A Short Guide to the British Political System

Monarchy

The United Kingdom is a unitary democracy governed within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state. However, the monarch has very few formal powers; his or her powers are largely ceremonial. The monarch reigns but doesn’t rule, the British say. The monarch is determined on the hereditary principle which means that the eldest male child of a monarch is the next in line to the throne. However, Roman Catholics or those who marry Roman Catholics are not in the line.

Separation of Power

In classical political theory, the constitution divides the state power into three branches: the legislature (Parliament), the executive (Government) and the judiciary. However separation of powers is not as distinct as in the American model where the Constitution strictly separates the powers of these three branches and no individual can be a member of more than one. So, for example, the President is not and cannot be a member of the Congress.

This is not the case in the UK where members of the executive are also members of the legislature; some senior judges sit in the upper House of Parliament.

The UK Parliament

The British Parliament – like most in the world – is bicameral. It is often called ‘Westminster’ because it is housed in the Palace of Westminster.The duration of a Parliament may not exceed five years. The time of elections is most often determined by the Government which must also formally request the Crown to dissolve Parliament.

The House of Commons is the lower chamber but the one with the most authority. It is chaired by the Speaker and currently comprises 650 Members of Parliament or MPs.

The House of Lords, headed by the Lord Chancellor, is the upper chamber but the one with less authority. In fact, it cannot block the will of the House of Commons. Its main role is to revise legislation and keep a check on government. The number of members in the House of Lords is not fixed, but currently there are around 830 members.

Historically most members of the House of Lords have been so called hereditary peers whose right to sit in the House is passed through the family from generation to generation. However, the last Labour Government limited the number of hereditary peers who sit in the House to 92.

Almost all the other members of today's House of Lords are life peers chosen by the Queen, on the advice of the Government, to sit in the House for life without passing this right to their family members. Many of the life peers are former senior politicians or very distinguished figures in fields such as education, health and social policy.

A small number of other members – 26 – are Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England.

The House of Lords is unusual in the democratic world being an unelected chamber. The Parliament Act of 1911 first raised the prospect of an elected upper house but it has still not happened. House of Lords reform is unfinished business.

The UK Government

The UK Government is headed by the Prime Minister. In theory, the Prime Minister simply appoints the ministers who head Government departments and chairs the Cabinet. In practice, however, the Prime Minister is a very powerful and important figure in the British political system and increasingly has been behaving much like a president in other political systems, especially in the area of foreign policy. There are no term limits for Prime Ministers, if he or she is periodically re-elected. Although in practice this doesn’t happen.

A government by law can last no longer than five years, but the election may be called at any time inside that period. The date of the general election is entirely the choice of the sitting Prime Minister, who will naturally choose a date when his party is ahead in the opinion polls. At the end of five years there has to be an election, whether the PM wants it or not.

Many UK Government Departments are similar to those in other countries. The most important political departments are the Treasury, Home Office and Foreign Office. When talking about the British Government, the media will often use the term ‘Whitehall’ because a number of Government Departments are located along a central London Street called Whitehall.

All Government Departments are run by Ministers who are either Members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. There are three classes of Ministers: Secretary of State – usually the head of a Department; Minister of State – a middle-ranking minister; and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State – the most junior class of ministers.

The Prime Minister and all the Secretaries of State together form an executive body of government called the Cabinet. Although all Ministers are appointed by the Prime Minster and report to him, ultimately they are accountable to Parliament. About once a month, they have to answer questions in the House of Commons about the work of the Department.

The UKjudiciary

The British judicial branch is extremely complex because of three separate legal systems: one for England and Wales, one for Scotland, and one for Northern Ireland. Although they are bound by similar principles, these systems differ in form and the manner of operation.

Currently a process of judicial reform is in operation.

The Lord Chancellor's office – which for 1,400 years administered the court system – has now been replaced by the Ministry for Justice.

The Appellate Committee of the House of Lords – previously the highest court of appeal in the land – was replaced by the Supreme Court in October 2009 to make the judiciary independent of the Government.

In 1951 the UK signed the European Convention on Human Rights (part of the Council of Europe) and since 1966 it has given its citizens the right to petition the government actions to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The provisions of the European Convention were incorporated in the UK domestic law in 2000, so that citizens can now apply to domestic courts to have the provisions enforced.

1.2 Find information in the text to fill in the blanks in the following table.

	US	UK
Constitution	written
Type of State	federal
System of Government	republic
Separation of Powers	distinct
Legislature	Congress
Chambers	Upper – elected Senate; 100; special powers Lower – elected House of Representatives; 435;
Executive	Administration
Head of State	President
Head of Government	President
Heads of Departments	Secretaries

 

LEARNING THE WORDS.

2.1 Learn the following verbs from the text.

1to govern 2 to reign 3to exceed 4to determine 5to request 6to dissolve 7to chair 8 to comprise 9to revise 10 to keep a check on sb/sth 11to report to sb 12 to bind sb to sth 13 to administer 14to petition 15 to incorporate 16to apply (to courts) 17to enforce

- управлять, править - править, царствовать - превышать, превосходить - определять - запрашивать - распускать - возглавлять, председательствовать - включать, состоять из - пересматривать - контролировать, проверять - отчитываться, подчиняться - обязывать - управлять - обращаться с петицией - включать(в состав), присоединять - обращаться (в суд) - проводить в жизнь, придавать законную силу (правовому акту); осуществлять, приводить в исполнение

2.2 Now translate the following word combinations from the text where the verbs from the table are used. Use a dictionary if necessary.

A unitary democracy governed within the framework of a constitutional monarchy; the duration of a Parliament may not exceed five years; the time of elections is most often determined by the Government which must also formally request the Crown to dissolve Parliament; it (the House of Commons ) is chaired by the Speaker and currently comprises 650 Members of Parliament; to revise legislation and keep a check on government; all Ministers are appointed by the Prime Minster and report to him; they are bound by similar principles; which for 1,400 years administered the court system; to petition the government actions; the provisions of the European Convention were incorporated in UK domestic law; citizens can now apply to domestic courts to have the provisions enforced.

 

2.3 Fill in the synonyms from the list. Suggest the Russian.

To separate (to share); power; the court system; to head (to preside); to sue; the crown; systems of law; to rule; definite (clear); to continue; totally; length (continuance); to be composed of (to consist of);

the monarch = to govern = to divide = duration = distinct =

to chair = authority = to comprise = entirely =

to last = legal systems = the judiciary = to apply to a court =

2.4 Match the following words and word-combinations from the text to their definitions.

1currently 2legislation 3former 4senior 5junior 6 to be accountable to sb 7 media 8 provision 9 government

a) mass communications (radio, television, the press) b) today, at the present time c) body of persons who govern a country d) law proposed or made by the legislature e) lower in rank, age, etc. f) condition in a legal document g) higher in rank, age, etc. h) to report to sb i) of the earlier period

2.5 Match the following word-combinations from the text to their Russian equivalents.

1ceremonial powers 2 the duration of a Parliament 3 hereditary peers 4 life peers 5 when his party is ahead in the opinion polls 6no term limits

a) когда его партия опережает в опросах общественного мнения b) торжественные полномочия c) наследственные пэры d) пожизненные пэры e) срок действия парламента f) нет ограничений срока

2.6 Use a dictionary to translate the following titles and names of institutions into Russian.

Secretary of State; Minister of State; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State; Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England; Treasury Department; Home Office; Foreign Office; the Lord Chancellor's office; Ministry for Justice; the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords; the Supreme Court; the European Convention on Human Rights; Council of Europe.

2.7 Match the parts to form the word-combinations from the text.

1 unitary 2constitutional 3head 4 hereditary 5 separation of 6 to dissolve 7 to revise 8 to keep a check on 9term 10 general 11 opinion 12 legal 13judicial 14the provisions of 15 domestic

a) laws b) legislation c) polls d) election e) Parliament f) of state g) democracy h) reform i) systems j) limits k) powers l)the European Convention m)monarchy n)government o)peers

 

READING FOR DETAIL.

3.1 Read the text carefully to answer the following questions.

1) What system of government does the United Kingdom have?

2) How is the state power divided in the UK?

3) What is the name and duration of the UK legislature?

4) What are the two Houses of the British Parliament (membership, presiding officers, authority)?

5) How are seats in the House of Lords distributed between three groups of members?

6) Why is the House of Lords unusual in the democratic world?

7) Who heads the UK government?

8) What are the functions, authority and term of office of the PM?

9) How long does a government last?

10) What Government Departments are there within the UK executive?

11) Who forms the British Cabinet?

12) Why is the British judicial branch extremely complex?

13) What measures have been taken to reform the judiciary?

SPEAKING.

4.1 Explain the following.

1) What does it mean that the monarch reigns but doesn’t rule?

2) What does hereditary principle mean?

3) How does the principle of separation of powers in the UK differ from that in the US?

4) Why is the British Parliament often called ‘Westminster’ and the government referred to as ‘Whitehall’?

5) What is the difference between hereditary peers and life peers?

6) Why is the British judiciary extremely complex?

 

4.2 Without looking at the text add information to the following statements.

1) The United Kingdom is a unitary … governed within the framework of a constitutional …, in which the Monarch is the …

2) The constitution divides the state power into three branches: …

3) The British Parliament is a bicameral legislature which consists of …

4) The duration of a Parliament may not exceed …

5) The House of Commons is the lower … with the most …

6) It is chaired by … and currently comprises …

7) The House of Lords is the upper … with less ….

8) It is headed by …, and currently consists of around …

9) All the members of the House of Lords are unelected and can be divided into three groups: …

10) The UK Government is headed by …

11) There are no term limits for Prime Ministers, if he or she is …

12) A government by law can last no longer than …, but the election may be called at …

13) The Prime Minister appoints the … who head the … and chairs the …

14) The most important political departments are: …

15) The British judicial branch is extremely complex because of …

16) Under the judicial reform, the court system is now administered by …

17) The highest court of appeal in the land is …

6. PRESENTATION. Use the information from the text and the exercises to present the topic ‘The UK System of Government’.

7. DEVELOPMENT. Read the text about the System of Government of the Republic of Belarus and fill in the gaps with the words from the box below.