Calls for a change of system

Before you read. Think over the following questions:

- Say some words about major changes that have recently taken place in the political life of your native country or the country your studies are connected with. What were the reasons for them? What have they resulted in?

Read the following text.

In the run-up to the next general election much will be debated about specific policies. But some groups and individuals believe that Britain’s entire system of government itself needs to be reformed, as it gives too much power to the government and not enough to the ordinary citizen.

Many of these groups want substantial changes of the system. One of the most influential groups calling for change, Charter 88, has called for a detailed number of reforms. These include a new system for electing MPs and selecting judges, more openness about the way in which government is run, and separate assemblies (or law-making bodies ) for Scotland and Wales.

Charter 88 also wants a written constitution. A constitution consists of the laws, principles and rules which govern the way the country is run. It sets out the relationship between the law-makers ( Parliament ), the executive (the government, which executes the laws agreed in Parliament ) and the judiciary (the judges and courts of law ). All independent states have constitutions; most of these are written. States which do not have written constitutions include the UK, Israel and New Zealand.

Britain’s “ unwritten constitution ” has developed over centuries. An important stage in its development was the 1688 constitutional settlement agreed between King William of Orange (1650-1702) and Parliament. This laid the basis of a constitutional monarchy – the sharing of power between king and Parliament. Parliament was made sovereign: the supreme source of law of the country. This system has developed over the last three centuries according to events. The power of the monarchy has gradually diminished, whereas the power of Parliament has grown. In the 19^th century working-class people campaigned vigorously for the right to vote. Women over 30 won the right to vote in 1918.

The development of the party system within British politics has also made government more powerful. In the early 19^th century political parties were looser and individuals more likely to vote on non-party lines. The development of mass parties – such as the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties – led to greater party organisation and discipline. Any government with a strong majority in Parliament is almost certain of passing a law through the House of Commons. In recent years some reformers have argued that such power has allowed governments to introduce genuinely unpopular measures such as what has become known as poll tax.

Several factors have increased the pressure for reform in recent years. Pressure to allow Scotland and Wales to govern themselves – called devolution – grew from the early 1970s and has revived since 1987. Criticism of government secrecy has also grown. In 1984 Sarah Tisdall, a civil servant, was prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act and jailed for revealing details about the arrival of Cruise missiles at a Berkshire air base. In the same year Clive Ponting, a senior civil servant, was prosecuted for disclosing information about the sinking of an Argentinian ship, the General Belgrano, during the Falklands war.

In the last few years, local authorities have lost significant power to central government. In 1986 the Government abolished one tier of metropolitan government including the Greater London Council. Groups such as Charter 88 argue that local authorities need greater power if people are to be properly served.

Two of the three main political parties have supported some of these reforms. In July 1990, the Liberal Democrats published their own written constitution. It contained 79 articles, which included giving more power to local authorities, promoting a Freedom of Information Bill, and turning the House of Lords into an elected Senate. The party also wants a system of proportional representation, which more accurately reflects the popular vote in elections in the number of MPs a party has. The Labour Party has rejected a written constitution but it supports other reforms including a Freedom of Information Act and reform of the House of Lords.

Constitutional reformers believe that they are gaining public support. In a 1991 poll more than half of those questioned said they wanted some significant reforms. These include a Freedom of Information Act, a change in the voting system and fixed-term Parliaments. This would prevent governments from calling elections at a time to their advantage. The survey suggested that nearly three-quarters of the population supports a bill of rights; 77 per cent want a Freedom of Information Act.

But opponents of reform argue that Britain’s system works well as it is. In July this year, John Patten, Minister of State for Home Affairs, said that the Government would resist most calls for reform. He came out strongly against abolition of the House of Lords, a bill of rights and a written constitution. “Written constitutions are meaningless unless they exist within a country which has a political culture that renders them viable”, he said.

Exercises

1. Find the equivalents of the following:

Министр внутренних дел; закон о свободе информации; продвигать законопроект; законодательная, исполнительная и судебная ветви власти; подушный налог; система пропорционального представительства; назначать выборы; избираемый сенат; преследовать в судебном порядке; предвыборная гонка; вводить меры; органы местного самоуправления; всеобщие выборы; неписаная конституция; билль о правах; центральное правительство; разглашать информацию; военно-воздушная база; право голоса; крылатая ракета; уступать кому(чему)-либо власть; государственный служащий; партии консерваторов, лейбористов и либерал демократов; парламент, избираемый на определенный срок; Вильгельм Оранский; конституционное соглашение; законодательный орган; конституционная монархия; управлять страной; суд; нуждаться в реформировании; существенные изменения; верховный, наивысший; Соединенное Королевство; заключать в тюрьму; право голоса; разделение власти (полномочий)

2. Give as many synonyms as you can:

To govern, to call for change, to jail, to reveal, to introduce measures, to lose power to, pressure for reform, to promote a bill, right to vote, sovereign, settlement, law-making body, substantial changes

3. Translate into English:

Явка избирателей на выборы в органы местного самоуправления нередко бывает очень низкой. 2. Во время предвыборной гонки практически все кандидаты отправляются в поездки по небольшим городам и деревням, где они общаются с избирателями. 3. За разглашение секретных сведений государственные служащие преследуются по закону о государственной тайне. 4. Во время предвыборной гонки, кандидаты, как правило, стараются представить свои политические убеждения и политический курс, которого они намереваются придерживаться, в наилучшем свете. 5. Конституционное соглашение, заключенное королем Вильгельмом Оранским и Британским Парламентом, считается важнейшим моментом в формировании неписаной Конституции Соединенного Королевства. 6. Основные политические партии Великобритании поддерживают призывы к проведению серьезных реформ. 7. Местное управление в Британии представлено советами, которые занимаются мелкими вопросами. Местное правительство занимается законами, принятыми на уровне города или округа. 8. Процесс передачи полномочий самостоятельному законодательному органу Шотландии начался много лет назад и длится по сей день, причем вызывает много споров. 9. Считается, что система пропорционального представительства, в отличие от мажоритарной системы, более точно отражает народное волеизъявление. 10. Введение подушного налога вызвало народный протест и массовые беспорядки. 11. Возникновение и становление политических партий, таких как социально-демократическая, лейбористская и консервативная, внесло больше организованности и дисциплины в работу парламента. 12. Партии сложно провести интересующий ее законопроект в Палате Общин, если она не обладает парламентским большинством. 13. Иногда, долгосрочные экономические задачи требуют от правительства введения непопулярных мер, например, повышения налогов. 14.

В течение многих веков определенные категории граждан были лишены права голоса и отчаянно боролись за то, чтобы его получить. 15. Закон о государственной тайне приобретает особую значимость во время войны, когда раскрытие любой информации может повлечь за собой последствия, фатальные для госудрства.16. Чтобы правительство не имело возможности назначать выборы в удобное ему время, необходимо, чтобы парламент избирался на определенный срок.

LISTENING III.

Listen to the text and answer the following questions:

1) What kind of elections are by-elections? When are they held?

2) What are the main parties of the UK? What party gained advantage over Labour?

3) How big is the swing against Labour?

4) Who and how campaigned in this supposedly safe seat?

5) Why does the winner from Liberal Democrats Willy Rennie mention Downing street 10 and 11?

6) How comes that Gordon Brown lives in the constituency which they lost to the Liberal Democrats?

7) Why does the correspondent say that “the Liberal Democrat supporters have watched their party behave like a car crash in slow motion in recent months.”?

8) What questions do these by-election returns provide?

2) Now fill in the gaps:

Part 1

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair has suffered a shock defeatin _______
___________, losing ___________________ supposedly on a path to self destruction driven by scandals over sex and alcohol.

What's worse is the 16 per cent _______________ Labour came in a supposedly __________________ that's also the home of Tony Blair's Chancellor or Treasurer Gordon Brown, who campaigned ____________ in the _______________ - to seemingly little effect.

Part 2

Number 11 _____________ is where the _______________ Gordon Brown lives, next door to the man whose job he'll take over within the next two years - after waiting with excruciating patience, just like his Australian contemporary Peter Costello.

But that barbed message will sting. Because of _________ electoral ____________, Gordon Brown actually lives in the seat that Labour lost, and he'd _____________________________________ a seat that Labor was sure they'd win.

Part 3

But it's only a by-election, and ___________________ is still three and half years ____________ at least - and ______________ Labor comfortably _________.

But since coming to power in 1997, Tony Blair had never ____________ in Parliament, until recent ____________ anti-terrorism were defeated.

The latest was lost because so many ____________ were busy campaigning in Scotland for this by-election that the party lost track of how many votes it had in _______________________. 100 years since the modern British Labour party was created, Tony Blair's supporters hope he won't lose track of how he managed to be the first Labor leader to win three ____________________ elections.

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