C) Answer the following questions.

1) What is a popular term to identify the executive branch of the US federal government?

2) What does the term ‘government’ refer to?

3) What is the composition and function of the US executive?

4) What is the highest governmental office in the United States?

5) Who can qualify for the presidency?

6) When does the President’s term of office begin? How long does it last?

7) To how many terms does the Constitution limit the President?

8) What are the President’s functions and powers?

9) How are the powers of the President limited?

10) How is the Vice-President of the United States chosen?

11) What are his constitutional duties?

12) What is the role of the Vice-President in American politics?

13) What body assists the President in administration?

14) Who appoints Cabinet officials and how long do they serve?

15) What does an ‘inner Cabinet’ mean?

UNIT III
THE UNITED KINGDOM SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

FIRST READING OF THE TEXT.

1.1 Skim the text for general contents.

A Short Guide to the British Political System

Monarchy

The United Kingdom is a unitary democracy governed within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state. However, the monarch has very few formal powers; his or her powers are largely ceremonial. The monarch reigns but doesn’t rule, the British say. The monarch is determined on the hereditary principle which means that the eldest male child of a monarch is the next in line to the throne. However, Roman Catholics or those who marry Roman Catholics are not in the line.

Separation of Power

In classical political theory, the constitution divides the state power into three branches: the legislature (Parliament), the executive (Government) and the judiciary. However separation of powers is not as distinct as in the American model where the Constitution strictly separates the powers of these three branches and no individual can be a member of more than one. So, for example, the President is not and cannot be a member of the Congress.

This is not the case in the UK where members of the executive are also members of the legislature; some senior judges sit in the upper House of Parliament.

The UK Parliament

The British Parliament – like most in the world – is bicameral. It is often called ‘Westminster’ because it is housed in the Palace of Westminster.The duration of a Parliament may not exceed five years. The time of elections is most often determined by the Government which must also formally request the Crown to dissolve Parliament.

The House of Commons is the lower chamber but the one with the most authority. It is chaired by the Speaker and currently comprises 650 Members of Parliament or MPs.

The House of Lords, headed by the Lord Chancellor, is the upper chamber but the one with less authority. In fact, it cannot block the will of the House of Commons. Its main role is to revise legislation and keep a check on government. The number of members in the House of Lords is not fixed, but currently there are around 830 members.

Historically most members of the House of Lords have been so called hereditary peers whose right to sit in the House is passed through the family from generation to generation. However, the last Labour Government limited the number of hereditary peers who sit in the House to 92.

Almost all the other members of today's House of Lords are life peers chosen by the Queen, on the advice of the Government, to sit in the House for life without passing this right to their family members. Many of the life peers are former senior politicians or very distinguished figures in fields such as education, health and social policy.

A small number of other members – 26 – are Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England.

The House of Lords is unusual in the democratic world being an unelected chamber. The Parliament Act of 1911 first raised the prospect of an elected upper house but it has still not happened. House of Lords reform is unfinished business.

The UK Government

The UK Government is headed by the Prime Minister. In theory, the Prime Minister simply appoints the ministers who head Government departments and chairs the Cabinet. In practice, however, the Prime Minister is a very powerful and important figure in the British political system and increasingly has been behaving much like a president in other political systems, especially in the area of foreign policy. There are no term limits for Prime Ministers, if he or she is periodically re-elected. Although in practice this doesn’t happen.

A government by law can last no longer than five years, but the election may be called at any time inside that period. The date of the general election is entirely the choice of the sitting Prime Minister, who will naturally choose a date when his party is ahead in the opinion polls. At the end of five years there has to be an election, whether the PM wants it or not.

Many UK Government Departments are similar to those in other countries. The most important political departments are the Treasury, Home Office and Foreign Office. When talking about the British Government, the media will often use the term ‘Whitehall’ because a number of Government Departments are located along a central London Street called Whitehall.

All Government Departments are run by Ministers who are either Members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. There are three classes of Ministers: Secretary of State – usually the head of a Department; Minister of State – a middle-ranking minister; and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State – the most junior class of ministers.

The Prime Minister and all the Secretaries of State together form an executive body of government called the Cabinet. Although all Ministers are appointed by the Prime Minster and report to him, ultimately they are accountable to Parliament. About once a month, they have to answer questions in the House of Commons about the work of the Department.

The UKjudiciary

The British judicial branch is extremely complex because of three separate legal systems: one for England and Wales, one for Scotland, and one for Northern Ireland. Although they are bound by similar principles, these systems differ in form and the manner of operation.

Currently a process of judicial reform is in operation.

The Lord Chancellor's office – which for 1,400 years administered the court system – has now been replaced by the Ministry for Justice.

The Appellate Committee of the House of Lords – previously the highest court of appeal in the land – was replaced by the Supreme Court in October 2009 to make the judiciary independent of the Government.

In 1951 the UK signed the European Convention on Human Rights (part of the Council of Europe) and since 1966 it has given its citizens the right to petition the government actions to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The provisions of the European Convention were incorporated in the UK domestic law in 2000, so that citizens can now apply to domestic courts to have the provisions enforced.

1.2 Find information in the text to fill in the blanks in the following table.