The Queen’s role in the Commonwealth

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As Head of the Commonwealth, The Queen’s role is symbolic and has no constitutional functions attached to it. The Monarch personally reinforces the links by which the Commonwealth joins people together from around the world. This is done mainly through: Commonwealth visits; regular contact with the Commonwealth Secretary General, his Secretariat and Heads of Government; acting as patron for Commonwealth cultural events.

During her reign, The Queen has visited every country in the Commonwealth and made many repeat visits. One third of the Queen’s total overseas visits are to Commonwealth countries. The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and other members of the Royal family also pay frequent visits to the Commonwealth.

A meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government is usually held once every two years, at locations throughout the Commonwealth. The Queen is normally present in the host country, during which she has a series of private meetings with the Commonwealth countries’ leaders. The Queen also attends a reception and dinner during the conference period at which she makes a speech.

Since 1977, Commonwealth Day is celebrated throughout the Commonwealth on the second Monday in March. To mark the day, The Queen broadcasts a Commonwealth Day message to the peoples of the Commonwealth as a whole. These messages are unique in that they are delivered on The Queen’s own responsibility, drafted without ministerial advice.

The Queen, though not being part of the machinery of government in the Commonwealth, has become a personal link and human symbol of the Commonwealth as an international organization.

State systems of some Commonwealth countries

State system of Canada

Canada is an independent federal parliamentary state. The Queen of Great Britain, Elizabeth II, is the official head of the state, but the Governor General acts as her representative.

The current governor general is David Lloyd Johnston , who has served since 1 October 2010; Prime Minister Stephen Harper recommended him to succeed Michaë lle Jean.

Canada combines the American federal form of government with the British cabinet system. As a federation, Canada is made up of ten provinces and two territories. Canadian central government in Ottawa represents all the people of Canada. Each province has its own government and parliament.

Parliament of Canada consists of two houses, the Upper House called the Senate, and the Lower House called the House of Commons.

The Senate has 104 members. Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Senate has less power than the House of Commons.

Members of the House of Commons are elected for a term of five years.

The cabinet system of Canada unites the legislative and the executive branches. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are usually members of the House of Commons, which is the highest authority in the government. The Cabinet consists of 20 or more ministers, chosen by the Prime Minister from leaders of the majority party in the House of Commons.

The current, and 22nd, Prime Minister of Canada is the Conservative Party's Stephen Harper, who was appointed on February 6, 2006, by Governor General Michaë lle Jean, following the general election that took place that year. Canadian prime ministers are styled as The Right Honourable (French: Le Trè s Honorable), a privilege maintained for life.

Today most of the Governor General’s powers have disappeared and he follows the directions of the Cabinet.

The two leading political parties in Canada are the Progressive Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. The New Democratic Party is also rather influential.

The Constitution of the country was only adopted in 1982.

Political System of Australia

Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the Queen of Great Britain at its head.

It consists of six states and two territories.

The queen is represented by the Governor General, who is appointed by the Australian government. The Governor General appoints members of the Executive Council, his advisory cabinet.

The main legislative body in the country is Federal Parliament. It consists of the Queen, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The members of the Senate are elected for a six-year term. There are ten senators from each state and two from each territory in the Senate. The House of Representatives is elected by general direct vote for a three-year term.

The executive power belongs to the queen and the government. It is headed by the Prime Minister. The ministers are chosen from members of Parliament and the Executive Council.

There are two major political parties in Australia: the Australian Labour party and a coalition of the Liberal and the Agrarian parties.

Till the 1930s Australia mostly depended upon Great Britain in its political affairs. But in 1931 Australia became fully independent from Great Britain.

The United Kingdom and fifteen other Commonwealth monarchies that share the same person as their monarch are called Commonwealth realms. The terms British monarchy and British monarch are frequently still employed in reference to the shared individual and institution; however, each country is sovereign and independent of the others, and the monarch has a different, specific, and official national title and style for each realm.

Part II

TheUSA

UNIT I

US GOVERNMENT

1.See the dictionary and read the words correctly:

Presidential, legislative, Congress, to declare, executive, to sign, to enforce, judicial.

2.Make up phrases using the words below:

legislative/executive/judicial: ветвь, власть, орган;

to sign: законопроект, документ, международный договор;

to enforce: закон, законодательство.

Vocabulary

House of Representatives	Палата представителей
Senate/a senator [’senɪ t]	Сенат/сенатор
to veto [’vi: tə u]	наложить вето
to impeach the President	подвергнуть президента импичменту
to put on trial [’traɪ ə l]	привлечь к суду
Supreme Court [sə ’pri: m] [kɔ: rt]	Верховный Суд
a justice [’dʒ ʌ stɪ s]	судья
Chief Justice	Главный Судья
Associate Justice [ə ’sə uʃ ɪ ‚eɪ t]	Член Верховного Суда
а term [tɜ: rm]	срок

1. Read and translate the text:

The USA is a presidential republic. The legislative branch of the US Government, or the Congress, represents all of the American states. It consists of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state has two senators, who are elected every 6 years.

The job of the Congress is to make laws. The President can veto a bill. The Congress can pass the law anyway if it gets a two-thirds majority vote. The Congress can also declare war. The House of Representatives can also impeach the President. This means that the house can charge the President with a crime. In this case, the Senate will put the President on trial. The Senate votes to approve the justices that the President appoints to the Supreme Court.

The executive branch of the government puts the country laws into effect. The President of the United States is a member of the executive branch. The President is elected every four years and cannot serve more than two terms. The Vice-President of the USA is a president of the Senate. When the President receives a bill from the Congress, he must sign it, and then the bill becomes a law. However if he disagrees with the law, he can veto it. The President can also ask the Congress to declare war. He also appoints the justices to the Supreme Court. He must do his job according to the Constitution, or he may be impeached.

The judicial branch of the government is the system of courts in the United States. Its job is to enforce laws. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. It consists of 9 justices: one Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices. The President appoints justices but the Senate must approve them. The judicial branch works together with the legislative and executive branches to protect the Constitution and the rights of people.

2.Give English equivalents to the Russian words and phrases: издавать законы, принять закон, получить большинство голосов, объявить войну, обвинить в преступлении, приводить законы в действие (2), назначать судей, система судов, защищать Конституцию.

3.Based on the content of the text complete the phrases:

1) The USA is…

2) Congress is…

3)There are …senators in the USA.

4)The function of the Congress is…

5)There are …houses in Congress: … and …

6) The President of the United States is a member of…

7) The Supreme Court is…

4.What do the following numbers from the text mean?: 9, 6, 4, 8, 2/3.

5.Translate the following verbs and make up your own sentences with them. You may use the text:

to elect; to appoint; to sign; to consist; to become; to vote.

6. Answer the questions:

1. What branches does the government of the USA consist of?

2. Who does the highest executive power belong to?

3. Who represents the legislative power in the USA?

4. What is the judicial branch of the government? What is its job?

5. What can you say about the Supreme Court of the USA?

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