Vocabulary

bill		билль, законопроект
“front benchers”		«переднескамеечники»
“back benchers”		«заднескамеечники»
chairman	['CFqmqn]	председатель
tie	[taI]	равный счет
deputy speaker		заместитель спикера
honourable	['On(q)rqbl]	почетный
to bow	[bau]	поклониться
“grossly insulting language”	[In'sAltIN]	грубые оскорбительные выражения
whip	[wIp]	парламентский организатор партии

The Chamber of the House of Lords

* Black Rod (герольд-мейстер) – Sovereign’s representative who on the day of State Opening of Parliament is sent to knock on the door of the Commons and ask its members to go and listen to the State Opening Speech outlining the Parliamentary business of the new session.

The House of Lords

The House of Lords appeared first as King’s council of the nobility. Now the House is a partly hereditary upper chamber. It comprises 26 Lords Spiritual (2 of which are archbishops of Canterbury and York, the rest being bishops of Church of England) and over a thousand of Lords Temporal, about 380 of these are peers created for life only. It is interesting to note that one fourth of Life Peers are women.

The Monarch belongs to the House of Lords, so there is a throne in the Lords’ Chamber, a joint present of Canada and Australia. For the Opening of Parliament the Monarch reads the Speech from the Throne.

In front of the Throne is the Woolsack packed with wool from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the countries of the Commonwealth. The Woolsack is a symbol of prosperity and a seat of the Lord Chancellor who presides in the House of Lords. But the Lord Chancellor is not only Speaker of the House of Lords, he is also a Cabinet Minister and Head of the Judiciary.

Unlike the Speaker in the House of Commons the Lord Chancellor is not concerned with order. Any peer has the power to rise in his place and move demonstrating his disapproval to a fellow peer making a speech. No one calls to order.

Almost a century ago the Lords had the power of absolute veto over any legislation passed by the House of Commons. After a great struggle this was finally abolished in 1911. However, it left the Lords with the power to delay a bill for 2 years and since 1949 the period was reduced to one year. After one year the bill is passed even without the Lords' agreement.

Vocabulary

nobility	[nqu'bIlItI]	знать
hereditary	[hI'redIt(q)rI]	наследственный
spiritual	['spIrItjuql]	духовный
bishop	['bISqp]	епископ
archbishop	['RC'bISqp]	архиепископ
temporal	['temp(q)r(q)l]	светский
peer	[pIq]	пэр, лорд
woolsack	['wulsxk]	набитая шерстью подушка
prosperity	[pros'perItI]	процветание
Lord Chancellor	['lLd 'CRnsqlq]	лорд-канцлер
veto	['vJtqu]	вето
to abolish	[q'bOlIS]	отменить