The System of Government in the United Kingdom and the Parliament

The Government is the management of the country. The Government makes the important decisions about foreign policy, education, health, but all these decisions have to be approved by Parliament. If Parliament thinks that a particular Government policy is against the public interest, then it can force the Government to change its mind.

State organs of the UK include the monarchy, the legislative, executive and judicial organs of Government.

The monarchy is the most ancient hereditary institution in the UK. Queen Elizabeth II, who succeeded to the throne in 1952, is the head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Crown and the temporal head of the established Church in England. Her Majesty’s Government governs in the name of the Queen who must act on the advice of her ministers.

Parliament is the legislative organ of the United Kingdom. It consists of the hereditary monarch, the House of Lords (almost 1300 unelected members or peers) and the House of Commons (659 elected by means of general election Members of Parliament). The House of Lords is still a hereditary body. It consists of Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual. It is presided over by the Lord of Chancellor who is the chairman of the House.

The House of Commons is an elected and representative body. Members are paid a salary and an allowance. The Speaker of the House is elected by its members immediately after each new Parliament is formed.

The Government consists of approximately 100 members of the political party which has the majority of seats in the House of Commons.

The functions of Parliament are legislations, examining the work of the Government, controlling finance - only the House of Commons can give permission for the Government to collect taxes-, protecting the individual, hearing appeals (The House of Lords is a Court of Justice, the highest Court of Appeal in Britain).

Executive. The Government consists of the ministers appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Prime minister is appointed directly by the Crown and is the leader of the political party which has a majority of seats in the House of Commons. He consults and advises the Monarch on government business, supervises and coordinates the work of the various ministers and departments in the House of Commons. He also makes recommendations to the Monarch on many important public appointments.

The most senior members of the Government are known as the Cabinet that is the nucleus of it. It forms the policy of the state body. The members of the Cabinet are chosen by the Prime Minister. Departments and ministers are run by civil servants, who are permanent officials. Even if the Government changes after an election, the same civil servants are employed.

The United Kingdom has no Ministry of Justice. Responsibility for the administration of the judicial system in England and Wales is divided between the courts themselves, the Lord Chancellor, and the Home Secretary. The Lord Chancellor is responsible for the composition of the courts, civil law, parts of criminal procedure and Law reform in general; the Home Secretary is responsible for the prevention of criminal offences, trial and treatment of offenders and for the prison service.

I. Read the following sentences and decide if they are true or false:

1. The Government is the body which decides the law of the country and decides about the way the country should be governed.
2. The Government is the Ministers chosen from the Party (or parties) which has the largest number of MPs in the House of Commons after a general election.
3. The Prime Minister is the leader of the governing party.
4. The Queen chooses the Cabinet.
5. The Cabinet are the senior members of the Government chosen by the Prime Minister.
6. The House of Lords is the elected Chamber in Parliament.
7. The House of Commons is the unelected Chamber in Parliament.
8. Mr. Cameron’s Cabinet belongs to the Labour Party.
9. Britain is divided into 659 areas, called constituencies, and one MP is elected to represent each constituency.
10. The House of Lords is the highest Court of Appeal in Britain.

II. Find words and expressions in the text which mean:

1. body of persons governing the State;
2. choosing or selection (of candidates for an office, etc.) by vote;
3. the inhabitants of an electoral district;
4. laws enacted by lawmaking body;
5. a person with the right to sit in the House of Lords;
6. a change by the government on the income of an individual, corporation, or on the value of an estate or gift or property.

III. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the Government?
2. Who are the Cabinet?
3. Who chooses the Government?
4. What is the House of Lords?
5. What is the House of Commons?
6. Who is the Prime Minister?
7. What does Parliament do?
8. What is the highest Court in Britain?

IV. Be ready to describe the system of government in the UK using the following notes as an outline for your speech:

- The Head of State: appointment, functions and powers, relationship with other state organs;

- Legislature: composition, functions and powers, relationship with other state organs;

- The Executive: composition, functions and powers, relationship with other state organs.