается образ всей проблемы/задачи/области знания. От него разноцветными линиями расходятся «ветки» - различные аспекты этого предмета. На каждой ветке располагаются по 3-4 слова – ассоциации с каждым аспектом, также связанные между собой ветками разных цветов.

Основные ветви далее разделяются на более тонкие. Все ветви подписываются ключевыми словами, заставляющими вспомнить то или иное понятие. Связи между отдельными идеями показываются стрелками.

Соблюдайте следующие рекомендации:

• Используйте печатные буквы.
• Размещайте ключевые слова над соответствующими линиями.
• Следите за тем, чтобы длина линии примерно равнялась длине соответствующего ключевого слова.
• Соединяйте линии с другими линиями и следите за тем, чтобы главные ветви карты соединялись с центральным образом.
• Делайте главные линии плавными и более жирными.
• Отграничивайте блоки важной информации с помощью линий.

 

Task 6. On the basis of the material above present the structured powers and responsibilities of the Russian president in writing

For the next session (Master’s Programme)