Correct the false sentences




1. The largest class in the House of Lords is that of Hereditary Peers.

2. There are five other classes of members in the Lords.

3. The House of Lords took its definite shape only in the 18th century.

4. The Lords has the power to reject any measures taken by the Commons.

Reading 8

A New Constitution

 

The future of the House of Lords could be included in a new written constitution which would deal with all sorts of problems in one go; for example, the status of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the problem of the voting system. Now might be a good time to abolish or at least reform the monarchy, which has lost much of its popular support. The question of Britain's relations with the EU also needs to be resolved.

Also, there is a fundamental point missing from Britain's unwritten constitution – human rights. These rights only exist in a sort of negative form at present; you can do whatever you like if it is not against the law. In the Thatcher era some very basic rights seemed to be under threat; for example, unions were banned at GCHQ, the government's electronic spy center, and in 1984-5 the police were used as a political force against striking miners.

In 1988, a group called Charter 88 started a campaign for a written constitution, while others demanded a Bill of Rights and a Freedom of Information Act. At the beginning of the new millennium, the Labour Government was considering legislation on freedom of information, and was moving towards incorporating the European convention on Human Rights into British law. But the idea of a written constitution is still rather alien to the British; perhaps it would actually make it harder to reform institutions rather that easier. At present Parliament is all-powerful, and can make any constitutional change it wishes to at any time. There may be dangers in this, but it is a quick and simple system.

The EU

There is very good reason for not writing a new constitution just yet. Obviously, as EU member countries move closer to merging into a single state, all their constitutions will need rewriting; in the end perhaps they will all make do with one big constitution. Britain signed the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, and some of its provisions now form part of UK law. In commercial areas, EU law has gradually replaced UK legislation; in criminal law, or civil law (divorce, libel and so on), Britain is still completely independent. It is a very complicated subject, but the general principle is clear: British law now comes under European law in those areas where treaties exist.

Local Government

For people who live in, say, Hammersmith in the west of London, the decisions of Parliament in Westminster or of the Commission in Brussels are not always that important in their everyday lives. They have a local council which runs the schools, social services, roads, parks, rubbish collection and libraries. The council also owns a lot of low-cost housing, and makes all the planning decisions for Hammersmith: where a new cinema can be built, and whether a club can verse alcohol, or have dancing. The councilors are party politicians who have won their seats in local elections. They also usually live in the borough and are known to the public, so there is a high degree of local democracy. The council is a Parliament in miniature, except that the councilors, unlike MPs in Parliament, are part-time and unpaid. This is the system in towns, cities, and rural areas throughout the country.

Relations between the local council and central government are not always good: local leaders quite rightly want some power and independence, but Parliament feels that it must have the last word. Finance is at the root of the problem: 80 per cent of the councils' money comes directly from central government (they collect the rest through a local tax). Education is the biggest responsibility of local government, and it used to be very much in their hands; but over the last 15 years central government has intervened more and more in this area. The Conservatives started weakening local government, and Labour has not reversed the process.

Discussion

- Is there debate about human rights in your country?

- Where is your nearest local government? Are you interested in what it is doing?

Reading 9

Devolution

 

Devolution of power from Westminster has taken place in two very important areas: Scotland and Wales. In 1999, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly came into being, and those two countries had a degree of self-rule for the first time in hundreds of years. The Scottish Parliament, as its name suggests, is the more powerful of the tow bodies, having the ability to raise taxes. This reflects the fact that nationalism in Scotland is much stronger than it is in Wales. More than 50 per cent of Scots want full independence from England (or Britain), whereas in Wales not even the nationalist party Plaid Cymru talks in such terms.

Northern Ireland

 

In the case of Northern Ireland, devolution is on the political agenda, but it does not provide an easy solution to the problems. In fact, there was a devolved government there between 1921 and 1972, but it did not work out well. The Protestant majority ran the government as a sectarian regime, and discriminated against Catholics. In the end, the minority lost patience and started a civil-rights protest movement. There was violence, and Britain troops were sent in. The old IRA (Irish Republican Army), which had fought to free Ireland from the British 50 years earlier, was revived in a new form, the Provisional IRA, and started a guerrilla and terror campaign. In response, the Protestants formed their own paramilitary groups, the Ulster Defence Association, the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Ulster Freedom Fighters. More that 3,000 people died in the resulting war, know as the Troubles.

To the great relief of all the people of Northern Ireland, a peace agreement was made on Good Friday 1998. The aim was once more to devolve government to Belfast, with power shared between the rival groups. After long negotiations, a new executive, including both Protestants and Catholics, was formed in December 1999. At the same time the IRA agreed to discuss disarmament, and the Irish Republic changed its constitution to give up its claim to the North, as part of a united Ireland.

The position of the British government on Northern Ireland has always been difficult. Many outsiders consider it a colonial power, which should withdraw completely. But if that had been attempted, there was a real fear that led to the setting up of a Northern Ireland in 1921. The British government says that it will agree to a united Ireland if a majority in Northern Ireland wants it. At present that is impossible as there is a Protestant majority, but the Catholic population is growing faster, so in the long term simple numbers may solve the problem. The economy of the Irish Republic has also been growing faster than that of Northern Ireland, so there may be an economic incentive for change.

Discussion

- Is your country very centralized, or is there devolution to regions? Which do you prefer?

- How do you think the problems of Northern Ireland could be solved?

 

Project work

How independent are Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland within the UK?

 

Find out the following:

- How are these parts represented in the British Parliament?

- How much autonomy does the Scottish Parliament have?

- What are the powers of the National Assembly in Wales and Northern Ireland?

- Is there the English Parliament?

Reading 10

 



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