Unit 6 government

6. Before reading the text, match a word on the left with a definition on the right.

1. minister a) a person speaking, chosen to speak, on

behalf of a group

2. office b) the process of proceeding against

someone in a court action

3. convention c) what one is obliged to do by morality,

law, a trade, calling, conscience, etc.

4. The Civil Service d) a public position of authority,

especially as part of government

5. spokesman e) a person at the head of a department of

state

6. confer f) to take criminal proceedings against

someone

7. duty g) a rule or practice which regulates the

conduct of the Crown and state organs

where there are no formal legal rules

8. responsible h) legally or morally liable for carrying out

a duty

9. litigation i) all government departments except the

Navy, Army and Air Force

10.prosecute j) to give or grant

1. Test your general knowledge in the quiz below.

1. People who work in government departments are called

1. civil servants

2. governors

3. representatives

4. senators

2. The judicial system of the UK is administered by

1. the Ministry of Justice

2. the Procurator General

3. the Chief Justice

4. the courts, the Lord Chancellor and the Home Secretary

3. The difference between the role of the Cabinet and the role of the government ministries is in the fact that

1. the Cabinet decides what to do and the ministry does it

2. the ministry decides what to do and the Cabinet does it.

4. The Government lost the confidence of the House of Commons, Parliament was dissolved and a/an................................was called.

1. election compaign

2. General Election

3. electoral roll

4. by-election

6.2. Now read the text and see if you were right.

System of government

The executive power in the UK is vested in the Government. As the aim of a representative body is to produce coincidence between the wishes of the sovereign and those of the subjects, it must reflect the wishes of the electorate and exercise control over the government. But the relationship between the government and Parliament has changed over the last hundred years. The sovereignty of Parliament has increasingly become, in practice, the sovereignty of the Commons, and the sovereignty of the Commons has increasingly become the sovereignty of the government, which in addition to its influence in Parliament, controls the party whips, the party machine and the civil service. As a result the government controls Parliament and not the other way round. So, the elected part of Parliament, namely the House of Commons, having achieved supremacy over the unelected parts, namely the Queen and the House of Lords, has surrendered its sovereignty to the government which controls it through the party machine.

Her Majesty’s Government is the body of ministers responsible for the administration of national affairs. The ministers are appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, who is appointed directly by the Crown and is the leader of the party which secured a majority of seats in the House of Commons as a result of a general election.

The office of the Prime Minister dates from the 18^th century and is the subject of a number of constitutional conventions. The Prime Minister is the head of the Government. By convention he always sits in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is also, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for Civil Service. He consults and advises the Monarch on Government business, supervises the work of the ministries and departments and is the principal spokesman for the Government in the House of Commons. He also makes recommendations to the Monarch on many important public appointments, including the Lord Chief Justice, Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, and Lords Justices of Appeal. The Prime Minister’s unique position of authority derives from majority support in Parliament and from the power to choose ministers and to obtain their resignation or dismissal individually.

The nucleus of government is the Cabinet. It was originally a small body of royal advisers, a committee of the Privy Council. Until the 18^th century the Privy Council was the chief source of executive power in the state. As the system of Cabinet government developed, however, the Privy Council declined in importance. The Privy Council is the body on whose advice and through which the Monarch exercises most statutory and many prerogative powers. There are about 330 members of the Privy Council, which, however, only meets as a full body on the death of the Monarch. It conducts much of its business in committees at which the Monarch may not constitutionally be present. All Cabinet ministers are its members; other members are appointed by the Monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

The Cabinet is the executive organ of government. It is a body of senior ministers selected by the Prime Minister, most of them are heads of departments. Each new Prime Minister may make changes in the size of his Cabinet. There are usually about 25 members of the Cabinet. It is the most important body in the British system of government since it is the Cabinet that formulates the policy of the Government. The Cabinet and its committees work in great secrecy; no vote is taken, and collective responsibility is assumed for all the decisions taken. British Government is often referred to as ‘Cabinet Government’. The Cabinet meets at No 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister.

The central government ministries and departments give effect to government policies and have powers and duties conferred on them by legislation, and, sometimes, under the Royal Prerogative. Each is headed by a minister who is in most cases a member of either the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are over 100 ministers of the Crown at the present time; they include departmental ministers, non-departmental ministers, ministers of state and junior ministers.

Departmental ministers (e.g., the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State for Social Services) are those in charge of government departments, they are usually members of the Cabinet.

Non-departmental ministers (e.g., Lord President of the (Privy) Council, Lord Privy Seal, Ministers without Portfolio) are the holders of various traditional offices; they may have few or no departmental duties and are therefore available to perform any special duties the Prime Minister gives them.

Ministers of State are additional ministers in departments who usually work with the departmental ministers and are responsible for specific functions.

Junior ministers (usually known as Parliamentary Secretary or Parliamentary Under-Secretary) work in all ministries and departments and share in parliamentary and departmental duties.

The Lord Chancellor and the Law Officers of the Crown deserve special mentioning. The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain presides over the House of Lords both in its legislative capacity and as a final court of appeal; he is a member of the Cabinet and also has departmental responsibilities in connection with the appointment of certain judges. The four Law Officers of the Crown represent the Crown in civil litigation, prosecute in certain exceptionally important criminal cases and advise government on points of law.

The main government departments include Treasury (responsible for public finance and expenditure), Ministry of Defence (defence policy and armed forces),the Lord Chancellor’s Office (administration of the courts and the law), Foreign Office and Commonwealth (conduct of British overseas relations), Home Office (administration of law and order including criminal justice, police service and prisons).

The UK 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 concerned with the composition of the Courts, with civil law, parts of criminal procedure and law reform in general. The Home Secretary is concerned with the prevention of criminal offences, the apprehension, trial and treatment of offenders, and with the prison service.

Britain does not have a written constitution, or set of rules, that the Government must obey. Theoretically, the Government has almost unlimited power. However, it can be made to account for its actions. The Prime Minister is also accountable, and twice a week is subjected to detailed questioning in the House of Commons.

There are other ways in which the Government’s power is restricted by what is called checks and balances via:

1. the second chamber: one of the functions of the House of Lords is to look at what the House of Commons has done and suggest a different way of approaching problems;

2. public opinion: this is a very powerful force. (One can argue that it was public opinion on the poll tax that forced Margaret Thatcher to resign in 1990). The Government finds out what the public is thinking through the MPs (who listen to their constituents), from by-elections, from public opinion polls and from the media. People also go to Westminster to lobby their MPs: to attempt to influence them with their opinion. The word «lobby» comes from the name of the parts of the Houses of Parliament - the lobbies - where people have to wait to speak to their MP. In a democracy, however, the real test of popularity is what happens to a party candidate during an election.

3. the monarch: although the King or Queen hardly has any power, the monarch does have great influence. Queen Elizabeth the Second is known to be concerned about certain kings of issue, for example, maintaining the Commonwealth. Her views on a subject can affect the way the Prime Minister acts.

4. top civil servants: these people who administer the country on behalf of the Government have no power but great influence because of their experience. Indirect influences are very important in affecting the way the Government behaves, and are in some ways as important as the more direct influences of power.

The British Government is commonly referred to as ‘Whitehall’, which is connected with the site of the old departments.

6.3. Here are some words and phrases which describe the system of government in the United Kingdom. What do they mean and how important do you think they are in Britain’s politics?

The Prime Minister the Cabinet Ministers MPs

the Monarch the Privy Council the House of Lords

6.4. Answer the following questions:

1. Who appoints the Prime Minister?

2. Why is the Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for Civil Service?

3. How has the Cabinet changed since the 18^th century?

4. What is the difference between the Cabinet and the Privy Council?

5. Why do you think British Government is referred to as «Cabinet Government»?

6. Who is each ministry or department headed by?

7. Can you name ministers of the United Kingdom and their duties?

8. Can you list the main government departments?

6.5. Explain these words in your own language:

1. Her Majesty’s Government

2. the Prime Minister

3. the Cabinet

4. the Privy Council

5. departmental ministers

6. non-departmental ministers

7. ministers of state

8. junior ministers

9. the Lord Chancellor

10. the Law Officers

6.6. Complete the sentences below with one of the following words:

the Prime Minister, the House of Commons, the Crown , the Cabinet, the Privy Council

1. ... is the principal spokesman of the Government in the House of Commons.

2. ... formulates the policy of the Government.

3. There are 330 members of ...

4. The Prime Minister sits in ...

5. ... appoints the ministers.

6.7 Match the department on the left with its duties on the right.

1. Ministry of Defence a) administration of the courts and

the law

2. Treasury b) conduct of British overseas relations

3. the Lord Chancellor’s Office c) administration of law and order

including criminal justice, police service

and prisons

4. Foreign and Commonwealth d) defence policy and the armed forces

Office

5. Home Office e) responsible for public finance and

expenditure

6. Department of Trade f) provision of a common legal service

for a large number of government

departments

7. Department of Industry g) general promotion of education and is

also responsible for the arts, libraries

and museums

8. Department of Employment h) responsible for many aspects of

Welsh affairs

9. Department of Transport i) commercial policy and relations with

overseas countries

10. Department of Education j) management of the Civil Service

and Science

11. Department of Energy k) manpower policies; labour legislation;

payment of unemployment benefits

12. Department of Environment l) provision of advice to the Government

on English law

13. Department of Health and m) deals with urban affairs; local Social

Security government and planning

14. Welsh Office n) industrial policy

15. Civil Service Department o) policies in relation to all forms of

energy

16. Board of Inland Revenue p) administration of the tax laws

17. The Law Officer’s Department q) National Health Service and the

social security system

18. Department of the Procurator r) policies for the main transport

General and Treasury Solicitor industries.

19. Ordnance Survey s) publication of parliamentary and

government papers

20. Office of Population Censuses t) the surveying and mapping of Great

and Surveys Britain

21. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office u) registration of births, marriages and

deaths

8. Choose the correct alternative and complete each of the sentences below.

1. The............................met urgently at 10 Downing Street to decide Government policy on the new economic crisis.

1. civil service b) Privy Council c) Cabinet d) ministries

2. Parliament is a.............................body.

1. legislation b) legislature c) legislative d) legislate

3. In general, a Bill becomes an Act of Parliament when it has received the..............................of both Houses of Parliament and the Sovereign.

1. consent b) ratification c) enactment d) assent

4. The Chancellor of the Exchequer asked Parliament to ................ the existing tax on alcoholic drinks and replace it with a tax on all drinks except water.

1. Act b)Code c) Law d) Bill

6.9. Wordsearch. Find thirty words (across, down or diagonally) connected with the political set-up of the UK in the puzzle below.

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10. Complete the following dialogue.

1. What is «the Cabinet», and what is «the Government»? Why does the Cabinet dominate?

2...........................................................................................................

1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of «Cabinet Government»?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. Questions are being raised about the effectiveness of the British system of government. What are they?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. Some people call for reorganizing the Civil Service. Is this reform necessary? If so, why? / Why not?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. In Britain ministers are drawn solely from one political party. Is that similar to your country?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. Much of government in Britain has always gone on in secret. Does it surprise you? If so, why?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. Do you think greater openness in government is of benefit to Britain? If so, why? / Why not?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. Is there a balance in government between partisan politicians and an impartial civil service?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. What broad changes would you propose if you were Prime Minister?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. What do you think of a United European Government?

2. ..........................................................................................................

1. You’re very helpful. I’d say that the discussion was rather useful.

2. ..........................................................................................................

11. Written Practice.

Write a paragraph explaining how the Crown, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, MPs and the House of Lords are important in politics in Britain. What bodies are very powerful in making decisions? Which of them have no power at all? How does this compare with your country?