The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Vocabulary

to be situated – знаходитись / находиться

to be separated from – бути відділеним від / быть отделённым от

a constitutional monarchy – конституційна монархія / конституционная монархия

the Queen – королева / королева

the House of Commons – Палата Общин (громад) / Палата Общин

the House of Lords – Палата Лордів / Палата Лордов

a constituency – виборчий округ / избирательный округ

the Shadow Cabinet – Тіньовий Кабінет / Теневой Кабинет

Lord Chancellor – Лорд-Канцлер (глава судового відомства та верховний суддя Англії, глава палати Лордів) / Лорд-Канцлер (глава судебного відомства и верховный судья Англии

Home Secretary – міністр внутрішніх справ / министр внутренних дел

criminal offences – карні злочини / уголовные преступления

a prison – в’язниця / тюрьма

a court – суд / суд

prevention – запобігання, попередження / предотвращение, предупреждение

treatment of offenders – поводження зі злочинцями / обращение с преступниками

case law – прецедентне право / прецедентное право

- What islands is the United Kingdom situated on?

- The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles, separated from the Continent by the North Sea and the English Channel.

- What parts is the UK made up of? What are their capitals?

- It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. London is also the capital of the United Kingdom.

- What kind of state is Great Britain?

- Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. It means that the country is governed by the Parliament and the Queen is the Head of the state.

- Is her power absolute?

- No, it isn’t absolute; it is limited by the Parliament. The Queen personally doesn’t decide what action the state shall take. Her Majesty’s Government governs in the name of the Queen who must act on the advice of her ministers. That’s why it is said that the Queen reigns, but doesn’t rule.

- What body exercises the legislative power in the country?

- The legislative power is exercised by Parliament, made up of two chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

- How are the chambers of the Parliament composed?

- The House of Commons has 651 members, elected from the

four parts that make up the United Kingdom. Each member

represents a voting district called a constituency. The House of

Lords is composed of about 1.200 members. The House of Lords has little real

power. It can delay, but not defeat, any bill that the House of

Commons is determined to pass.

-What is the executive branch of power?

-The executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the political party that has the most seats in the House of Commons.

-What is the official opposition?

• The second largest party becomes the official opposition

with its own leader and the Shadow Cabinet.

• What are the two leading parties in Great Britain?

• They are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

• What can you say about the judicial branch of power?

• 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.

- Is there any written constitution in Great Britain?

-No, there isn’t. The British Constitution is an unwritten constitution, not being contained in a single legal document. It is based on statutes and important documents (such as the Magna Carta), case law (decisions taken by courts of law on constitutional matters), customs and conventions, and can be modified by a simple Act of Parliament like any other law.