The System of Government of the United Kingdom

1. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, which means that the powers of the monarch are limited by the country's constitution. The British constitution, unlike that of most other countries, is an unwritten constitution, not being contained in any single legal document. It is formed partly by statute law (Acts of Parliament) and important documents (such as Magna Carta), partly by common law (a series of laws dating back to the Middle Ages), and partly by customs and conventions and can be altered by a simple Act of Parliament like any other law. The constitution thus is constantly changing in response to the interpretation of laws in the courts and the introduction of new Acts of Parliament. In theory the Constitution safeguards the separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.

2. The legislature, which consists of both Houses of Parliament and formally the monarch, is the supreme authority, the supreme law-making body. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the voters of 650 constituencies. They are known as MPs, or Members of Parliament. The Prime Minister, or leader of the Government, is also an MP, usually the leader of the political party with the majority in the House of Commons. Members of the House of Lords (peers) are not elected. About 70 per cent of them are ‘hereditary peers’ because their fathers were peers before them. The other 30 per cent are ‘life peers’, whose titles are not passed on to their children. They are officially appointed by the Queen, on the advice of the Government, for various services to the nation. Functions of Parliament are the following: making laws; providing money for government, through taxation; examining government policy; administration and spending; debating political questions.

3. The executive consists of the government Cabinet and government ministries, (or departments) headed by ministers (or secretaries of state). Since the 18^th century the cabinet has been increasingly responsible for deciding policies and controlling and coordinating government administration. It meets in private and its discussions are secrete. When policy has been decided, an individual minister must either support it or resign, because the Cabinet acts as one body with ‘collective responsibility’. The prime Minister has considerable individual power to introduce and control policies, and to change the Cabinet by appointing new ministers, sacking old ones, or ‘reshuffling’ the Cabinet by moving its members to other Cabinet posts. The government is responsible for putting laws into effect and directing national policy and acts formally in the name of the monarch.

4. The judiciary is composed mainly of the judges of the higher courts, who determine the common law and interpret Acts of Parliament and decide on cases arising out of the laws. The judiciary is supposed to be independent of the legislative and executive branches of government.

5. The organs of government are clearly distinguishable, although their functions often intermingle and overlap. The monarch is formally the head of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. A member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons and a member of the House of Lords may both be in the government of the day. A Law Lord in the House of Lords also serves the House of Lords as the highest appeal court.

7. Выполните лексико-грамматические задания на базе текста №2:

7.1. Выпишите из текста английские эквиваленты следующих слов и выражений: полномочия, юридический документ, обычай, законодательная ветвь власти, исполнительная ветвь власти, судебная ветвь власти, высший законодательный орган, избирать, назначать, избирательный округ, член парламента, наследственный пэр, быть ответственным (отвечать), апелляционный суд.

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