British political system

Britain is a constitutional monarchy. That means it is a country governed by a king or queen who accepts the advice of a parliament. It is also a parliamentary democracy. That is, it is a country whose government

is controlled by a parliament which has been elected by the people. In other words, the basic system is not so different from anywhere else in Europe. The highest positions in the government are filled by members of the directly elected parliament. In Britain, as in many European countries, the official head of state, whether a monarch (as in Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark) or a president (as in Germany, Greece and Italy) has little real power.

However, there are features of the British system of government which make it different from that in other countries and which are not «modern» at all. The most notable of these is the question of the constitution. Britain is almost alone among modern states in that it does not have «a constitution» at all. Of course, there are rules, regulations, principles and procedures for the running of the country – all the things that political scientists and legal experts study and which are known collectively as «the constitution». But there is no single written document which can be appealed to as the highest law of the land and the final arbiter in the matter of dispute. Nobody can refer to «article 6» or «the first amendment» or anything like that, because nothing like that exists.

The activities of Parliament in Britain are more or less the same as those of the Parliament in any western democracy. It makes new laws, gives authority for the government to raise and spend money, keeps a close eye on government activities and discusses those activities.

The British Parliament works in a large building called the Palace of Westminster (popularly known as «the Houses of Parliament»). This contains offices, committee rooms, restaurants, bars, libraries and even some places of residence. It also contains two larger rooms. One of these is where the House of Lords meets; the other is where the House of Commons meets. The British Parliament is divided into two «houses», and its members belong to one or other of them, although only members of the Commons are normally known as MPs (Members of Parliament). The Commons is by far the more important of the two houses.

A unique feature of the British parliamentary system is its hereditary element. Unlike MPs, members of the House of Lords (known as «peers») are not elected. They are members as of right. In the case of two-thirds of them, this «right» is the result of their being the holder of an inherited aristocratic title. The House of Lords is therefore a relic of earlier, undemocratic times. The fact that it still exists is perhaps typically British. It has been allowed to survive but it has had to change, losing most of its power and altering its composition in the process.

The House of Lords (like the monarchy) has little, if any, real power any more. All proposals must have the agreement of the Lords before they can become law. But the power of the Lords to refuse a proposal for a law which has been agreed by the Commons is now limited. After a period which can be as short as six months the proposal becomes law anyway, whether or not the Lords agree. The position of British Prime Minister (PM) is in direct contrast to that of the monarch. Although the Queen appears to have a great deal of power, in reality she has very little. The PM, on the other hand, appears not to have much power but in reality has a very great deal indeed. The Queen is, in practice, obliged to give the job of Prime Minister to the person who can command a majority in the House of Commons.

Task 4. Answer the following questions:

1. Is Britain a republic or a monarchy?

2. What are the powers of the Queen limited by?

3. What elements does the British Parliament consist of?

4. How mane chambers (Houses) are there in the British Parliament?

5. Who are «peers»?

Task 5. Try to compare countries:

	Question	Russia	The UK	The USA
1.	What is the total area?
2.	What is the country washed by?
3.	What is the longest river?
4.	What is the population?
5.	What is the official language?
6.	What is the climate like?
7.	What is the capital of the country?
8.	What does the flag of the country represent?
9.	Who is the head of the country?
	What kind of political system do they have?

Task 6. Act as an interpreter.

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